How to choose a file extension in Excel: useful tips. How to open xml, xls and xlsx files
How to open a document in xls format if you do not have the MS Office software package installed on your computer?
As a rule, the main and most popular application for viewing and editing .xls files is Excel, however, not all PC and portable device users have the opportunity to install this spreadsheet processor.
.xls is a data file format developed by Microsoft. Information in a document of this format is stored in special address cells, thus creating a complex table. Format .xlsx is a newer modification of the extension that allows you to create a smaller document, but with a wider range of functions.
Let's take a closer look at alternative programs that work with .xls for all popular operating systems today.
If you have Windows
In addition to the most popular office suite MS Office, many other good programs for working with documents have been developed for the Windows OS. For example, the Open Office utility is free for your PC, which can work with text files, spreadsheets and presentations.
Open Office
To get started, launch the program and on the start page select the type of document you want to create:
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is another good open source spreadsheet program. In addition to utilities for working with text, presentations and tables, LibreOffice has a built-in vector graphics editor, formula editor and DBMS (comprehensive database management system). The program is distributed exclusively free of charge.
If you have Mac OS
Recently, on Mac OS you can download the official version of the MS Office package, however, this is not the most popular program among Apple OS users.
Apple Numbers
Apple Numbers is perhaps the best spreadsheet utility available for the Mac. The application allows you to open files very quickly, without losing quality or data. Using Apple Numbers, you will not encounter the problem of graphs and table cells that have moved out of place.
Planamesa NeoOffice
Planamesa NeoOffice is a set of software for working with text, presentations and tables. Supports all common office document formats, in particular xls.
With this application you can open, edit, save files. The main window and toolbar of the program are very reminiscent of MS Office.
Also for Mac OS you can download the previously described Open Office or LibreOffice.
Online services
If you do not want to install bulky programs on your computer, you should use Internet services that can work with office files. All such sites are usually free and do not restrict users in their use.
Yandex Disk
Yandex Disk is a comprehensive cloud storage that allows you not only to store files, but also to view them. Unfortunately, you will not be able to edit the document, but you can quickly view its contents.
To open .xls, first upload the file you need to the service (to do this, you need to have a registered account and enough space on your cloud disk). Then wait for the file to finish downloading, click on it and select “View”. The contents of the file will open in a new browser page.
Google Docs
The next service that can quickly open xls without losing data is Google Docs.
Website Google Drive(drive.google.com) – cloud storage for any type of file. The service has attached applications for working with documents, which open and work directly in the browser.
To work, you need an Internet connection or additional utility settings that allow you to work offline (this task is also performed by the Chrome browser extension).
The service is popularly called GoogleDox; it fully works with all types of ordinary office documents and contains many copies of templates, or document templates - for creating resumes, to-do sheets, annual reports, budgeting, etc. (Fig. 6).
The application for text documents is called Google Docs, it is convenient for opening and editing any text files, including MS Word files with .doc, .docx resolution; for presentations - Google Slides; for tables – Google Sheets; There are other applications for drawing and working with databases.
To access Google Drive, you must have a Google account - the service works in conjunction with the mail service gmail.com. At the start, each user receives 7 GB of free storage space and the ability to edit any documents online, including in collaboration with other users.
If you have Android
Kingsoft WPS Office
Kingsoft WPS Office is a multi-platform application designed to organize work with text files and user tables.
It should be noted that the version for Android OS was a success for the developers - a simple interface, minimal consumption of device resources and a wide range of functions brought Kingsoft WPS Office to the TOP of the best applications in the official Google Play store.
Fig. 10 – appearance of the Kingsoft WPS Office program in Android OS
Also on Android you can use the above online services for free.
If you have iOS
There are quite a few good office programs for iOS. Until recently, the most popular was the official Microsoft Excel, but recently more and more users are switching to more universal online services and client applications from Google.
If all this does not suit you for some reason, there is another program that is worth paying attention to - MobiSystems OfficeSuite Pro.
MobiSystems OfficeSuite Pro
In addition to viewing documents, users also have the opportunity to use a convenient built-in explorer to search for files in the phone's memory and download additional free dictionaries, tools and e-books.
If you have Windows Phone
All Windows Phone devices come pre-installed with Microsoft's document management software.
However, a decent number of users note many shortcomings in the work of standard software: files are difficult to find in Explorer, large documents open with loss of formatting, etc.
There are other good programs in the official Application Store that you can use as an analogue to the standard ones for working with xls.
Excel Mobile
Excel Mobile - this utility only supports spreadsheets. Thanks to this, the program has more functions. The interface is identical to standard Excel for Windows.
Thematic videos:
At the moment, the Microsoft Office office suite is the most popular and in-demand set of applications. However, many users, especially those who are just beginning their acquaintance with computers, often wonder: which program to open files with the xls extension? To begin with, we note that this format was introduced directly by Microsoft Office, which uses this document to save Excel table files. If you download and open such a file, you can find tables, charts, graphs, formulas and other mathematical elements that are designed to help you with cumbersome calculations.
If you need to download a program for reading xls files, then naturally Microsoft Excel immediately comes to mind. This is not surprising, because the format is native to the software, so reading it will not cause any difficulties. However, difficulties may be caused by the Excel program itself, because it is paid. Accordingly, you need to look for an alternative solution that would allow you to view and edit xls files. You are Calc from the OpenOffice.org office suite, which is a competitor to Microsoft Office. Unlike its famous competitor, the utility is distributed free of charge. So it will be very easy to download this utility for reading documents in xls format.
The program interface is in many ways reminiscent of Excel; users will also have access to all the main functions and options of the software. Creating tables with any number of rows and columns, using functions for calculations and calculations, creating graphs and charts - performing all these and many other tasks will not take much of your time. Managing the application is easy due to its accessible and friendly interface. So if you need a high-quality program for reading such files, try downloading Calc - the software is ideal for this.
Download the program for reading slx files for free Excel Viewer
Another good free utility that you can download to your computer has a self-explanatory name - Excel Viewer. The size of the application is very small, when compared with Excel or Calk, it does not exceed 70 MB. The main positive qualities and advantages of the utility include free distribution, support for the Russian language, reading and editing files in xls format, as well as impressive functionality. Naturally, the Excel Viewer program is constantly updated, so recognizing and opening Excel documents of the latest versions is not difficult for the software. Date: December 6, 2015 Category:Hello friends. Today I want to talk about Excel file formats. When you , the program prompts you to select the format in which the file will be stored. How to choose the right one, and which one you shouldn’t choose? To make the right choice, read this post.
It is important to know that the Excel 2007 and later versions file is fundamentally different from earlier versions of the program. For example, a Microsoft Excel 2003 document had the extension xls, but starting with the Microsoft Office 2007 package, the developers updated the program, gave it a new interface and extension xlsx. I will not touch on the old-style files in the materials of this blog, but we will consider the updated one in detail.
xlsx to xls converter
Old versions of Excel cannot open new sample files. If you use MS Excel in an edition earlier than Office 2007, the developers offer you a compatibility pack that will allow you to open workbooks with the xlsx extension and save similar documents. Unfortunately, this does not expand the functionality of the program, and updated tools will not be available to you. However, we get the opportunity to open any document, regardless of the version of Microsoft Office.
Selecting the Excel file format
As I said earlier, when saving a workbook, you can choose a file format, and now I will describe the most popular of them (using Microsoft Excel 2013 as an example):
- Excel workbook– saves a document with an xlsx extension without macro support. If there are macros in the workbook, they are deleted. The most common Excel document
- Excel workbook with macro support– saves in xlsm format, macros are allowed
- Binary Excel Workbook– select this item if you have a huge file that you will only use in Excel. Such books load faster and take up less space on your hard drive, but may have problems working together with other applications
- Excel 97-2003 workbook– old format document with xls extension. Apply if the file will be used in Excel older than 2007
- XML data– saved in XML format if such information is on the worksheets
- PDF– saves your sign in PDF format, which is convenient, for example, for email distribution
Other types of files are used less frequently, you can ask about them in the comments, I will answer your questions.
I would like to add that xlsx files take up an order of magnitude less space on your hard drive than xls. If you are using MS Office 2007 or later, you can save xls documents in the new format to save disk space.
Checking Excel file compatibility
When you use the new Microsoft Excel (starting with Office 2007) and save the file in the outdated xls format, some elements or may be lost because. they are not supported by previous versions of the program. Therefore, before each such save, use a compatibility check
Checking Excel file compatibility To do this, run File – Details – Book Check – Compatibility Check. The program will display a window with a list of functions that are not supported; a comment will indicate how the program will behave if measures are not taken to ensure compatibility.
If the program finds compatibility errors, you need to respond to them. You can replace unsupported formulas and functions or remove them. If you leave everything as is, it can change the calculation results and lead to serious errors.
Compatibility Check Window Choosing the right file type when saving will allow you to avoid compatibility problems and data loss. I recommend not using old-style Excel and, especially, not saving your projects in their formats. Perhaps, I recommend doing a compatibility check for all documents, because with each new edition of the program, new functions are added. For example, if you use Excel 2013, then Excel 2007 and 2010 do not support this tool, you will have problems. The main thing is that the verification tool gives every opportunity to evaluate possible difficulties with opening in other versions of the program.
This is where I will finish looking at Excel file types. If you have any questions about the topic of the post, write in the comments, I will try to answer quickly.
Thanks for reading this article. The next post will be about. Be sure to read, the safe use of your information depends on it!
In business life, we may encounter a situation when we need to quickly view an Excel file online, but the Office package is simply not installed on the nearest computer. Then we will need specialized online resources for opening xls and xlsx files, which can quickly and effectively help in solving our problem. In this material I will tell you how to open xls and xlsx online, I will describe the corresponding resources and their functionality.
The following convenient online “viewers” (from the English viewer) allow you to perform the entire basic set of necessary operations with Excel files in xls and xlsx formats, including viewing, editing and even transformation into other formats. Their most convenient feature is the ability to open Excel files on almost any computer with Internet access. Below I will describe some of them.
A handy tool from Google that allows you to easily open excel xls and xlsx files on your PC.
Zoho Excel Viewer – how to open xlsx and xls
This online resource is a viewer for viewing Excel files with advanced functionality, allowing you not only to view, but also to edit, save, share, and even convert files into the format the user needs. You can either open files from your computer or use a link to the desired file on the network.
Edit Grid Viewer – convenient viewing of Excel files
Another service for viewing Excel documents online.
Go to the resource, click on “Open File” at the top and upload your file to the site via the “Browse” button, where you can view its contents.
This Edit Grid Viewer service has a number of interesting features, for example, different people can work on the same Excel document. One of the limitations of this service is the ability to work only with files with the xls extension; the more “advanced” xlsx extension is not supported.
Docspal
Another popular resource is Docspal to view xls files online. It does not support document editing or formatting, but can be very useful for quickly viewing the desired document in excel format. Document conversion is also supported.
At this time, there are no problems in the operation of the resource; it works extremely stably.
ThinkFree Online
A practical English-language resource for viewing files in Excel format.
- To work with the service you need to go to the website.
- Click on the picture with a newspaper and a magnifying glass (Viewer), click on the “Browse” button at the top and click on the file you need from your hard drive.
- After that, click on the “View document” button on the right and wait for the processing process to complete.
The procedure itself only takes a few seconds; xlsx and xls files open easily, conveniently and quickly in the ThinkFree Online editor.
Browser add-on
You can also note existing add-ons to popular browsers that make it easy to view xlsx documents online.
- Among similar products, I would note Google Docs Viewer for Mozilla (you can download it here).
- And Excel Viewer for Chrome (you can download it here).
They allow you to conveniently and quickly view Excel documents. If desired, users can look for analogues of these programs for popular well-known browsers.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a sufficient number of services for viewing documents in Excel format. If necessary, the user can go to one of the above resources, download the xlsx (xls) file he needs and familiarize himself with the contents of the document. In addition to these services, there are also special programs that allow you to view documents in Excel format without the help of MS Office, but I will talk about them another time.
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An XLS file is a spreadsheet that was created using the widespread Microsoft Excel system utility, which is a powerful tool for creating and editing spreadsheets. This file extension was one of the most popular formats for storing tables.
The XLS format contains document data stored in cells, each cell has a specific address. Any cells of such file formats can contain formulas associated with information in other cells, as well as fixed data. As you know, in Microsoft Word documents (file extension DOC), you can make various changes to the text presentation. The XLS format allows you to make the same changes with text, editing all sorts of parameters related to color, style, font, alignment, and so on.
The XLS file extension can store various images. A similar file format has the ability to store diagrams that were built based on data in certain cells of the document.
For a long time, Microsoft Office was an office suite in which the Excel utility used the XLS extension as the main one, allowing you to open XLS as quickly as possible, however, in 2007, the developers updated the Microsoft programs. The updated Microsoft Office Excel application generates a new .XLSX document, created to replace outdated XLS files.
You can open an XLS file using special software in the operating systems Windows, Linux, MacOS, as well as on the Android or iOS mobile platforms. It is worth noting that files with the XLS extension are also launched on the Web using Google Drive. In addition to the official Microsoft Excel program, the user can open the file using utilities such as LibreOffice, Apache Open Office, as well as SoftMaker Office, Corel Quattro Pro and others.
