A Free Excel Viewer, Built for .rewind Files (Not .xlsx)
An independent product, not affiliated with Microsoft.
A free Excel viewer search usually means one thing: open an .xlsx file in a browser. This tool does not do that. It opens .rewind files, recordings of an Excel session, and replays each edit with a timeline and notes. Need a plain .xlsx viewer? Excel for the web is the honest answer, linked below.
I just need to open an .xlsx file. Does this do that?
No, and this page says so before asking for anything. The free viewer at viewer.excelrewind.com opens .rewind session files only, ExcelRewind's own recording format, not general spreadsheet files. For a real free way to open and view an .xlsx file in the browser, use Excel for the web, Microsoft's own free web app. It needs a free Microsoft account and stores the file in OneDrive, which is a reasonable tradeoff if opening a plain workbook is all you're after.
What is a .rewind file?
A .rewind file is a recording made by the ExcelRewind add-in: a timestamped log of every cell edit in a session, plus any note explaining why each change was made. It is a companion file, saved next to the original workbook, and it never alters that workbook. See the full format explainer for how the file is put together.
What does a .rewind replay show that a static file can't?
Opening a static file, whether .xlsx or .rewind, only ever shows one moment: the last one saved. A .rewind replay shows the moments in between, cell by cell, alongside whatever the editor wrote down about each one. That gap is the reason ExcelRewind exists; see what Excel's own change-tracking tools miss for the fuller picture.
Timeline
Scrub through the session and watch the grid rebuild edit by edit, in the order they happened.
Notes
Read the reason attached to a specific edit, not just the value it left behind.
Cell history
Click a cell to see every value it held during the recording, not only the first and last.
Free Excel viewer options, compared
| What you have | Excel for the web | ExcelRewind viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Opens .xlsx / .xls files | Yes | No |
| Opens .rewind session recordings | No | Yes |
| Requires an account | Yes (free Microsoft account) | No |
| Where the file lives while you view it | Uploaded to OneDrive | Stays on your device; nothing is uploaded |
| Shows edit-by-edit history with notes | No | Yes |
How do I open a .rewind file?
- Go to viewer.excelrewind.com in any modern browser.
- Drag the
.rewindfile onto the page, or click to browse for it. - If the recording has end-to-end encryption enabled, enter the passphrase when asked.
- Use the timeline to scrub through the session, and open the notes and cell-history panels alongside it.
Try it without a file of your own. The demo is a real one-minute recording with a guided tour, no account and no install needed.
Try the live demoWhere do .rewind files come from?
Someone creates a .rewind file by recording a session with the ExcelRewind add-in for Excel, or the add-on for Google Sheets, while they work. There is no way to generate one from an existing .xlsx after the fact; it only captures edits made while recording was on. If a colleague or client sent you a .rewind file to review, this viewer is where you open it. To record your own, see installing the add-in or how FP&A teams use it for model review.
Install the add-in or read how recording keeps your data on your machine.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ExcelRewind viewer open .xlsx files?
No. The free viewer at viewer.excelrewind.com opens .rewind session files, which are recordings made by the ExcelRewind add-in. It does not open, view, or convert plain .xlsx, .xls, or .csv files. If you need to open a standard Excel file online for free, Excel for the web is the real option from Microsoft.
What is a .rewind file?
A .rewind file is a recording made by the ExcelRewind add-in: every cell edit in a session, its timing, and any note explaining why it was made. It is a companion file that travels alongside the original spreadsheet and never changes that spreadsheet. The free viewer replays the recording in your browser.
Is my file uploaded when I open it in the viewer?
No. Opening a .rewind file in the viewer happens entirely in your browser. The file is never sent to a server, and the original spreadsheet was never uploaded when it was recorded either. This holds whether you drop in your own file or try the demo.
Do I need an account to use the viewer?
No. Drop a .rewind file onto viewer.excelrewind.com, or click to browse for one, and it opens right away. No sign-up, no install, and no account are required to replay a recording someone shares with you.
What happens if the .rewind file is encrypted?
If the recording was made with end-to-end encryption enabled, the viewer asks for the passphrase before it will replay the file. Without the passphrase the contents stay locked; ExcelRewind does not hold a copy of it.
Last updated: July 2026.
ExcelRewind is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Questions? [email protected].