If you are indeed dealing with a literal .xsr file (not a typo for Excel), please note the following:

Best for: Quick, free conversions for Office users.

Most people overlook that the best "XLS to PDF converter" is Excel itself. The "Save as PDF" or "Export" feature built into Office 2016, 2019, and Office 365 is robust.

Best for: Power users on a budget.

Wondershare PDFelement gained massive traction in 2021 for offering a UI very similar to Adobe Acrobat but with a perpetual license option (one-time payment).


If you are looking to convert spreadsheets into portable documents, 2021 was a year where software maturity peaked, offering great tools for preserving formatting, formulas, and layout. Below is a breakdown of the top contenders.