Excel XLSX data with coordinates displayed as points
- drag-drop an Excel XLSX file onto the layer widget
- double click tool QGIS geoalgorithms\Vector creation tools\Point layer from Table, choose the new layer as Input layer and specify the columns representing X- and Y-field, run the process
Two steps using current QGIS versions.
Use the "Add spreadsheet layer" tool, which can be installed with these steps:
- Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins...
- Search or look for "Spreadsheet Layers", then click "Install plugin"
After a successful installation, you can find the tool beside the other "Add Layer" options.
See more details at the Plugin's homepage