| File extension |
.xls |
| Category |
Document File |
| Description |
Microsoft Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Pre-2007 versions of Excel use XLS as the primary format for saving files. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in 1993, and it has almost completely replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets. Excel forms part of Microsoft Office. The current versions are 2010 for Microsoft Windows and 2011 for Mac OS X. |
| Actions |
Convert XLS file
View other document file formats |
| Technical Details |
Microsoft Excel up until 2007 version used a proprietary binary file format called Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF) as its primary format. Used as the basis for XLS files it is a persistence format that supports authoring and manipulating content in workbooks and workbook templates. Most versions of Microsoft Excel can read CSV, DBF, SYLK, DIF, and other legacy formats. |
| Associated programs |
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel Viewer
OpenOffice |
|
| Developed by |
Microsoft |
| MIME type |
application/vnd.ms-excel |
|
| Useful links |
More detail about the XLS format
How to open an XLS file without Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office binary file format specifications
Convert XLS file |
