XLS File Type

Researcher:   |   Last Updated: December 05, 2018

Microsoft Silver

XLS File Summary

File Extension XLS has only one distinct file type (Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet format) and is mostly associated with Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation) and twenty other software programs. The XLS File Extension are listed predominantly as Spreadsheet Files.

XLS files are found on both mobile and desktop platforms and can be opened using Windows, Mac, and iOS operating systems. These files have a Popularity Rating of "Low", meaning they are not very commonly observed on your average hard disk.

If you are having problems opening XLS files, or would simply like to learn more about the software programs and developers that are associated with them, please see the complete information contained below.

Low
Universality
434
Rank

/ 11690

Active

Importance

5

December

2018

Revised

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Known XLS Files


Chief XLS Description

.XLS
Extension:.xls
Group:Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet

An XLS file is a spreadsheet file created and primarily associated with the earlier versions of MS Excel, specifically from the 97 version up until 2003. It was replaced by Office Open XML format (XLSX) in 2007. Other programs like OpenOffice Calc and Apple Numbers can also create and open XLS files.

Organization: Microsoft Corporation
File Category:Spreadsheet Files
Location: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xls

Software Programs That Open The Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet:


Microsoft Excel by Microsoft Corporation

Windows
Mac
iOS
Android

WPS Office by Kingsoft

Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux

Office Tab by Detong Technology

Windows

GoBe Productive by Gobe Software, Inc.

Windows

Corel WordPerfect X8 by Corel

Windows

Breadbox Office by Breadbox Computer Company

Windows

EasyOffice by E-Press Corporation

Windows
iOS

Documents To Go by BlackBerry

Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Blackberry

Thinkfree Office NEO by Hancom, Inc.

Windows
Mac
Android
Linux

SSuite OmegaOffice HD+ (with SSuite Accel Spreadsheet HD) by Ssuitesoft Office

Windows
Mac
Linux

iWork by Apple

Mac
iOS

MarinerPak by Mariner Software

Mac
iOS

Kingsoft Office by Kingsoft

Windows
Android
Linux

Google Drive by Google

iOS
Android
Web

Softmaker Office by SoftMaker Software

Windows
Android
Linux
Qtopia

NeoOffice by Planamesa Software Inc.

Mac

Apache OpenOffice Calc by Apache Software Foundation

Windows
Mac
Linux

LibreOffice Calc by The Document Foundation

Windows
Mac
Linux

Microsoft Excel Viewer by Microsoft Corporation

Windows

OmniPage by Nuance

Windows

Gnumeric by Open Source

Windows
Mac
Linux

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XLS Demand


OS Rank

Windows 7 (48%)
Windows 10 (42%)
Windows 8.1 (5%)
Windows XP (2%)

Popular OS Rank

Windows (97.14%)
Macintosh (2.06%)
Linux (0.73%)
Chrome (0.05%)
Other (0.01%)


Understanding XLS Issues


Frequent XLS Opening Issues

Microsoft Excel is Not Installed

When you double-click your XLS file, you may see a dialog box from your operating system stating that it "Cannot Open This File Type". Generally, this is experienced in %%os%% because Microsoft Excel isn't installed on your PC. This will prevent you from double-clicking to open the XLS file because the OS doesn’t know how to handle it.


Tip: If you know of another program that can open your XLS file, you can try opening it by selecting the application from the programs listed.


Microsoft Excel Requires Update

Your Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet file is incompatible with Microsoft Excel because you might have the wrong version installed. Visit the Microsoft Corporation website to download (or purchase) the latest version of Microsoft Excel. Your Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet file was probably created by a newer release of Microsoft Excel than what's currently installed your computer.


Tip: Sometimes you can get a clue about the version of XLS file you have by right clicking on the file, then clicking on "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac OSX).


Summary: Not having the right Microsoft Excel version on your computer can cause problems opening XLS files.


Additional XLS Opening Issues

Although you might already have Microsoft Excel or another XLS-associated software installed on your computer, you can still encounter problems opening Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet files. There can be external issues inside of %%os%% that are causing these errors when opening XLSs. Other contributing causes:

  • File references in the Windows Registry for XLS are wrong
  • Accidental deletion of the description of the XLS file in the Windows registry
  • Microsoft Excel or another XLS application experienced a flawed installation
  • Your XLS can't be loaded properly (file corruption)
  • XLS file integrity has been compromised by malware
  • Drivers associated with XLS software need to be updated
  • Windows cannot load your Microsoft Excel 97 To 2003 Spreadsheet file due to insufficient resources (eg. RAM)

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