Chapter 4 of 6 · 1 min
Can I open an Excel file stored in S3 in the browser?
SHORT ANSWER
Not with S3 on its own. No browser has a spreadsheet viewer, so a link to an Excel file saves it to the computer every time. Something has to convert it first.
The lesson 4 film is on chapter 1.
What converts it
- Excel on a laptop, after the download. Fine for one person, slow for a team.
- The Microsoft or Google web viewers. Each fetches its own copy of the file through a link, so the spreadsheet passes through their servers.
- A document server in a file workspace. It fetches the file with a short-lived link, draws it in the tab, and throws the copy away when the tab closes.
BucketDesk does the last one for Word, Excel and PowerPoint on its Standard plan, and lets Ultra workspaces edit the file and save it straight back to the bucket.
- $1,000a year
- the Standard plan, for a whole workspace rather than per person
Prices are for US East, October 2026. A browser-based S3 file viewer for business documents has every rate and the steps.
NEXT · CHAPTER 5 OF 6Do I need the AWS Console at all?The front desk is one door. It was built for engineers.The same bucket, two ways
Compare with the AWS Console See the steps to open, share and give a colleague access in the AWS Console and in BucketDesk, side by side.