--- title: "How to build a React.js Excel (XLS/XLSX) viewer" canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/blog/how-to-build-a-react-excel-viewer/" md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/blog/how-to-build-a-react-excel-viewer.md" last_updated: "2026-07-20T08:37:55.628Z" description: "A step-by-step tutorial explaining how to build an Excel (XLS and XLSX) viewer using React with the Nutrient SDK." --- In this blog post, learn how to build a [React Excel viewer](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/viewer.md) using the Nutrient Web SDK. You’ll open and view XLS and XLSX files directly in your web browser using client-side processing (no server required). The image below shows what you’ll be building.![resulting image](@/assets/images/blog/2023/how-to-build-an-excel-viewer-using-javascript/result.png) You can check out the [demo](https://www.nutrient.io/demo/office-viewer) to see it in action. To build a React Excel viewer, install Nutrient Web SDK (`@nutrient-sdk/viewer`), copy its assets to the public folder, and call `NutrientViewer.load()` with the path to an XLS or XLSX file. The SDK converts the spreadsheet to PDF in the browser and renders it — no server or Microsoft Office license required. ## Opening and rendering Office documents in the browser Nutrient Web SDK brings support for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats to your application, without you or your users needing any MS Office software, MS Office licenses, or third-party open source software. The technology works by converting an Office document to PDF directly in the browser, and the document is then rendered in our JavaScript viewer. ## Unlocking more capabilities with Office-to-PDF conversion By converting an Office document to PDF using client-side JavaScript, you have the option to support a rich array of additional Office document functionality, such as: - **Text editing** — Edit text directly in the displayed Office document. - **Page manipulation** — Organize documents by adding, removing, or rearranging pages. - **Annotations** — Boost collaboration by adding text highlights, comments, or stamps. - **Adding signatures** — Draw, type, or upload a signature directly to an Office document. [Explore Demo](https://www.nutrient.io/demo/office-viewer) ## Requirements to get started To get started, you’ll need: - The [latest version of Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/). - A package manager compatible with npm. This post contains usage examples for [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com/) and the [npm](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npm) client (installed with Node.js by default). ## Setting up a new React project with Vite 1. To get started, create a new React project using Vite: ```bash # Using Yarn yarn create vite nutrient-react-example --template react # Using npm npm create vite@latest nutrient-react-example -- --template react ``` 2. Navigate to your project directory: ```bash cd nutrient-react-example ``` ## Adding Nutrient to your project 1. First, install Nutrient as a dependency: ```bash npm install @nutrient-sdk/viewer # or yarn add @nutrient-sdk/viewer # or pnpm install @nutrient-sdk/viewer ``` 2. The Nutrient Web SDK loads its WebAssembly and supporting files from a local path, so you need to copy them to the public folder. Start by installing the required copy plugin: ```bash npm install -D rollup-plugin-copy ``` Then, update your Vite configuration (`vite.config.ts`) to copy the SDK’s asset files during build: ```ts import { defineConfig } from 'vite'; import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'; import copy from 'rollup-plugin-copy'; export default defineConfig({ plugins: [ copy({ targets: [ { src: 'node_modules/@nutrient-sdk/viewer/dist/nutrient-viewer-lib', dest: 'public/', }, ], hook: 'buildStart', }), react(), ], }); ``` ## Displaying an Excel file in your React app 1. Add an Excel (XLS, XLSX) document you want to display to the `public` directory. You can use our [demo document](https://www.nutrient.io/downloads/chart.xlsx) as an example. Add this file to the `public` directory of your project. 2. Now that everything is set up, you’ll render the Excel file using the Nutrient SDK. Basic usage in `App.tsx`: ```tsx import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react'; function App() { const containerRef = useRef(null); useEffect(() => { const container = containerRef.current; let cleanup = () => {}; (async () => { const NutrientViewer = (await import('@nutrient-sdk/viewer')).default; // Unload any previous instance. NutrientViewer.unload(container); if (container && NutrientViewer) { NutrientViewer.load({ container, document: 'chart.xlsx', baseUrl: `${window.location.protocol}//${ window.location.host }/${import.meta.env.PUBLIC_URL?? ''}`, }); } cleanup = () => { NutrientViewer.unload(container); }; })(); return cleanup; }, []); return (
); } export default App; ``` 3. Start your development server: ```bash # Using Yarn yarn dev # Using npm npm run dev ``` Once the server is running, you can view and interact with your PDF directly in the browser. ## A note about fonts In client-side web applications for Microsoft Office-to-PDF conversion, Nutrient addresses font licensing constraints through font substitutions, typically replacing unavailable fonts with their equivalents — like Arial with Noto. For precise font matching, you can provide your own fonts, embed them into source files, or designate paths to your `.ttf` fonts for custom solutions. ## Adding even more capabilities Once you’ve deployed your viewer, you can start customizing it to meet your specific requirements or easily add more capabilities. To help you get started, here are some of our most popular React.js guides: - [Instant synchronization](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/instant-synchronization.md) - [Document assembly](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/editor/merge-or-combine.md) - [Page manipulation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/editor/page-manipulation/rotate.md) - [Editor](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/editor.md) - [Forms](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/forms.md) - [Signatures](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/signatures.md) - [Redaction](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/redaction.md) - [Document security](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/document-security.md) ## Conclusion In this blog post, you learned how to build an [Excel viewer](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/viewer.md) using React.js with the Nutrient SDK. If you’re looking for a way to render Office documents in your web application, then Nutrient Web SDK is a great option. It’s a powerful and flexible library that can help you provide your users with a seamless and enjoyable experience. To get started, you can either: - Start your [free trial](https://www.nutrient.io/try/) to test out the library and see how it works in your application. - [Launch our demo](https://www.nutrient.io/demo/) to see the viewer in action. ## FAQ #### How can I integrate Nutrient into a React.js project? To integrate Nutrient, install the `@nutrient-sdk/viewer` package with npm or Yarn, copy the library assets to your public directory, and create a React component to initialize and configure Nutrient. #### How do I display Excel (XLS/XLSX) files using Nutrient in React? Import the Nutrient library in your React component, provide the path to your Excel document, and use `NutrientViewer.load()` to render the document. #### Can I customize the Nutrient viewer in my React application? Yes, you can customize the Nutrient viewer with options for initial view state, annotations, text editing, and additional functionalities. #### Where can I find a demo of the React.js Excel viewer with Nutrient? You can check out a demo of the React.js Excel viewer with Nutrient by visiting the [Nutrient demo page](https://www.nutrient.io/demo/). --- ## Related pages - [The business case for accessibility: Five ways it drives enterprise value](/blog/5-ways-accessibility-drives-enterprise-value.md) - [Accessibility Untangled Why It Matters Guide](/blog/accessibility-untangled-why-it-matters-guide.md) - [Advanced Techniques For React Native Ui Components](/blog/advanced-techniques-for-react-native-ui-components.md) - [`vector_store` holds your indexed documents (see the multimodal RAG post](/blog/agentic-rag.md) - [Ai Document Automation Extraction To Action](/blog/ai-document-automation-extraction-to-action.md) - [Ai Legal Assistant Document Authoring](/blog/ai-legal-assistant-document-authoring.md) - [Angular File Viewer Pdf Image Office Files](/blog/angular-file-viewer-pdf-image-office-files.md) - [Auto Tagging And Document Accessibility In Dotnet Sdk](/blog/auto-tagging-and-document-accessibility-in-dotnet-sdk.md) - [Best Document Viewers](/blog/best-document-viewers.md) - [The CEO’s AI playbook: Why decision architecture beats model selection](/blog/ceo-ai-playbook-decision-architecture.md) - [1. 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