CloudConvert, Zamzar, and other online tools will convert your file — but they won't preserve your macros, and your files will leave your machine. Here's the full picture.
Free online converters work fine for converting a photo or a PDF. For .xls files with VBA macros, or .mdb Access databases, they produce incomplete output, strip your code, and require uploading sensitive business data to a third-party server.
| Feature | LegacyLeaps | CloudConvert | Zamzar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preserves VBA macros | Yes | No — strips all VBA | No — strips all VBA |
| Preserves ActiveX controls | Yes | No | No |
| Access .mdb to .accdb conversion | Yes (full migration) | Not supported | Not supported |
| Files stay on your machine | Yes — local app | No — uploaded to servers | No — uploaded to servers |
| File size limit | No limit | 1 GB (business plan) | 400 MB (business plan) |
| Batch conversion | Yes | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (paid plans) |
| Pre-conversion scan report | Yes — free | No | No |
| Formulas preserved | Yes | Usually | Usually |
| Formatting preserved | Yes | Mostly | Mostly |
| Works offline | Yes | No | No |
| Pricing model | Pay per file converted | Minutes-based subscription | File-count subscription |
CloudConvert and Zamzar are excellent tools for what they were built for: converting documents, images, audio, and video files between formats. They were not built for migrating legacy Office files with embedded VBA code.
When you upload an .xls file that contains VBA macros to either service, the conversion produces an .xlsx file. The data and most formatting survive. But the VBA code — every Sub, every Function, every UserForm, every event handler — is silently deleted. You get no warning. The output file looks correct until you try to run something.
For files where the macros are the file — where the data is almost irrelevant without the automation that processes it — this isn't a conversion. It's destruction of most of the value.
To use CloudConvert or Zamzar, your file has to leave your machine. It gets uploaded to their servers, converted, and then you download the result. They delete files after a retention period, and they have security policies in place.
For many .xls and .mdb files, that's not acceptable. Legacy Office files often contain:
Your compliance team, your IT department, or your own common sense may rule out uploading those files to a third-party service — regardless of that service's stated security practices.
LegacyLeaps is a desktop application. Your files never leave your machine. The conversion happens entirely on your hardware, with no network calls. There is no LegacyLeaps server that has ever seen your data.
Zamzar's business plan caps files at 400 MB. CloudConvert's caps at 1 GB. Those numbers sound large until you're dealing with a 10-year-old Access database with attachments, or a complex .xls reporting workbook with embedded objects.
Files that won't upload at all don't get converted at all. LegacyLeaps has no file size limit because conversion happens locally.
To be fair: if you have a simple .xls file with data only — no macros, no VBA, no ActiveX controls — and you need to quickly produce an .xlsx version, CloudConvert or Zamzar will do that reliably and for free.
The problem is knowing which category your file falls into. Many files look simple on the surface but have VBA code behind sheets that isn't immediately visible. LegacyLeaps's free scan identifies exactly what's in your files before you convert anything, so you can make an informed choice.
Download LegacyLeaps and run a free scan. The report shows every macro, ActiveX control, and VBA module in your file — so you know exactly what an online converter would strip out.
If LegacyLeaps doesn't preserve your formulas, macros, and formatting, we'll refund every penny. No questions asked. Free online converters don't offer this because they can't — they don't support macros at all.