Spreadsheets · .xls
What Is an XLS File?
A .xls file is a spreadsheet in the older Microsoft Excel format, used before 2007.
- Extension
- .xls
- Full name
- Microsoft Excel 97–2003 workbook
- Type
- Spreadsheet
- MIME type
- application/vnd.ms-excel
- Developed by
- Microsoft
About XLS Files
XLS was Excel's default format until Excel 2007 introduced XLSX. It is a binary format limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet. Many older reports, exports from business systems and bank statements still come as XLS. Every current spreadsheet app opens them. XLS files can contain macros, so be careful with files from unknown senders. Saving as XLSX makes the file smaller and removes the row limit.
How to Open an XLS File
- Windows & Mac
- Open it in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Numbers or WPS Office.
- Any device
- Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.
- iPhone & Android
- Open it in the Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers app.
XLS File Questions
How do I convert XLS to XLSX?
Open it in Excel and choose File, Save As, then Excel Workbook (.xlsx). Google Sheets and LibreOffice can also save as XLSX.
Can I convert XLS to CSV here?
The Excel to CSV tool on this site reads XLSX files. Open the XLS in Excel or Google Sheets and save it as XLSX or CSV first.