Excel file formats Format Extension Description Excel Workbook .xlsx The default XML-based file format for Excel 21 and Excel 27. Cannot store Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code or Microsoft Office Excel 4. macro sheets (.xlm). Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (code) .xlsm The XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Excel 216 Excel 213 Excel 21 and Excel 27. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4. macro sheets (.xlm). Excel Binary Workbook .xlsb The binary file format (BIFF12) for Excel 21 and Excel 27. Template .xltx The default file format for an Excel template for Excel 21 and Excel 27. Cannot store VBA macro code or Excel 4. macro sheets (.xlm). Template (code) .xltm The macro-enabled file format for an Excel template Excel 21 and Excel 27. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4. macro sheets (.xlm). Excel 97- Excel 23 Workbook .xls The Excel 97 - Excel 23 Binary file format (BIFF8). Excel 97- Excel 23 Template .xlt The Excel 97 - Excel 23 Binary file format (BIFF8) for an Excel template. Microsoft Excel 5. Workbook .xls The Excel 5. Binary file format (BIFF5). XML Spreadsheet 23 .xml XML Spreadsheet 23 file format (XMLSS). XML Data .xml XML Data format. Excel Add-In .xlam The XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In format for Excel 21 and Excel 27. An Add-In is a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects and Excel 4. macro sheets (.xlm). Excel 97-23 Add-In .xla The Excel 97-23 Add-In a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects. Excel 4. Workbook .xlw An Excel 4. file format that saves only worksheets chart sheets and macro sheets. You can open a workbook in this file format in Excel 21 but you cannot save an Excel file to this file format. Works . spreadsheet .xlr Spreadsheet saved in Microsoft Works .. Note This format is supported in Excel Starter only. Text file formats Format Extension Description Formatted Text (Space-delimited) .prn Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only the active sheet. Text (Tab-delimited) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited 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 active sheet. Text (Macintosh) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited file for use on the 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 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 a character encoding standard that was developed by the Unicode Consortium. CSV ma delimited) .csv Saves a workbook as ama-delimited file for use on another Windows operating system and ensures that tab characters line breaks and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. CSV (Macintosh) .csv Saves a workbook as ama-delimited file for use on the Macintosh operating system and ensures that tab characters line breaks and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. CSV (MS-DOS) .csv Saves a workbook as ama-delimited 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. 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 format all formatting is lost. Other file formats Format Extension Description DBF 3 DBF 4 .dbf dBase III and IV. You can open these files formats in Excel but you cannot save an Excel file to dBase format. OpenDocument Spreadsheet .ods OpenDocument Spreadsheet. You can save Excel 21 files so they can be opened in spreadsheet applications that use the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format such as Google Docs and Apache OpenOffice Calc. You can also open spreadsheets in the .ods format in Excel 21. Formatting might be lost when saving and opening .ods files. PDF .PDF Portable Document Format (PDF). This file format preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or printed it retains the format that you intended. Data in the file cannot be easily changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced by usingmercial printing methods. Note This format is not supported in Excel 27. XPS Document .xps XML Paper Specification (XPS). This file format preserves document 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 file cannot be easily changed. Note This format is not supported in Excel 27