One Sheet or Every Sheet: Worksheet Picker and Manifest Zips

Workbooks are rarely one table. They are stacks of sheets with different shapes, and converting the whole file as if it were a single rectangle either drops sheets or invents a messy union. Novus Convert's worksheet picker answers the question people actually ask: do I want this sheet, or every sheet, packaged honestly?

Leave the picker alone and every sheet is converted and packaged as a ZIP. Inside that archive a manifest lists each table's name, row count, and columns. Pick one sheet and you get that sheet's file on its own. Both paths stay in the browser; neither uploads the workbook.

Why a manifest exists#

A ZIP of anonymous files forces you to open each member to learn what it is. The manifest is the map: sheet name, how many rows survived, which columns were present. It is not a second copy of the data. It is the index you need when the workbook had seven sheets and you only expected three.

• Default: convert every sheet into the ZIP package.
• Optional: pick one worksheet and download only that table.
• Manifest: name, row count, and columns for each member.
• Narrow screens: worksheet settings follow the complete action row so they cannot cover Download.

What still stays true about privacy#

Worksheet choice is a conversion-time control on the queued file, not a saved account preference. The workbook is read by the local converter in your browser, and the XLSX format notes describe what the reader accepts. Only true worksheets are read; chart sheets, dialog sheets, and Excel 4.0 macro sheets are ignored rather than mined for text.

When to pick one sheet#

Pick one sheet when the destination is a single SQLite table, a single JSON Lines stream, or a colleague who only asked for the pricing tab. Packaging everything would force them to unpack and guess. Pick every sheet when you are archiving a workbook's tables for later, or when each sheet is a legitimate table you intend to keep.

Before you merge the members of a ZIP downstream, read the manifest's column lists side by side. Do not assume similar sheet titles mean identical schemas; the manifest is there so you can see the difference without opening every file.

Mobile layout was part of the feature#

On a narrow screen, worksheet settings once sat on top of the Download button for a queued workbook. The file converted and could not be collected. The fix was not a special-case for one page: settings now follow the complete action row instead of sharing it. A feature that cannot be collected is not shipped.

How this fits the table wave#

The worksheet picker is the UX half of the same September table expansion that added sixty-eight verified table routes. Routes prove the pair works. The picker proves a multi-sheet workbook can be steered without pretending it was always one table.

Try it with a three-sheet workbook you already understand. Convert all sheets once and read the manifest. Convert a single sheet once and confirm the download is only that table. Those two checks are enough to trust the control before you point it at a larger file.