/ Opening XLS Files

Opening XLS Files

I need to open a file with the file extension XLS. Celeste Stewart

The XLS file extension is most often a spreadsheet file made by the Microsoft Excel program though other spreadsheet programs are also capable of creating and opening XLS files. Excel spreadsheets can contain multiple sheets and seemingly endless amounts of data as well as formulas, charts, forms, tables, and groupings.

The XLS file extension, while still popular and widely used, has been superseded by the new XLSX file extension which was introduced with Microsoft Office 2007.

If you have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your computer, you will be able to open the XLS file with Excel. Other XLS-compatible programs include OpenOffice.org’s Calc program and Microsoft Works. However, if the file had been in the new XLSX file format, then you’d need to update your earlier version of Office with the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack or open the file with Excel 2007.

XLS File Viewer

If you do not have Excel or a compatible program on your computer and are not interested in downloading a huge program such as the OpenOffice.org suite simply to view a file, your best bet is to download the free Excel File Viewer from Microsoft. This viewer will allow you to view both XLS and XLSX files. You can open, view, print, and copy Excel data using the viewer but you cannot modify the spreadsheet, edit data, save the file, or create a new spreadsheet with it. After all, it’s a viewer, not the fully functional version of Excel.

Using Google Docs to View an XLS File

Another option is to use Google Docs to view the file. This is really easy, especially if you already have a Google account. Sign into Google, go to Documents, click Upload, and upload the XLS file. Once uploaded, double-click it and it should launch in a new window. While the Google spreadsheet application is a little different than Excel, it will display the spreadsheet just fine - and you will be able to edit the file if desired.