XL97: How to Save Files in Other Formats (166173)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q166173

SUMMARY

This article explains how to save files in different formats, and provides additional information to be aware of when saving files.

MORE INFORMATION

How to Save a File in a Different Format

By default, Microsoft Excel 97 saves files in the Microsoft Excel Workbook format. Files saved in this format cannot be opened in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, or in other spreadsheet programs.

If you want to save a file in a different format, do the following:

  1. Open the workbook you want to save.
  2. On the File menu, click Save As.
  3. In the Save As Type list, select the file format you want to use.
  4. If necessary, change the name of the file and click Save.
NOTE: If the file format does not support multiple sheets or plies, you may receive the following warning message:
The selected file type does not support workbooks that contain multiple sheets.
If the file format does not support multiple sheets, make sure you save the other sheets in your workbook before you close it. Otherwise, some of your work may be lost. The easiest way to save your entire workbook is to save it in the Microsoft Excel Workbook format.

What File Formats are Available?

In Microsoft Excel 97, you can save files in any of the following formats: 

   Format                                 Extension    Notes
   ---------------------------------------------------------
   Microsoft Excel Workbook               .xls         1
   Template                               .xlt         2
   Formatted Text (Space delimited)       .txt         3
   Text (Tab delimited)                   .txt         3
   Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook        .xls         4
   Microsoft Excel 97 & 5.0/95 Workbook   .xls         5
   CSV (Comma delimited)                  .csv         3
   Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet          .xls         3
   Microsoft Excel 3.0 Worksheet          .xls         3
   Microsoft Excel 2.1 Worksheet          .xls         3
   Microsoft Excel 4.0 Workbook           .xlw         6
   WK4 (1-2-3)                            .wk4         7
   WK3,FM3 (1-2-3)                        .wk3, .fm3   7
   WK3 (1-2-3)                            .wk3         7
   WK1,FMT (1-2-3)                        .wk1, .fmt   8
   WK1,ALL (1-2-3)                        .wk1, .all   8
   WK1 (1-2-3)                            .wk1         8
   WKS (1-2-3)                            .wks         8
   WQ1 (Quattro Pro/DOS)                  .wq1         8
   DBF 4 (dBASE IV)                       .dbf         8
   DBF 3 (dBASE III)                      .dbf         8
   DBF 2 (dBASE II)                       .dbf         8
   Text (Macintosh)                       .txt         9
   Text (OS/2 or MS-DOS)                  .txt         9
   CSV (Macintosh)                        .csv         9
   CSV (OS/2 or MS-DOS)                   .csv         9
   DIF (Data Interchange Format)          .dif         3
   SYLK (Symbolic Link)                   .slk         3
   Microsoft Excel Add-In                 .xla         10

   Microsoft Excel Workspace              .xlw         11

   Microsoft Excel 4.0 Chart              .xlc         12
   Microsoft Excel 3.0 Chart              .xlc         12
   Microsoft Excel 2.1 Chart              .xlc         12

   Microsoft Excel 4.0 Macro              .xlm         13
   Microsoft Excel 4.0 Int'l Macro        .xlm         13
   Microsoft Excel 3.0 Macro              .xlm         13
   Microsoft Excel 2.1 Macro              .xlm         13

Notes

  1. The default file format. The entire workbook is saved in this format.
  2. The entire workbook is saved in this format.
  3. Only the active sheet is saved. This format is only available for worksheets and macro sheets.
  4. The entire workbook, except for userforms, class modules, and "code behind sheets" is saved.
  5. The entire workbook is saved, twice, into a single file. For more information about this file format, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    157497 Using the Microsoft Excel 97 & 5.0/95 Workbook Format

    159361 Read-Only Recommended Opening 97 & 5.0/95 File Format

  6. All worksheets, macro sheets, and charts are saved into the file. Modules, dialog sheets, userforms, class modules, and "code behind sheets" are not saved in this format.
  7. All worksheets and charts are saved into the file. All other types of sheets are not saved in this format.
  8. Only the active worksheet is saved. This format is only available for worksheets.
  9. Only the active sheet is saved. Choose the appropriate operating system (Macintosh, OS/2, MS-DOS) to ensure that the text file uses the correct combination of tab characters, line breaks, carriage returns, and other characters.
  10. The entire workbook is saved. For more information about creating add-ins in Microsoft Excel 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    156942 XL97: How to Create an Add-in File in Microsoft Excel 97

  11. To save a Microsoft Excel Workspace, click Save Workspace on the File menu.
  12. Only the active chart sheet is saved. This format is only available for chart sheets.
  13. Only the active macro sheet is saved. This format is only available for macro sheets (not Visual Basic modules).

How to Set a Different Default File Format

Although the default file format is Microsoft Excel Workbook, it is possible to set a different default file format. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Click the Transition tab.
  3. In the Save Excel Files As list, select the desired default file format.
  4. Click OK.
When you save a file using the Save As, the new default file format will be selected. Note that you can override this new default by simply selecting another file format in the Save As Type list.

How Can I See this Information in Help?

To see the above information in Microsoft Excel Help, perform the following steps:

  1. If the Office Assistant is visible, click it. Otherwise, click the Office Assistant tool on the Standard toolbar.
  2. Type the following question:

    How can I save a file in a different format?

    and press ENTER.
In the help balloon that appears, there are a number of buttons:

  • Click "File format converters supplied with Microsoft Excel" to read about the different file formats included with Microsoft Excel.
  • Click "Change the default file format for saving workbooks" to read about how to change the default file format.
You can also click the other buttons to see additional help concerning opening and saving files in different formats.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/22/2000
Keywords:kbhowto KB166173
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.