Excel, too equally all of the cadre Microsoft Role applications, have gone through decades of version upgrades. Forth with those upgrades came minor tweaks to Excel file extensions to business relationship for the differences between those Excel files.

Information technology isn't but version differences that spawn new file extensions. Some file extensions refer specifically to the type of file, such as whether it's an Excel template or an Excel file that contains a macro.

If you lot understand all of the Excel file extensions, y'all'll take a improve handle on how to save your file in the file salve dialogue box.

Why Excel File Extensions Matter

The extension of an Excel file provides you with important data near that file earlier y'all open it. It also lets you organize the files you save into your directories as template files, macro-enabled files, and more. With just a glance at the Excel file extension, yous know more about the Excel file and what it'south used for.

Excel file extensions tell you lot:

  • Whether macros or VBA is included
  • If the file was saved with an older version of Excel
  • Whether the file format is based on XML documents or binary
  • The general legacy version the file was saved with
  • Whether the file is a template

You can meet all of the file extensions in Excel by selecting File from the card, select Save As, and and then select the file type dropdown nether the file name field.

Every bit y'all can see, each of the file types have a descriptive proper noun that helps with understanding what the file extension is for.

Excel File Extensions By Version

The outset group of file extensions are related primarily to which version of Excel the worksheet was saved with. The following extension types are connected to the Excel versions shown hither:

  • Excel 97-2003: *.xls
  • Excel 97-2003 template: *.xlt
  • XML Spreadsheet 2003: *.xml
  • Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook: *.xls
  • Excel 97-2003 Add together-in: *.xlam
  • Excel 4.0: *.xlw
  • Microsoft Works: *.xlr

As you tin can see, the *.xls file extension is the default legacy Excel format for all versions of excel prior to Excel 2007.

From Excel 2007 onwards, the default file extension for any Excel file was (and remains) *.xlsx.

The Differences Between XLS Vs XLSX

While Microsoft switching to the XLSX extension after Excel 2007 seems like a superficial naming convention alter, the truth is that at that place was more change than just the file extension.

XLS stores Excel spreadsheets in a file format known as Binary Interchange File Format. This was a proprietary file format created by Microsoft.

With the release of Excel 2007, Microsoft changed the default to XLSX, which is based on the Role Open XML format. This is a method of saving spreadsheet information in an XML file.

What were the advantages of switching to this new method of saving Excel spreadsheet data? There are many.

  • Interoperable: Function Open up XML formatted files can more hands be pulled into other applications that tin can read Office XML formats.
  • Extensible: External applications or programs can dispense the contents of the underlying XML format — this ways programmers can create software to edit Excel spreadsheets without ever opening the Excel awarding itself.
  • Safer from corruption: XML formatted files are less susceptible to corruption or damage than binary files like XLS files are.
  • Smaller: You can shop more information in a smaller file when you use the XLSX format. Microsoft claims XLSX files are 75 percent smaller than XLS files.

If none of those advantages affair much to you lot, then y'all might be meliorate off staying with the older default XLS Excel format. Yous do get two advantages when you practise this.

The beginning is that XLS files tend to relieve and open faster. Secondly, Excel files with the XLS extension tin exist opened on every version of Excel, no matter how erstwhile.

Other Excel File Extensions

Now that you understand the difference between XLS and XLSX, it's a picayune bit easier to decipher what all of the other Excel file extensions mean.

  • .xlsm: XML format Excel files that besides back up Excel macros
  • .xlsb: Binary format Excel files (older version) that too back up Excel macros
  • .xltx: An Excel file saved as a template to be used as a starting indicate for futurity Excel workbooks
  • .xltm: A macro-enabled Excel file that'due south saved as a template

Excel Template Files

If you lot're unfamiliar with Excel templates, it may be a adept time to learn about and start using them. If you find yourself creating a lot of spreadsheets that share the same formatting, formulas, or layout, a template can salve y'all a peachy bargain of time.

All you have to do to create a template is ready your formatting, layouts, and other aspects of your worksheet that you don't desire to recreate every time. Then save the file with ane of the Excel file extensions listed above for template format.

In fact, when you open up a new file in Excel, you can search through thousands of premade templates across many categories.

Opening Other File Types

Excel isn't express to opening only files with Excel file extensions. When you open a file in Excel and select from the file type drop box, you'll see a long list across what's listed in this commodity.

This is because at that place are non-Microsoft file formats that are likewise supported in Excel.

  • *.xml: Any spreadsheets from applications that stored the sheets in XML Spreadsheet 2003 format, or direct XML formatted data files.
  • *.prn: Lotus spreadsheets
  • .txt: Tab-delimited or Unicode text files
  • .csv: Comma-delimited text files
  • .dif: Data Interchange Format text files
  • .slk: Symbolic Link Format text files
  • .dbf: dBase data files
  • .ods: Opendocument spreadsheets (Google Docs or OpenOffice)
  • .pdf: Retains the formatting of data when you open PDF data files
  • .xps: XML Paper Specification data files

Proceed in mind that depending on the Excel version you're using, non all of these file types volition brandish as options when you're saving or opening files.