Excel > File conversion and compatibility

File formats that are supported in Excel

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You can save a Microsoft Excel 2010 file in another file format by clicking the
File tab, and then clicking Save As. The file formats that are available in the
Save As dialog box vary, depending on what type of sheet is active (a worksheet,
chart sheet, or other type of sheet).
In Excel 2010, you can open a file that was created in another file format, eith
er in an earlier version of Excel or in another program, by clicking the File ta
b, and then clicking Open. If you open an Excel 97-2003 workbook, it automatical
ly opens in Compatibility Mode. To take advantage of the new features of Excel 2
010, you can save the workbook to an Excel 2010 file format. However, you also h
ave the option to continue to work in Compatibility Mode, which retains the orig
inal file format for backward compatibility.
Whenever you save a file in another file format, some of its formatting, data, a
nd features might not be transferred.
In this article
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Excel file formats
Text file formats
Other file formats
File formats that use the Clipboard
File formats that are not supported in Excel 2010
Formatting and features that are not transferred in Excel file format conversio
ns
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Excel file formats
Format Extension Description
Excel Workbook .xlsx The default XML-based file format for Excel 2010 and Excel
2007. Cannot store Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code or M
icrosoft Office Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel Workbook (code) .xlsm The XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Exce
l 2010 and Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel Binary Workbook .xlsb The binary file format (BIFF12) for Excel 2010 and E
xcel 2007.
Template .xltx The default file format for an Excel template for Excel 2010 and
Excel 2007. Cannot store VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Template (code) .xltm The macro-enabled file format for an Excel template Excel
2010 and Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Workbook .xls The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format
(BIFF8).
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Template .xlt The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format
(BIFF8) for an Excel template.
Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook .xls The Excel 5.0/95 Binary file format (BIFF5)
.
XML Spreadsheet 2003 .xml XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format (XMLSS).

XML Data .xml XML Data format.

Excel Add-In .xlam The XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In format for Excel 2010
and Excel 2007. An Add-In is a supplemental program that is designed to run addi
tional code. Supports the use of VBA projects and Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm).
Excel 97-2003 Add-In .xla The Excel 97-2003 Add-In, a supplemental program that
is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects.
Excel 4.0 Workbook .xlw An Excel 4.0 file format that saves only worksheets, cha
rt sheets, and macro sheets. You can open a workbook in this file format in Exce
l 2010, but you cannot save an Excel file to this file format.
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Text file formats
Format Extension Description
Formatted Text (Space-delimited) .prn Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only t
he active sheet.
Text (Tab-delimited) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use
on another Microsoft Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters,
line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the acti
ve sheet.
Text (Macintosh) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on t
he Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and
other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
Text (MS-DOS) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the
MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other
characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
Unicode Text .txt Saves a workbook as Unicode text, a character encoding standar
d that was developed by the Unicode Consortium.
CSV (comma delimited) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for
use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line b
reaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active she
et.
CSV (Macintosh) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on
the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, an
d other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
CSV (MS-DOS) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the
MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and othe
r characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet.
DIF .dif Data Interchange Format. Saves only the active sheet.
SYLK .slk Symbolic Link Format. Saves only the active sheet.
Note If you save a workbook in any text format, all formatting is lost.
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Other file formats
Format Extension Description
DBF 3, DBF 4 .dbf dBase III and IV. You can open these files formats in Excel, b
ut you cannot save an Excel file to dBase format.
OpenDocument Spreadsheet .ods OpenDocument Spreadsheet. You can save Excel 2010
files so they can be opened in spreadsheet applications that use the OpenDocumen
t Spreadsheet format, such as Google Docs and OpenOffice.org Calc. You can also
open spreadsheets in the .ods format in Excel 2010. Formatting might be lost whe
n saving and opening .ods files.
PDF .pdf Portable Document Format (PDF). This file format preserves document for

matting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or p
rinted, it retains the format that you intended. Data in the file cannot be easi
ly changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced
by using commercial printing methods.
XPS Document .xps XML Paper Specification (XPS). This file format preserves docu
ment formatting and enables file sharing. When the XPS file is viewed online or
printed, it retains exactly the format that you intended, and the data in the fi
le cannot be easily changed.
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File formats that use the Clipboard
You can paste data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard into Excel by using the P
aste or Paste Special command (Home tab, Clipboard group, Paste button) if the O
ffice Clipboard data is in one of the following formats.
Format Extension Clipboard type identifiers
Picture .wmf or .emf Pictures in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or Windows Enhanc
ed Metafile Format (EMF).
Note If you copy a Windows metafile picture from another program, Excel pastes
the picture as an enhanced metafile.
Bitmap .bmp Pictures stored in Bitmap format (BMP).
Microsoft Excel file formats .xls Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95
(BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Excel 2010 (BIFF12).
SYLK .slk Symbolic Link Format.
DIF .dif Data Interchange Format.
Text (tab-delimited) .txt Tab-separated text format.
CSV (Comma-delimited) .csv Comma-separated values format.
Formatted text (Space-delimited) .rtf Rich Text Format (RTF). Only from Excel.
Embedded object .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp Microsoft Excel objects, object
s from properly registered programs that support OLE (OLE: A program-integration
technology that you can use to share information between programs. All Office p
rograms support OLE, so you can share information through linked and embedded ob
jects.) 2.0 (OwnerLink (OwnerLink: An OLE data format that describes an embedded
object, identifying the class, document name, and name of an object. Each of th
ese data items is a null-terminated string.)), and Picture or another presentati
on format.
Linked object .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp OwnerLink, ObjectLink (ObjectLink:
An OLE data format that describes a linked object, identifying the class, docum
ent name, and name of an object. Each of these data items is a null-termina
ted string.), Link, Picture, or other format.
Office drawing object .emf Office drawing object format or Picture (Windows enha
nced metafile format, EMF).
Text .txt Display Text, OEM Text.
Single File Web Page .mht, .mhtml Single File Web Page (MHT or MHTML). This file
format integrates inline graphics, applets, linked documents, and other support
ing items referenced in the document.
Web Page .htm, .html Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
Note When you copy text from another program, Excel pastes the text in HTML for
mat, regardless of the format of the original text.

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File formats that are not supported in Excel 2010

The following file formats are no longer supported in Excel 2010. You cannot ope
n or save files in these file formats.
Format Extension Clipboard type identifiers
Excel Chart .xlc Excel 2.0, 3.0, and 2.x file formats
WK1, FMT, WK2, WK3, FM3, WK4 .wk1, .wk2, .wk3, .wk4, .wks Lotus 1-2-3 file form
ats (all versions)
Microsoft Works .wks Microsoft Works file format (all versions)
DBF 2 .dbf DBASE II file format
WQ1 .wq1 Quattro Pro for MS-DOS file format
WB1, WB3 .wb1, .wb3 Quattro Pro 5.0 and 7.0 for Windows.
Tips for file formats that are not supported by Excel
If a file format that you want to use is not supported in Excel, you can try the
following:
Search the Web for a company that makes file format converters for file formats
that are not supported in Excel.
Save to a file format that another program supports. For example, you may want t
o import your spreadsheet into another program that does not support the Excel f
ile format. But the other program may be able to import another supported file f
ormat, such as an XML spreadsheet or a text file format. In this case, you can s
ave your workbook to the XML spreadsheet format, and then from the other program
, import the XML file.
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Formatting and features that are not transferred in Excel file format conversion
s
If you save a workbook in another file format, such as a text file format, some
of the formatting and data might be lost, and other features might not be suppor
ted.
The following file formats have feature and formatting differences as described.
File format Feature differences
Formatted Text (Space delimited) This file format (.prn) saves only the text and
values as they are displayed in cells of the active worksheet.
If a row of cells contains more than 240 characters, any characters beyond 240 w
rap to a new line at the end of the converted file. For example, if rows 1 throu
gh 10 each contain more than 240 characters, the remaining text in row 1 is plac
ed in row 11, the remaining text in row 2 is placed in row 12, and so on.
Columns of data are separated by commas, and each row of data ends in a carriage
return. If cells display formulas instead of formula values, the formulas are c
onverted as text. All formatting, graphics, objects, and other worksheet content
s are lost. The euro symbol will be converted to a question mark.
Note Before saving a worksheet in this format, make sure that all of the data t
hat you want converted is visible and that there is adequate spacing between the
columns. Otherwise, data may be lost or not properly separated in the converted
file. You may need to adjust the column widths of the worksheet before you conv
ert it to formatted text format.
Text (Tab delimited) This file format (.txt) saves only the text and values as t
hey are displayed in cells of the active worksheet.
Columns of data are separated by tab characters, and each row of data ends in a
carriage return. If a cell contains a comma, the cell contents are enclosed in d
ouble quotation marks. If the data contains a quotation mark, double quotation m

arks will replace the quotation mark, and the cell contents are also enclosed in
double quotation marks. All formatting, graphics, objects, and other worksheet
contents are lost. The euro symbol will be converted to a question mark.
If cells display formulas instead of formula values, the formulas are saved as t
ext. To preserve the formulas if you reopen the file in Excel, select the Delimi
ted option in the Text Import Wizard, and select tab characters as the delimiter
s.
Note If your workbook contains special font characters, such as a copyright sym
bol (), and you will be using the converted text file on a computer that has a di
fferent operating system, save the workbook in the text file format that is appr
opriate for that system. For example, if you are using Microsoft Windows and wan
t to use the text file on a Macintosh computer, save the file in the Text (Macin
tosh) format. If you are using a Macintosh computer and want to use the text fil
e on a system that is running Windows, save the file in the Text (Windows) forma
t.
Text (Unicode) This file format (.txt) saves all text and values as they appear
in cells of the active worksheet. However, if you open a file in Text (Unicode)
format by using a program that does not read Unicode, the data will be lost.
CSV (Comma delimited) This file format (.csv) saves only the text and values as
they are displayed in cells of the active worksheet. All rows and all characters
in each cell are saved. Columns of data are separated by commas, and each row o
f data ends in a carriage return. If a cell contains a comma, the cell contents
are enclosed in double quotation marks.
If cells display formulas instead of formula values, the formulas are converted
as text. All formatting, graphics, objects, and other worksheet contents are los
t. The euro symbol will be converted to a question mark.
Note If your workbook contains special font characters such as a copyright symb
ol (), and you will be using the converted text file on a computer that has a dif
ferent operating system, save the workbook in the text file format that is appro
priate for that system. For example, if you are using Windows and want to use th
e text file on a Macintosh computer, save the file in the CSV (Macintosh) format
. If you are using a Macintosh computer and want to use the text file on a syste
m that is running Windows or Windows NT, save the file in the CSV (Windows) form
at.
DIF (Data Interchange Format) This file format (.dif) saves only the text, value
s, and formulas on the active worksheet.
If worksheet options are set to display formula results in the cells, only the f
ormula results are saved in the converted file. To save the formulas, do the fol
lowing to display the formulas on the worksheet before you save the file.
On the File tab, click Options.
Click Advanced, and then under Display options for this worksheet, select the Sh
ow formulas in cells instead of their calculated results check box.
Column widths and most number formats are saved, but all other formats are lost.
Page setup settings and manual page breaks are lost.
Cell comments, graphics, embedded charts, objects, form controls, hyperlinks, da
ta validation settings, conditional formatting, and other worksheet features are
lost.
The data displayed in the current view of a PivotTable report is saved; all othe
r PivotTable data is lost.

Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code is lost.

The euro symbol will be converted to a question mark.
SYLK (Symbolic Link) This file format (.slk) saves only the values and formulas
on the active worksheet, and limited cell formatting.
Up to 255 characters are saved per cell.
If an Excel function is not supported in SYLK format, Excel calculates the funct
ion before saving the file and replaces the formula with the resulting value.
Most text formats are saved; converted text takes on the format of the first cha
racter in the cell. Rotated text, merged cells, and horizontal and vertical text
alignment settings are lost. The font color might be converted to a different c
olor if you reopen the converted SYLK sheet in Excel. Borders are converted to s
ingle-line borders. Cell shading is converted to a dotted gray shading.
Page setup settings and manual page breaks are lost.
Cell comments are saved. You can display the comments if you reopen the SYLK fil
e in Excel.
Graphics, embedded charts, objects, form controls, hyperlinks, data validation s
ettings, conditional formatting, and other worksheet features are lost.
VBA code is lost.
The data displayed in the current view of a PivotTable report is saved; all othe
r PivotTable data is lost.
Note You can use this format to save workbook files for use in Microsoft Multip
lan. Excel does not include file format converters for converting workbook files
directly into the Multiplan format.
Web Page and Single File Web Page These Web Page file formats (.htm, .html), Sin
gle File Web Page file formats (.mht, .mhtml) can be used for exporting Excel da
ta. In Excel 2010, worksheet features (such as formulas, charts, PivotTables, an
d Visual Basic for Application (VBA) projects) are no longer supported in these
file formats, and they will be lost when you open a file in this file format aga
in in Excel.
XML Spreadsheet 2003 This XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format (.xml) does not retai
n the following features:Auditing tracer arrows
Chart and other graphic objects
Chart sheets, macro sheets, dialog sheets
Custom views
Data consolidation references
Drawing object layers
Outlining and grouping features
Password-protected worksheet data
Scenarios
User-defined function categories
VBA projects

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See Also
Use Office Excel 2010 with earlier versions of Excel