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Lesson 24 of 104 2 min Updated Completed

How to Save in Excel 97-2003 Format

Excel saves files in the .xlsx format by default. If someone needs to open your file in a very old version of Excel (2003 or earlier), save a copy in the Excel 97-2003 (.xls) format.

Save one file as 97-2003

  1. Open the workbook.

  2. Click File > Save As and choose where to save it.

  3. In the file type list, choose Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls).

    Choosing Excel 97-2003 Workbook in the Save As file type list

  4. Click Save.

If anything in the workbook isn’t supported by the old format, Excel shows a Compatibility Checker listing what will change, so you can decide whether to continue.

Always save in 97-2003 format

  1. Click File > Options > Save.

  2. In Save files in this format, choose Excel 97-2003 Workbook.

    Setting Excel 97-2003 Workbook as the default save format

  3. Click OK.

From now on, new files are saved in the old format by default.

Note: The .xls format has limits: for example, 65,536 rows instead of over a million, and no support for newer features and functions. Use it only when you really need it.