Let's first figure out the difference between these two formats:
- XLS is a file format created in Microsoft Excel. It was used until Excel 2003. The format is outdated and does not support many of the features of modern Excel;
- XLSX is an updated version of the Excel file format, it was introduced with Microsoft Office 2007.
Currently Excel, starting with version 2007, can open both XLSX and XLS files. Excel versions 2003 and below, by default, can only work with XLS files.
How to open an XLSX file in Excel 2003 (or older)
There are three main methods, let's consider them in order of priority.
Install a service pack for your version of Office. This method is the most correct, because once you install the update, you will be able to open XLSX files in your old Excel without any problems. You can download the package absolutely free of charge and without registration on the official Microsoft website.
Resaving a file in Excel 2007 or higher. Suitable if you don't often need to open such files and if you have another computer on hand with a relatively new version of Office. To change the file format from XLSX to XLS, open in a new version of Excel and go to the “File” -> “Save As” menu:
In the File Type field, select Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) and click Save. Please note that functionality may be partially lost:
Use of third party online services. You can easily find sites on the Internet where you can automatically change the file format. For example, you can use the Google Docs service.
If you have any questions, or write in the comments to this question, we are always happy to help you!
After installing a new version of Excel, you can learn how you can continue to work with workbooks created in an earlier version of Excel, how you can keep these workbooks accessible to users who do not have the current version of Excel installed, and how the difference in versions will affect your work.
To ensure backward compatibility with earlier versions of Excel, such as Excel 97 through 2003, use one of the methods described below to workbook between different versions.
Working in compatibility mode. Workbooks created in earlier versions of Excel can be opened in compatibility mode. In this case, the file format is preserved, and you can work with the document again in the previous version of the application. Compatibility mode is not available for Excel 2007 workbooks.
Checking the book for compatibility. If you need to share a workbook with people using earlier versions of Excel while maintaining the current file format, you can check whether the data is compatible with previous versions of the application. Depending on the results, you can make any necessary changes to the document to avoid losing information and ensure that the information is accurate when you open the file in older versions of Excel.
In compatibility mode
In Excel 2010 and later, when you open a workbook created in Excel 97–2003, it automatically opens in compatibility mode and Compatibility Mode appears in square brackets next to the file name in the Excel window title bar.
File format when running in compatibility mode
Any new or improved Excel features are not available in Compatibility Mode, which prevents loss of data and accuracy when you open a workbook in an earlier version of Excel. Additionally, instead of using the current file format (.xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xltx, xltm;), the workbook is stored in the Excel 97-2003 file format (.xls), a file format that is supported in earlier versions of Excel.
Automatically enable compatibility mode
Unlike other Office programs such as Word, you can't manually turn on Compatibility Mode in Excel and don't have the option to turn on all the new features when you work in a workbook opened in Compatibility Mode.
Exiting compatibility mode
Open a new Excel workbook using file converters in earlier versions of Excel
Certain updates and converters are available on Office.com that will help you open an Excel workbook in an earlier version of Excel (Excel 97 - 2003). If you have not yet installed updates and converters, when you try to open an Excel workbook, you may be prompted to do so.
Once you install the updates and converters so you can edit and save them without having to upgrade to a version of Excel, you can open the workbook. New version-specific and formatting capabilities may not appear in earlier versions of Excel, but they are still available when you save the workbook and reopen it in a newer version. Learn more about features and formatting that are not shown in the article.
Downloading and using file converters
If you have an earlier version of Excel installed on your computer, download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack from the Microsoft Office Downloads website and install the updates and converters needed to open Excel workbooks.
Open the workbook in earlier versions of Excel (Excel 97 - 2003).
New features not supported in earlier versions of Excel
Not all new features are supported in earlier versions of Excel. If you are working in compatibility mode or need to save in Excel 97 - 2003 (.xls) aworkbook format, the Compatibility Checker can help identify issues that may cause a significant loss of functionality or a minor loss of accuracy in earlier versions of Excel. To avoid losing data or functionality in the earlier version of Excel, you can then make the necessary changes in the current workbook.
The Compatibility Checker runs automatically when you save a workbook in Excel 97–2003 format. However, to ensure that your workbook is compatible with the current version of Excel, you must run a manual compatibility check the first time you save the workbook. You can then specify that the Compatibility Checker runs automatically every time the workbook is saved. Learn more about how to run a compatibility check: .
The Compatibility Checker displays detected issues, many of which have buttons available Find And Reference. Once problems are identified, you can find all their manifestations and learn how to fix them. When it runs automatically, the tool also indicates which version of Excel is likely to have compatibility issues.
Lack of support for some worksheet features may result in the following compatibility issues, as well as significant loss of functionality or minor loss of data accuracy.
Solution |
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This workbook contains data in cells outside the row and column range of the selected file format. Data types longer than 65,536 rows high by 256 columns (IV) will not be saved. Data reference formulas in this area will return #REF! Error. |
What does this mean. Starting with Excel 2007, the worksheet size is 1,048,576 by 16 rows high, by 384 columns, but Excel 97 – 2003 is only 65,536 rows high, by 256 columns wide. In Excel 97 - 2003, data in cells outside the range of these rows and columns will be lost. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Search To detect out-of-limits cells and ranges, select them and then place them in a valid range of columns and rows or on another sheet using the commands Cut And Insert.
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What does this mean. The script on the worksheet refers to a cell outside the row and column limit in Excel 97–2003 (65,536 rows by 256 columns) and is no longer available when resaving a workbook in an earlier version of Excel format. What needs to be done. In Script Manager, find a script that contains a reference that is outside the row and column range of the previous version of Excel, and then change it so that it is within the range. On the tab Data in Group Working with data select items "What if" analysis And Script Manager. In field Scenarios Find the script that is causing the compatibility issue and change the link. |
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What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can create a custom calendar in international formats such as Hebrew Lunar, Japanese Lunar, Chinese Lunar, Saka, Zodiac Chinese, Korean Zodiac, Rokuyou Lunar, and Korean Lunar. However, Excel 97–2003 does not support the following calendar formats. What needs to be done. |
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The book contains dates in a calendar format that is not supported by the selected file format. These dates should be changed as Gregorian calendar dates. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can use non-Western calendars, such as Thai (Buddhist) or Arabic (Hijri). In Excel 97–2003, these calendar types can only be changed to Gregorian. What needs to be done. To avoid loss of functionality, you must change the calendar format to match the language (or locale) supported in Excel 97-2003. |
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The number of data cells in the workbook exceeds that supported in earlier versions of Excel. You will not be able to open this workbook in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, the total number of cell blocks (clusters) available is limited by the amount of available RAM. In Excel 97–2003, the total number of available clusters is limited to 64,000 clusters per instance of Excel. A block of cells includes 16 rows of a sheet. If all the rows of a worksheet contain data, there will be 4096 blocks of cells in that worksheet, and you can only have 16 of these sheets in a single instance of Excel (regardless of the number of open workbooks in Excel). What needs to be done. To ensure that the workbook does not exceed the 64000 distribution limit and can be opened in Excel 97–2003, you must run in compatibility mode after you save the workbook in Excel 97–2003 format. In compatibility mode, Excel saves information about the cluster of the active workbook. |
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One or more workbook cells contain infocurves. Information curves will not be saved. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2007, sparklines that show trends in value series do not appear on the worksheet. However, all infocurves remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2010 or later. What needs to be done. Find to find cells with infocurves and make the necessary changes. For example, you can apply conditional formatting instead of infocurves or in addition to infocurves that would not appear in previous versions of Excel. |
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Solution |
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Earlier versions of Excel do not support color formatting for text in headers and footers. The text in the header and footer will appear as normal text. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can apply formatting to text, header, and footer colors. You cannot use formatting color in headers and footers in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click To correct, if you want to remove color formatting.
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The workbook contains sheets that define headers and footers for the first or even-numbered pages, which will not appear in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you have the option to display different headers and footers on even-numbered pages or on the first page. In Excel 97–2003, you cannot display the even page or first headers and footers, but they remain available to display when you open the workbook again in Excel 2007 and later versions. What needs to be done. If you frequently save workbooks in Excel 97–2003 file format, it is best not to set headers and footers for even-numbered pages or the first page. |
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Some cells or styles contain formatting that is not supported by the selected file format. These formats will be converted to the closest format available. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, various cell formatting and styling options are available, such as special effects and shadows. These options are not available in Excel 97-2003. What needs to be done. When you save a workbook, Excel uses the closest format available, which may end up being the same format as some other object. To avoid duplicate formats, you can change or remove unsupported cell formats and styles before saving your workbook in Excel 97-2003 file format. |
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The number of unique cell formats in this workbook exceeds that allowed by the selected file format. Some cell formats will not be saved. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can use 64,000 unique cell formats, up from a maximum of 4,000 in Excel 97–2003. Unique cell formats include any combination of formatting options applied in the workbook. What needs to be done. To avoid losing certain cell formats in Excel 97-2003, you can remove some of the least important ones. |
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The number of unique font formats in this workbook exceeds that allowed by the selected file format. Some font formats will not be saved. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, there are 1,024 global font types available, of which you can use up to 512 in a single workbook. Excel 97–2003 supports fewer unique font formats. What needs to be done. To avoid losing certain font formats in Excel 97-2003, you can remove some of the less important ones. |
For more information about resolving these compatibility issues, see the articles listed below.
Unsupported Excel spreadsheet functions
Unsupported conditional formatting features
Lack of support for some conditional formatting features may result in the following compatibility issues, as well as significant loss of functionality.
Significant loss of functionality | Solution |
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The number of conditional formats in some cells exceeds what is supported by the selected file format. In earlier versions of Excel, only the first three conditions will be displayed. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, conditional formatting can include up to 64 conditions, but in Excel 97–2003 only the first three conditions will be visible. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells that have conditional formatting applied using more than three conditions, and reduce the number of conditions to three. |
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Some cells belong to several conditional formatting ranges at once. In earlier versions of Excel, not all conditional formatting rules will be applied to such cells. These cells will use different conditional formatting. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97-2003, overlapping conditional formatting ranges are not supported, and conditional formatting does not display as expected. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with overlapping conditional formatting ranges and eliminate the overlapping ranges. |
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Some workbook cells contain conditional formatting that is not supported in earlier versions of Excel, such as histograms, color bars, or icon sets. |
What does this mean. Excel 97-2003 does not use conditional formatting types such as histograms, color bars, icon sets, top or bottom values, above or below average values, unique or duplicate values, and table column comparisons to determine cell formatting. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting types that were introduced in Excel 2007 and later, and make the necessary changes to use only formatting types supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
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Some cells contain conditional formatting with the Stop if true option cleared. Earlier versions of Excel do not know this parameter, so execution will stop after the first true condition. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97-2003, conditional formatting without stopping when a condition is met is not an option. Conditional formatting is no longer applied after the first true condition. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells containing conditional formatting with the option unchecked Stop if true, and press the button To correct to resolve a compatibility issue. |
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One or more cells in this workbook contain conditional formatting for an unrelated range (for example, top/bottom N, top/bottom N%, above/below mean, or above/below standard deviation). This conditional formatting is not supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2003, conditional formatting is not displayed in nonadjacent cells. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditionally formatted unrelated ranges, and make the necessary changes to use the conditional formatting rules available in previous versions of Excel. |
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Some PivotTables in this workbook contain conditional formatting that may not work correctly in earlier versions of Excel. Conditional formatting rules may produce different results when using PivotTables in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. Conditional formatting results displayed in Excel 97 - 2003 PivotTable reports will differ from PivotTable reports created in Excel 2007 and later versions. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find PivotTable report fields that contain conditional formatting rules, and apply the conditional formatting rules available in previous versions of Excel. |
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One or more workbook cells contain conditional formatting that uses references to values located on other sheets. These conditional formats will not be supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97 - 2007, conditional formatting that references values in other sheets is not displayed. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting that reference values on other sheets, and apply conditional formatting without references to values on other sheets. |
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One or more workbook cells contain conditional formatting that uses the Text That Contains format, including a cell address or formula. These conditional formats will not be supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2007, using formulas on text that contains conditional formatting rules does not appear on the worksheet. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2010 and later if they were changed in Excel 97 through 2007. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting, which uses formulas for text with rules, and apply the conditional formatting that is supported in previous versions of Excel. |
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One or more workbook cells contain a rule that will not be supported in earlier versions of Excel because there is a formula error in its range. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97 - 2007, conditional formatting that uses range-based rules may not display correctly on the worksheet when range-based rules contain errors in the formulas. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells containing range-based rules with formula errors and resolve the errors. |
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One or more workbook cells contain a set of conditional formatting icon placement that is not supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2003, conditional formatting that displays a specific icon set placement is not supported, and the icon set placement is not displayed on the worksheet. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2007 and later if they were changed in Excel 97–2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting that displays the icon set, and make the conditional formatting not display the icon set. |
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One or more workbook cells contain a histogram rule that uses the Negative Value option. These histograms are not supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2007, conditional formatting that contains a histogram rule that uses a negative value does not appear on the worksheet. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2010 and later if they were changed in Excel 97 through 2007. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting that contain negative histograms due to the fact that the dialog box Create a formatting rule the negative value format is set to Automatically or in the dialog box Setting negative values and axis for parameter Axis parameters value selected Automatically or Middle of the cell, and then make the changes you want. |
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One or more workbook cells contain conditional formatting that uses references to more than 8192 noncontiguous ranges of cells. Such conditional formats will not be saved. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97–2007, conditional formatting that references more than 8192 noncontiguous cell ranges does not appear in the worksheet. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2010 and later if they were changed in Excel 97 through 2007. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells with conditional formatting that reference more than 8192 noncontiguous cell ranges, and change the number of noncontiguous cell ranges referenced by conditional formatting. |
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Minor loss of accuracy |
Solution |
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One or more workbook cells contain a histogram rule that uses the fill, border, or direction of the histogram. These histograms are not supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. In Excel 97 - 2007, conditional formatting that contains a histogram rule that uses a solid color fill or border or left-to-right and right-to-left row direction options for histograms is not displayed in the worksheet. However, all conditional formatting rules remain available in the workbook and are applied when you reopen the workbook in Excel 2010 or later if they were changed in Excel 97–2007. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find cells that contain a conditional formatting histogram rule that uses a solid color fill or border, or the left-to-right and right-to-left direction options for histogram bars, and make the necessary changes. |
For more information about resolving these compatibility issues, see the following article:
Lack of support for some charting features may result in the following compatibility issues, as well as significant loss of functionality.
Significant loss of functionality | Solution |
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The chart contains a title or data label that is longer than 255 characters. Characters after 255 are not saved. |
What does this mean The maximum length for a chart title or axis label and data labels in Excel 97–2003 is 255 characters. Data beyond this limit is lost. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find headers or data signatures that are longer than 255 characters. Select these headers or data labels and change them to 255 characters or less. |
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Some formatting in the charts in this workbook is not supported by earlier versions of Excel and will not appear. |
What does this mean. Custom shape fills, shape outlines, and shape effects (such as glow and bump effects or gradient formatting) are not supported in Excel 97-2003 and will not appear. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find unsupported custom formatting items, and change the formatting to something that is supported in earlier versions of Excel. |
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Earlier versions of Excel only support line colors from the color palette. When you open this workbook in an earlier version of Excel, all line colors will be replaced by the closest colors in the color palette, so some data series may appear as one color. |
What does this mean. Starting with Excel 2007, there is support for up to 16 million colors, but Excel 97–2003 limits the colors to those available on the standard palette. Colors that are not supported will be changed to the closest color in the standard palette, which may be a color that is already in use. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find unsupported colors and change the formatting of unsupported colors using the standard palette. |
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The workbook contains charts with more data points than can be displayed in earlier versions of Excel. When you open a workbook in an earlier version of Excel, only the first 32,000 data points for a 2D chart series and the first 4,000 data points for a 3D chart series are shown. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2010, you can use more than 32,000 data points per series in 2D charts and more than 4,000 data points per series in 3D charts. The limit on the number of data points in one series in Excel 97 - 2007 has been exceeded. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find charts with more data points per series than the limit, and reduce the number of points. |
Unsupported graphics, objects, and ActiveX controls
Lack of support for some graphics, object, and ActiveX controls may result in the following compatibility issues and may result in significant loss of functionality.
Significant loss of functionality | Solution |
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Any effects applied to this object will be removed. Text within the boundaries of the image will appear cropped. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can use special effects, such as transparent drop shadows, that are not supported in Excel 97–2003. The special effects will be removed. Additionally, starting in Excel 2007, when you paste text in a shape that is larger than the shape, the text appears outside the shape's boundaries. Excel 97–2003 truncates this text. To avoid truncated text, you can adjust the size of the shape to better position it. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find objects with styling effects applied and remove those effects if necessary. |
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The object will become uneditable. |
What does this mean. Embedded objects created in Excel 2007 and later versions cannot be edited in Excel 97 - 2003. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find objects that contain text that cannot be changed, and make the necessary changes. |
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Uninitialized ActiveX controls cannot be saved in the specified file format. If you continue, these controls will be lost. |
What does this mean. If a workbook contains ActiveX controls that are considered unsafe to initialize, they will be lost if you save the workbook in an earlier version of Excel file format. You may need to mark these controls as safe to initialize. What needs to be done. If you open a workbook with uninitialized ActiveX controls that are set to high security, you must first enable those controls by using the Message Bar before initializing them. |
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One or more book objects, such as shapes, WordArt, or text boxes, allow text to wrap around the object's borders. Earlier versions of Excel do not have this feature, so text that wraps around borders will be hidden. |
What does this mean. Starting in Excel 2010, you can display text boxes on objects, such as shapes and display text outside of those objects. In Excel 97 - 2007, text that extends beyond the boundary of an object will not be displayed. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find text boxes with text that extends beyond the shape's boundaries. Make the necessary changes to keep the text within the object, and then turn off text wrapping (right-click the shape, select menu Figure format and then in category Inscription uncheck the box Allow shape to overflow with text). |
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Minor loss of accuracy |
Solution |
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The workbook contains text fields with text formatting that is not available in earlier versions of Excel. Therefore, in earlier versions of Excel, the text in these fields will appear differently. |
What does this mean. Beginning with Excel 2007, you can use text box objects, such as shapes, that display more than one column of text. In Excel 97 - 2003, the text will be displayed, but in a different format. What needs to be done. In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to find text boxes that contain more than one column and make the necessary changes so that the text appears in only one column (right-click the shape, select menu Figure format and then in category Inscription click the button Columns). |
Unsupported customization features
Lack of support for some customization features may cause the following compatibility issues and may result in minor loss of data accuracy.
Minor loss of accuracy | Solution |
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The workbook contains a customizable Quick Access Toolbar and/or special user interface blocks that are not supported by earlier versions of Excel. These settings will not be available in earlier versions of Excel. |
What does this mean. Because the Ribbon interface that was introduced in Office 2007 is significantly different from the menus and toolbars in Excel 97-2003, all of the Quick Access Toolbar customizations made in Excel 2007 and later 060392 are not available in Excel 97-2003. What needs to be done. In Excel 97-2003, you can add similar custom commands to toolbars and menus. |
Review unsupported features
Such unsupported features may cause compatibility issues and may also result in a slight loss of data accuracy.
Minor loss of accuracy | Solution |
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This workbook will be read-only and the shared workbook functionality will not be available if it is opened in an earlier version of Excel using a file converter. To enable users to use this workbook to collaborate in earlier versions of Excel, you must save it in the earlier version's format. |
What does this mean. If you enable the option Allow multiple users to edit a file...(Review tab > workbook access button), select users who with Excel 97 - 2003 will not be able to use the file if it is in a new file format (for example, .xlsx). What needs to be done. Save the workbook in Excel 97 - 2003 format and then work with this workbook in compatibility mode. |
Converting a book to XLS format
When you open a workbook that was created in Excel 97–2003 and you no longer plan for any user to work with that workbook in an earlier version, you can convert the workbook to the current XML-based file format (xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xltx, xltm ;). When you convert to the current file format, you will have access to all the new and improved features that later versions of Excel offer and the file size will usually be smaller.
You can:
Excel 97–2003 features that are not supported in later versions
When you open a workbook in Excel 2007 or later that was created in Excel 97–2003, some features in earlier versions of Excel are not supported in the workbook. Unsupported features have either been replaced by new features and functionality, or they will be removed due to infrequent use.
Advice. If functions are not available on the Ribbon but are still available in Excel, you can still use those functions by adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar or Ribbon.
The Excel 97-2003 features listed below operate differently and are no longer available or have been removed from the Ribbon.
Unsupported worksheet features
In Excel 97–2003 | |
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To quickly format a range of data using one of the available AutoFormats, you can use the AutoFormat feature. |
Libraries of styles for tables, cells and pivot tables are available, containing a range of professional formats that you can quickly apply. You can choose one of many ready-made styles or, if necessary, create your own version. AutoFormat has been replaced by Styles because it is the simplest way to apply formatting to a range of cells. You can continue to use the AutoFormat command, but you'll need to add it to the Quick Access toolbar first. |
Unsupported table functions
In Excel 97–2003 | In Excel 2007 and later |
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You can create an Excel list to make it easier to manage and analyze groups of related data in a worksheet. |
As in other Microsoft Office programs (such as Word and PowerPoint), Excel lists are now called Excel tables. |
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To quickly add a new row of data to the end of the list, you can use the insert row (a special row in Excel lists). |
Inserting a row is no longer available. To add new rows to a table, press the Tab key, or type, to insert the data you want to include below the table. You can also insert rows to include additional rows of data. |
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You can specify list names. |
When you create a table, a specific name is simultaneously created for the same range. This name can be used to refer to a table in formulas that use structured referencing (new). Names that are used for lists in earlier versions of Excel may not meet the requirements for range names in Excel 2007 and later and therefore cannot be used to refer to a table in formulas that use the new structured referencing feature. To use table names in structured links, you must change certain names. |
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Bidirectional synchronization of Excel tables with SharePoint lists is no longer supported. When you export tabular data to a SharePoint list, you can only connect to it one-way. Changes made to data from a SharePoint list with One-Way Data Connection to a SharePoint List can be included in Excel 2007 and later versions. When you refresh table data in Excel 2007 and later, the latest data from a SharePoint site will overwrite the table data in the worksheet, including any changes you made to the data table. In Excel 2007 and later versions, you no longer update a SharePoint list to include changes made to the data table in Excel after the data has been exported. |
Unsupported formula functions
In Excel 97–2003 | In Excel 2007 and later |
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Whole row or whole column links automatically account for cells in the increase grid size in Excel 2007 and later. This means that the link =:a, which refers to cells A1:A65536 in earlier versions of Excel refers to cells A1:A1048576 in Excel 2007 and later file format. Converting a workbook in an earlier version of Excel to an Excel 2007 and later file format may cause problems if the workbook uses an entire row or column reference, and the cells that bey have been entered with data that should not be included in the references ond number of rows and columns in previous versions of Excel. Additionally, if you used certain functions to count the number of cells, rows, or columns in a link (such as COUNT VOIDS, LINE And COLUMN) and they referenced an entire row or column, the results they return may not be what you expected. |
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In Excel 97-2003, you can define and use certain letter and number names in formulas (for example, USA1, FOO100 And MGR4), since they do not conflict with cell references. |
Using the new 16,384 column limit, the XFD column is expanded in Excel 2007 and later. This means that some names (for example, USA1, FOO100 And MGR4), you can determine in earlier versions of Excel will conflict with valid cell references in Excel 2007 and later. Additionally, Excel 2007 and later reserves names that begin with XL for internal use. If incompatible names are found when converting a workbook from an earlier version of Excel to Excel 2007 or a later version of the file format, you will receive conflict alerts. Invalid names differ from cell references; underscores (_) are automatically prefixed to incompatible names. Excel 2007 and later versions also do not change certain names that are referenced through Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). VBA code that references incompatible names will not work and must be updated. |
Unsupported charting features
In Excel 97–2003 | In Excel 2007 and later |
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Create a diagram. |
To create a chart, you need to select the desired type on the ribbon (tab Insert, group Diagrams). Once your chart is created, you can edit and format it using the tools available on the Working with charts. |
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You can resize multiple charts at once. |
Each chart is resized individually. |
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If an existing chart sheet that contains data is selected, you can press F11 to create a chart sheet with the same data. |
Using the F11 key can no longer create copies of chart sheets. If you select a chart sheet and press F11, a blank sheet will be created. |
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The rotation angle of the 3D diagram can be changed using the mouse. |
The rotation angle of a 3D chart cannot be changed using the mouse. The amount of rotation of a 3-D chart can only be changed using category options Rotate a volumetric figure in the dialog box Chart Area Format. |
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You can use a pattern fill for chart elements. |
Instead of pattern filling of chart elements, you can use images and textures. Charts with pattern fills created in an earlier version of Excel appear the same when opened in Excel 2007 and later, but you cannot use pattern fills for other elements. |
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To automatically resize charts along with window sizes, you can use the command By window size. |
Instead of a command By window size command available Scale selection. |
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A caption is created automatically when you click anywhere on the chart and start typing. |
You cannot create a caption by clicking anywhere on the chart and starting to type text. To add a label to a diagram, use the command Add a caption. |
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By default, a copied diagram is pasted into a Word document or PowerPoint presentation as a picture. |
By default, the copied chart will be pasted into a Word 2007 or later PowrPoint document or later presentation as an object linked to the Excel chart. You can change how the copied diagram is inserted (as a picture or an entire book) in the menu Paste Options. |
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You can use a Word table as the data for the new chart. |
Tables in Word 2007 or later cannot be used as data for a new chart. When you create a chart in Word 2007 or later, you get a worksheet with sample data instead of the data in the selected Word table. To display data in a Word table into a new chart, you must copy the desired data onto the worksheet, replacing the existing sample data. |
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The chart print size and scaling options can be adjusted in the dialog box Page settings on the tab Diagram. Tab Diagram appears only when the diagram is selected (menu File, team Page settings). |
Chart print size and scaling options are no longer available in the dialog box Page settings on the tab Diagram. Tab Diagram appears only when the chart is selected (tab Page layout, group Page settings, dialog box button ). |
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You can visualize data by selecting it on a worksheet and dragging it onto a chart. |
Data can no longer be dragged from a sheet to a chart. There are other ways to add values to a chart. |
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You can drag data points on the chart and change their original values on the worksheet. |
Dragging data points to change their original values on a worksheet is no longer supported. |
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Shapes are displayed in a different format than the shape format used in Excel 97–2003. |
Shapes that appear in earlier versions of Excel cannot be grouped with shapes that appear in Excel 2007 and later, even if the shapes are upgraded to the latest version. You cannot select shapes that were created in different versions of Excel at the same time. Shapes created in different versions of Excel placed on the current shapes. Like shapes, charts created in Excel 2007 and later cannot be placed on top of sheets created in earlier versions of Excel, and you cannot view charts located below those sheets in the dialog box. To highlight existing charts, use the chart element selection box ( Working with charts, tab Format, group Current fragment). To highlight hidden charts or shapes created in a previous version of Excel, you must first add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar or custom ribbon group Select multiple objects. |
For more information about replacing or working around unsupported features, see the following article:
Unsupported Pivot Table Features
In Excel 97–2003 | In Excel 2007 and later |
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You can specify names for PivotTable reports. |
Names used for PivotTable reports in earlier versions of Excel may not meet the requirements for range names in Excel 2007 and later and therefore cannot be used to refer to a table in formulas that use the new structured referencing feature. To use PivotTable report names in structured links, you must change certain names. |
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Calculated members defined in OLAP cubes appear in PivotTable reports by default. |
Instead of calculated members defined in OLAP cubes, PivotTable reports display calculated measures (calculated members of the Measures dimension) by default. Calculated members can be displayed by opening in the dialog box PivotTable Options tab Conclusion and selecting the item Show calculated components from OLAP server (Working with Pivot Tables, tab Options, group Pivot table, Options). |
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Support for OLAP PivotTable reports uses versions of Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services that are earlier than Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. |
New filtering capabilities in OLAP PivotTable reports require support for subselect queries on the OLAP server. SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services support subselect queries, so full filtering capabilities are available in these versions. When you convert a workbook from an earlier version of Excel to Excel 2007 and later versions of the file format, only the filtering capabilities available in Excel 2003 PivotTable reports will be available in Excel 2007 and later PivotTable reports because the earlier versions of SQL Server Analysis Services Services are not supported Subselect queries. |
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You can use the OLAP Cube Wizard to create OLAP cube files from relational data sources. This capability allows you to implement a hierarchical structure in relational data so that it can be viewed in PivotTable reports and saved in separate files. |
The OLAP Cube Wizard is no longer available. To create PivotTable reports based on relational data, you can connect to the relational data directly or import it into an Excel workbook. |
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You can use the PivotTable Wizard to create PivotTable reports, and the PivotChart Wizard to create PivotCharts. |
The PivotTable Wizard and PivotChart Wizard are not available on the Microsoft Office Fluent ribbon. You can use the commands instead Pivot table And Pivot chart to create a PivotTable report or a PivotChart report in one step (the Insert, group Tables, button Pivot table). However, you can use the PivotTable and Chart Wizards by adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar or to a custom group on the Ribbon. Some of the legacy features, such as using server-defined page fields, memory optimization features, and explicitly creating PivotTable reports based on other reports, as well as multiple consolidation ranges, are only available in wizards. |
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Custom labels and element formatting are lost when fields are collapsed. |
PivotTable reports retain item settings (such as custom labels and item formatting) even if those items are temporarily not visible in the PivotTable report. When you convert a workbook from an earlier version of Excel to Excel 2007 and later file formats, custom captions and item formatting are applied when fields are collapsed. Custom signatures are always available in the workbook, even when fields are removed from PivotTable reports and then added again after some time. |
For more information about replacing or working around unsupported features, see the following articles:
Unsupported file formats
Support for the following file formats has been removed from Office 2007 and later versions. You won't be able to open or save books in these file formats.
File formats that are not supported in Excel 2007 and later versions |
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WJ1 (1-2-3, Japanese) (WJ1) |
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WJ3 (1-2-3, Japanese) (WJ3) |
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WKS (Works, Japanese) (WKS) |
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WJ2 (1-2-3, Japanese) (WJ2) |
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WJ3, FJ3 (1-2-3, Japanese) (WJ3) |
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DBF 2 (dBASE II) |
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WQ1 (Quattro Pro/DOS) |
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Microsoft Excel Charts (XLC) |
Support options have changed for the formats listed below.
File format | In Excel 2007 and later |
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Web page (HTM, HTML) |
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Web page in one file (MHT, MHTML) |
Office 2007 and later versions no longer store feature information in this file format. You can open a file in this format while retaining all Excel-specific features created in earlier versions of Excel. However, you can save such a file (or any other book) in this file format for publication purposes. |
Checking an Excel workbook for compatibility with earlier versions of Excel
To ensure that Excel 2007 or a later version of the workbook does not have compatibility issues that cause a significant loss of functionality or a minor loss of accuracy in the earlier version of Excel, you can run a compatibility check. The Compatibility Checker returns potential compatibility issues and helps you generate a report so you can resolve them.
Important When you work with a workbook in compatibility mode, where the workbook is in the Excel 97–2003 file format (.xls) instead of the new Excel 2007 and later XML-based file format (XLSX) or binary file format (.xls), the Compatibility Checker runs automatically when saving the book.
additional information
You can always ask a question from the Excel Tech Community, ask for help in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement to the website
Hello, friends! The question of how to open Excel 2007 in 2003 interests many PC users; students often ask me similar questions, which means the topic is in demand. Today's article will fill this gap. We'll look at how to open Excel 2007 in 2003, how to convert Excel to Word, and also look at how to convert Excel to PDF.
Converting office files
The reasons for converting office files are varied and necessary. For example, to conduct classes in the Expertsystem system, it is better to upload training materials (presentations) in PDF format. But you can’t make a presentation in PDF; it must be done in Power Point. So you first have to make a presentation, receive ppt (pptx) files, and then convert these files to PDF and only then upload them to Expertsystem.
There are often situations when you download an Excel 2007 file, but you have Office 2003 installed on your computer. Naturally, you will not open such a file, the question arises of how to open Excel 2007 in 2003. There are situations when you need to convert excel to word, do this will not work without special programs. Of course, you can replace office programs, but they are quite expensive.
At the same time, if you do not convert documents en masse, then you do not need to buy expensive programs. You can convert Excel to PDF online absolutely free of charge, you can convert Excel to Word online, you can convert Excel 2007 to 2003 online. Moreover, this is done in a matter of minutes and absolutely free. We will look at how this is done below.
So, let's see how to open Excel 2007 in 2003 online. There are quite a lot of online services for this; you just need to enter a query in search engines. At one time I started using the “Convertio” service and continue to use it now - convenient, fast, free. If you want to use the “Convertio” service, enter this name into the search and the specified site will be in the first positions.
Now on your computer, select the Excel 2007 file that needs to be converted to Excel 2003 and drag it into the “Convertio” service window. The video attached below shows in detail how to convert Excel 2007 to 2003 online. After that, you click the “Convert” button.
After a few seconds, the conversion of Excel 2007 to 2003 online is completed, now you need to click the “Download” button (watch the video). Select a folder and download the resulting file to your computer. As you can see, the Excel 2007 to 2003 converter works simply and reliably, and the work is finished.
How to convertExcel inWord
So, in the previous section we learned how to open Excel 2007 in 2003, it turns out it’s simple. It is no less easy to convert Excel to Word; for this we will use the online service Watermark-Images, you can easily find it on the Internet. The service is English-language, but has intuitive controls; if you wish, you can turn on a translator. The Watermark-Images service allows you to convert Excel to Word online for free. He does the job quite quickly.
To convert Excel to Word, you need to follow two simple steps (detailed in the video attached below). First you need to click the “Select XLS File” button, that is, select a file from your computer. Moreover, you can upload any file - xls or xlsx.
If necessary, in step 2 you can select the Word settings and parameters that you want to receive as an output. I haven't used these settings. Next, click the “Convert to Word” button, the conversion takes a few seconds. A sign appears (watch the video) where you are asked to click “Download WORD File”, which means download the resulting Word file. Select a folder and download the converted file.
So, we see that converting Excel to Word is quite simple, and an English-language program is not a hindrance. The main thing is we got the result. By the way, this service converts many different files; if you wish, you can try other functions of the service.
There is a second easy way to convert Excel to Word. To do this, you can select the Excel table with the mouse or using the Ctrl+A buttons, then press Ctrl+C. Open a blank Word document and use Ctrl+V to paste the document. In the newly created Word document, you can continue to work, edit text and numbers, but it is not always possible to make the document convenient in this way.
How to convertExcel inPDF
In the previous parts of the article, we learned how to open Excel 2007 in 2003, how to convert Excel to Word. Now we will learn how to convert excel to pdf online also in a simple online program. To do this, enter the site “Smallpdf” in the search. The program is simple. By the way, I used it for a long time to convert presentations of pptx (ppt) files. How to convert pptx files is shown in my article on the blog “”, there is also a video there.
So, back to the question of how to convert excel to pdf online for free. To do this, open the online program “Smallpdf”, in the upper part of the program window, point the mouse at the inscription “Convert”. A colored window pops up where we need to select “Excel to PDF”. A colored bar appears, we need to drag the file from the computer into the program window with the mouse.
After a few seconds, the conversion is completed and all we have to do is save the converted file to our computer. As you can see, converting Excel to pdf is quite simple. How to convert Excel to PDF format in the online program “Smallpdf” is shown in the video attached below.
Conclusion
The article, of course, turned out to be quite long, but we examined several file conversion processes at once. We learned how to convert Excel to PDF, how to convert Excel to Word, how to convert Excel to PDF. You often have to deal with transformation problems, and you need to be able to do it.
As you can see, you don’t need to buy any programs; all the work can be done online and very quickly. Of course, there are programs that can convert Excel files, for example, Total Excel Converter. But any program requires installation, configuration, and even money.
In addition to the capabilities shown, these online programs have many functions, you just need to figure it out and then you can convert many files. On the Watermark-Images service I saw a function for converting psd files, that is, processing Photoshop files, but I haven’t used it myself yet. I wrote an article on the blog, you can look at this article, I use this program. That's all, good luck to you!
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Developers are constantly trying to improve their product and provide users with more features and capabilities. The problem is that older versions of applications are no longer supported. The same thing happened with the Excel program, which in new versions received a different format for saving tables. This became a nuisance for users.
How to open XLSX file
Microsoft is a leader among other office software developers, so most people use their suite of utilities. To keep records and count, many people use Excel, which helps save spreadsheets and conduct mathematical calculations of varying complexity in them. Until 2007, this application saved documents with the XLS extension, but in newer versions the XLSX format appeared, how to open it?
If you are the owner of older Microsoft software, then when you try to view you will receive an error about opening failure. There will not even be the ability to launch the document for reading, not to mention the rights to correct or edit. On all new versions of Office, the document will open without problems. A one-letter difference in the extension completely blocks your ability to open the file. To avoid this, you should use free software that will allow you to convert the new format to the old one.
How to open an XLSX file using Microsoft Office
There is no better solution to this problem than to use the software that created this extension. How to open an XLSX file using Microsoft Office - just update your programs. This is not a free product, so many people do not want to upgrade to new versions of the software. However, this is the easiest method to open the format without using converters. You will need any version older than or including 2077. You will have to pay, but you will receive software in Russian, completely ready to work with any file formats.
If you don’t want to pay, then you can use another product from the same company. You will need a free, small application called Microsoft Office Excel Viewer. This solution will help you open a document, view it, and print or copy data if necessary. There is only one limitation - you do not have the ability to edit the file.
When you are faced with the task of changing this file, then this solution will not work well. The solution in this case is to install a compatibility pack. Microsoft Office has an update package that is designed for older versions of the software. It needs to be downloaded and installed on top of your Excel. After this, it will be possible to open the document and be able to work on it.
How to open XLSX via OpenOffice.org
The software package described above is paid; purchasing a license is mandatory for all law firms. If an audit comes to the office and discovers pirated software, the director will be fined a large sum. For this reason, a free analogue, OpenOffice, is often installed on computers. This software is distributed freely and almost completely replicates all the functions of the version from Microsoft. How to open XLSX via OpenOffice.org? The set includes the following applications:
- text editor – Writer;
- spreadsheets – Calc;
- vector graphics editor – Draw;
- creation of presentations – Impress;
- working with DBMS – Base;
- formula editor – Math.
The program you will need to open XLSX files is called Calc, it is designed to work with tables. It can also act as a converter; after working on the document, it is possible to save it in the same publicly accessible format. There are several other software options that are based on the OpenOffice.org source code, for example, OxygenOffice Professional, LibreOffice. They can be easily downloaded from the Internet and used without a license.
Universal Viewer for opening XLSX files
Another free XLSX reader is Universal Viewer. It's a lightweight, simple editor that opens all spreadsheet document extensions. It can also be used to view videos, pictures, music. This app option will help you view the document, but will not allow you to edit or convert. You can download it for free on the developers' website.
XLSX, how to open it on Android
Many people now use a mobile phone for almost all the same purposes as a computer. Business people often view mail, documents, including the XLSX format, which has become standard for Excel, via a smartphone. Not all mobile phones are ready for this extension, so you need to download additional utilities. XLSX - how to open it on a smartphone?
An application called “Kingsoft Office” has a high rating. This is a set of programs for all gadgets based on the Android operating system (laptops, tablets, mobile phones). This utility is capable of creating files in this extension or acting as a converter for translation into another. It opens all popular extension types: DOC, PPT, DOCX, XLSX. The software supports Russian, English and some other interface languages, so it will be easy to understand.
Another popular option for mobile gadgets is OfficeSuite Professional. This is a functional utility that has received a large number of positive reviews, has virtually no errors (which is very rare for modern software), and therefore has earned recognition from Android users. Opens all modern extensions that Microsoft Office creates, and is able to extract a document from a zip archive.
Video: How to open an XLSX file in Excel 2003
Found an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we will fix everything!
XLSX is a file format designed for working with spreadsheets. Currently, it is one of the most common formats in this area. Therefore, quite often users are faced with the need to open a file with a specified extension. Let's figure out what software you can use to do this and how exactly.
An XLSX file is a type of zip archive containing a spreadsheet. It is part of the Office Open XML series of open formats. This format is the main one for the Excel program, starting with version Excel 2007. In the internal interface of the specified application, it is presented as “Excel workbook”. It is natural that Excel can open and work with XLSX files. A number of other table processors can also work with them. Let's look at how to open XLSX in various programs.
Method 1: Microsoft Excel
Opening the format in Excel, starting with Microsoft Excel 2007, is quite simple and intuitive.
If you are using a version of the program prior to Excel 2007, then by default this application will not open workbooks with the XLSX extension. This is due to the fact that these versions were released earlier than this format appeared. But owners of Excel 2003 and earlier programs will still be able to open XLSX workbooks if they install a patch that is specifically designed to perform this operation. After this, you can launch documents of the named format in the standard way through the menu item "File".
Method 2: Apache OpenOffice Calc
You can also open XLSX documents using Apache OpenOffice Calc, which is a free alternative to Excel. Unlike Excel, Calc does not have the XLSX format as its main format, but, nevertheless, the program copes with opening it successfully, although it cannot save books in this extension.
There is an alternative opening option.
Method 3: LibreOffice Calc
Another free analogue of Excel is LibreOffice Calc. This program also does not have XLSX as its main format, but unlike OpenOffice, it can not only open and edit files in the specified format, but also save them with this extension.
Additionally, there is another option to launch an XLSX document directly from the LibreOffice main window interface without first going to Calc.
Method 4: File Viewer Plus
File Viewer Plus is specially designed to view files of various formats. But it allows you not only to view documents with the XLSX extension, but also to edit and save them. True, you should not delude yourself, since the editing capabilities of this application are still significantly reduced in comparison with previous programs. Therefore, it is better to use it only for viewing. It should also be said that the free period of use of File Viewer is limited to 10 days.
There is an easier and faster way to launch a file in this application. You need to highlight the file name in Windows Explorer, hold down the left mouse button and simply drag it into the File Viewer application window. The file will be opened immediately.
Among all the options for launching files with the XLSX extension, the most optimal is to open it in Microsoft Excel. This is because the application is native to the specified file type. But if for some reason you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, then you can use free analogues: OpenOffice or LibreOffice. They have almost no loss in functionality. As a last resort, the File Viewer Plus program will come to the rescue, but it is advisable to use it only for viewing, not editing.
