Excel Viewer: Render Excel to HTML, PDF & Images in C#

Programmatically display Excel data as HTML, PDF, PNG, or JPG in .NET applications, enabling secure sharing without exposing the original workbook. This guide demonstrates how to create a powerful Excel file viewer and render Excel data using C#.

The following topics are covered:

• [C# Excel File Viewer API — Free Download][2]
• [Display Excel Data in HTML using C#][3]
• [Render Excel Data in PDF using C#][4]
• [View Excel File as JPG Image using C#][5]
• [Adjust Text Overflow in Cells using C#][6]
• [Render Hidden Rows and Columns of Excel][7]
• [Skip Empty Rows and Columns in Excel][8]
• [Split Excel Worksheet by Rows and Columns][9]

C# Excel File Viewer API — Free Download

We rely on GroupDocs.Viewer for .NET to convert XLS or XLSX workbooks to web‑friendly formats. The library supports a wide range of spreadsheet types and can be added to your project via NuGet or by downloading the DLL directly.

PM> Install-Package GroupDocs.Viewer

Display Excel Data in HTML using C#

Render an Excel workbook to HTML by following these steps:

1. Instantiate the [Viewer][16] class with the source file.
2. Create an [HtmlViewOptions][17] object configured for [EmbeddedResources][18].
3. Define the output HTML file path.
4. (Optional) Enable [RenderToSinglePage][19] for a single‑page layout.
5. Call the [View()][20] method, passing the HtmlViewOptions.

The snippet below demonstrates how to render an Excel file to HTML using C#.

Render Excel Data in PDF using C#

Convert an Excel workbook to a PDF document with these actions:

1. Load the workbook using the [Viewer][16] class.
2. Create a [PdfViewOptions][24] instance.
3. Set the destination PDF file path.
4. Invoke the [View()][20] method, supplying the PdfViewOptions.

The example illustrates how to render an Excel file to PDF using C#.

View Excel File as JPG Image using C#

Generate JPG images from an Excel worksheet by performing the following:

1. Open the workbook with the [Viewer][16] class.
2. Create a [JpgViewOptions][23] object.
3. Specify the output folder or file name.
4. Execute the [View()][20] method with the JpgViewOptions.

The code sample shows how to render an Excel file as JPG images using C#.

You can also generate PNG images:

Adjust Text Overflow in Cells using C#

Control how text that exceeds cell boundaries is displayed. Available modes are:

• Overlay – text overlays adjacent cells even when they contain data.
• OverlayIfNextIsEmpty – overlay occurs only if the next cell is empty.
• AutoFitColumn – automatically widens the column to fit the text.
• HideText – hides overflow text completely.

To set an overflow mode:

1. Load the workbook with the [Viewer][16] class.
2. Create a [PdfViewOptions][24] instance.
3. Define the output PDF path.
4. Assign SpreadsheetOptions.TextOverflowMode (e.g., HideText).
5. (Optional) Enable RenderHeadings and RenderGridLines for better readability.
6. Call the [View()][20] method with the configured PdfViewOptions.

The snippet demonstrates how to adjust text overflow while rendering an Excel file using C#.

Render Hidden Rows and Columns of Excel

To include rows and columns that are hidden in the original workbook, enable the following options:

viewOptions.SpreadsheetOptions.RenderHiddenColumns = true;
viewOptions.SpreadsheetOptions.RenderHiddenRows = true;

The example illustrates how to render hidden rows and columns of an Excel file to PDF using C#.

Skip Empty Rows and Columns in Excel using C#

To omit blank rows and columns from the output, activate these settings:

viewOptions.SpreadsheetOptions.SkipEmptyColumns = true;
viewOptions.SpreadsheetOptions.SkipEmptyRows = true;

The code sample shows how to skip empty rows and columns when converting an Excel file with C#.

Split Excel Worksheet by Rows and Columns

For large worksheets, split the content into multiple pages to improve performance and navigation. Follow these steps:

1. Load the workbook with the [Viewer][16] class.
2. Create a [PdfViewOptions][24] object.
3. Set the target PDF file path.
4. Configure SpreadsheetOptions using ForSplitSheetIntoPages(rowCount, columnCount).
5. Execute the [View()][20] method with the prepared PdfViewOptions.

The snippet demonstrates how to split an Excel worksheet into separate pages by rows and columns using C#.

Get a Free License

Request a free temporary license to try the API without evaluation limitations: [a free temporary license][29].

Conclusion

In this article we covered how to:

• Render Excel worksheets to HTML, PDF, PNG, and JPG using C#.
• Control text overflow and display grid lines.
• Show column and row headings in the output.
• Skip empty rows/columns and include hidden rows/columns.
• Split large worksheets into multiple pages for better performance.

Explore additional capabilities of GroupDocs.Viewer for .NET in the [documentation][30]. For technical questions, visit the [forum][31].

See Also

• [Insert or Delete Rows and Columns in Excel using C#][32]