Last Updated: 13 May, 2025
XLS and XLSX extensions represent popular Excel file formats that were introduced by Microsoft as part of its Office suite over a period of time. XLS being the oldest and widely used file type is also known to be the Excel97-2003 file format. The XLSX file format was introduced as a replacement of XLS file type with the launch of Excel 2007. Common users may not know the underlying differences between the two file formats, however, XLS is different than XLSX file format in several ways as detailed below.
Excel File Formats: XLSX, XLSM, XLS, XLTX, XLTM
A file with XLSX, XLSM, XLS, XLTX or XLTM extension is a Microsoft Excel file that uses specific standard file format. You can show or display file extension on Windows OS from Folder Options. MS Excel lets you save files in any of these file formats using the Save As option. These Excel file formats serve different purposes for working with Spreadsheet files as explained in this article.
In addition to standard file formats, Excel indirectly uses other file formats as well for a set of different operations.
Spreadsheet File Formats at FileFormat.com
FileFormat.com is your one stop for guidance about file formats. Its unique combination of file format wiki, news and support forums give you the opportunity to get knowledge about file types and engage in fruitful discussion with file format community.
Spreadsheet File Formats The Spreadsheet file format category includes file formats that can be processed by spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Writer and others. Let us have a look at some of these file formats.