A file extension of XLSM indicates what type of Workbook
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From Excel 2007, the standard file extension of Excel Files (Excel Workbooks) is .xlsx. In Excel versions before Excel 2007, the standard file extension was .xls. Show
xlsx and xlsm file formats can be opened by Excel versions 2007 and later. Older versions of Excel cannot recognize xlsx and xlsm file formats. But .xls file format can be opened in all versions of excel, because new versions of Excel provides backward compatibility. xlsx and xlsm file formats have much more features than xls file format. Following image shows the icons used for xls, xlsm and xlsx files respectivly, in Excel 2019. Proprietary Vs Industry Standard.xls file format is Microsoft's proprietary binary format. But .xlsx is based on a standard format developed by Microsoft (Office Open XML format). Since xlsx and xlsm are based on open standard, other software application vendors can follow the standard for interoperability with their spreadsheet applications. MacrosThe last "x" of a xlsx file extension shows that the file is based on XML standard. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a self-describing markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding data and documents. xlsm file format is also based on Office Open XML format, but the last "m" of a xlsm file extension shows that the file contains macros. A macro is an Excel interpreted program, normally developed using programming language VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). A macro is usually created by an end-user to provide automation for repeated tasks in Excel. Unfortunately, the macros functionality is used by bad guys to create malwares, which may cause damage on the computers on which the malware macro is run. You cannot store macros inside an xlsx file. Macros can be stored inside xlsm file. If the Excel file extension is .xlsm, the file may contain macros. But the old Excel file format xls may or may not contain macros. If the file is xls file format, it is difficult to identify whether the file contains macros or not. Number of Rows and Columns SupportedIn an xls file format, the last row is 65536 and last column is IV (256 columns). But in xlsx and xlsm file formats, the last row number is 1048576 and last column letter is XFD (16384 columns), which is substantially more than xls file format. Following image shows the last possible row and column of xlsx/xlsm file. Compressed file formatxlsx and xlsm are compressed file formats. If you like to see all the contents of your compressed Excel xlsx file's source XML files, follow these steps. • Save and close your Excel file with xlsx file extension. • Rename its file extention from .xlsx to .zip. To rename any file, right click the file and select Rename from context menu. XLSM is the file extension that is assigned to spreadsheets created by Microsoft Excel 2007 and newer. They are saved using the Open XML standard. Just like older version of the Excel spreadsheet, XLSM files can contain tables and worksheets. On top, XLSM files are macro-enabled. They can contain embedded macros that use VBA. As stated above, XLSM files are macro-enabled. This distinguishes the format from XLSX files that are also created by Microsoft Excel. Thus, for Excel to be able to execute the macros embedded in the file, the spreadsheet has to be saved in the XSLM format rather than as a XLSX file. Predecessors of Microsoft Excel 2007 are only able to open XLSM files if they support Open XML components. Are you having problems opening an XLSM file or just wondering what they contain? We explain what these files are used for and show you software that we know can open or otherwise handle your files. What is an XLSM file?An .XLSM file is a Microsoft Excel Open XML Format Spreadsheet file. Files that contain the .xlsm file extension are files that contain macro-enabled spreadsheet files that have been created with the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application. XLSM worksheets contain cells that are arranged in columns and rows. The spreadsheets with the .xlsm file extension also use embedded macros that have been programmed into the worksheet contained in the file. The XLSM file format can only be used with the 2007 and later versions of Microsoft Excel. These versions of Excel use the Open XML format, which allows the creation of the XLSM files. Previous versions of Excel were unable to create XLSM macro-enabled worksheets. You can save an Excel file in another file format by clicking the File > Save As. The file formats that are available in the Save As dialog box vary, depending on what type of sheet is active (a worksheet, chart sheet, or other type of sheet). Note: Whenever you save a file in another file format, some of its formatting, data, and features might not be transferred. To open a file that was created in another file format, either in an earlier version of Excel or in another program, click File > Open. If you open an Excel 97-2003 workbook, it automatically opens in Compatibility Mode. To take advantage of the new features of Excel 2010, you can save the workbook to an Excel 2010 file format. However, you also have the option to continue to work in Compatibility Mode, which retains the original file format for backward compatibility. Excel file formatsFormat Extension Description Excel Workbook .xlsx The default XML-based file format for Excel 2010 and Excel 2007. Cannot store Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code or Microsoft Office Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (code) .xlsm The XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). Excel Binary Workbook .xlsb The binary file format (BIFF12) for Excel 2010 and Excel 2007. Template .xltx The default file format for an Excel template for Excel 2010 and Excel 2007. Cannot store VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). Template (code) .xltm The macro-enabled file format for an Excel template Excel 2010 and Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). Excel 97- Excel 2003 Workbook .xls The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8). Excel 97- Excel 2003 Template .xlt The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8) for an Excel template. Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook .xls The Excel 5.0/95 Binary file format (BIFF5). XML Spreadsheet 2003 .xml XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format (XMLSS). XML Data .xml XML Data format. Excel Add-In .xlam The XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In format for Excel 2010 and Excel 2007. An Add-In is a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects and Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). Excel 97-2003 Add-In .xla The Excel 97-2003 Add-In, a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects. Excel 4.0 Workbook .xlw An Excel 4.0 file format that saves only worksheets, chart sheets, and macro sheets. You can open a workbook in this file format in Excel 2010, but you cannot save an Excel file to this file format. Works 6.0-9.0 spreadsheet .xlr Spreadsheet saved in Microsoft Works 6.0-9.0. Note: This format is supported in Excel Starter only. Text file formatsFormat Extension Description Formatted Text (Space-delimited) .prn Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only the active sheet. Text (Tab-delimited) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on another Microsoft Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. Text (Macintosh) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. Text (MS-DOS) .txt Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. Unicode Text .txt Saves a workbook as Unicode text, a character encoding standard that was developed by the Unicode Consortium. CSV (comma delimited) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. CSV (Macintosh) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. CSV (MS-DOS) .csv Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. DIF .dif Data Interchange Format. Saves only the active sheet. SYLK .slk Symbolic Link Format. Saves only the active sheet. Note: If you save a workbook in any text format, all formatting is lost. Other file formatsFormat Extension Description DBF 3, DBF 4 .dbf dBase III and IV. You can open these files formats in Excel, but you cannot save an Excel file to dBase format. OpenDocument Spreadsheet .ods OpenDocument Spreadsheet. You can save Excel 2010 files so they can be opened in spreadsheet applications that use the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format, such as Google Docs and OpenOffice.org Calc. You can also open spreadsheets in the .ods format in Excel 2010. Formatting might be lost when saving and opening .ods files. Portable Document Format (PDF). This file format preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or printed, it retains the format that you intended. Data in the file cannot be easily changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced by using commercial printing methods. Note: This format is not supported in Excel 2007. XPS Document .xps XML Paper Specification (XPS). This file format preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the XPS file is viewed online or printed, it retains exactly the format that you intended, and the data in the file cannot be easily changed. Note: This format is not supported in Excel 2007. File formats that use the ClipboardYou can paste data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard into Excel by using the Paste or Paste Special command (Home tab, Clipboard group, Paste button) if the Office Clipboard data is in one of the following formats. Format Extension Clipboard type identifiers Picture .wmf or .emf Pictures in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF). Note If you copy a Windows metafile picture from another program, Excel pastes the picture as an enhanced metafile. Bitmap .bmp Pictures stored in Bitmap format (BMP). Microsoft Excel file formats .xls Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95 (BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Excel 2010 (BIFF12). SYLK .slk Symbolic Link Format. DIF .dif Data Interchange Format. Text (tab-delimited) .txt Tab-separated text format. CSV (Comma-delimited) .csv Comma-separated values format. Formatted text (Space-delimited) .rtf Rich Text Format (RTF). Only from Excel. Embedded object .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp Microsoft Excel objects, objects from properly registered programs that support OLE 2.0 (OwnerLink), and Picture or another presentation format. Linked object .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp OwnerLink, ObjectLink, Link, Picture, or other format. Office drawing object .emf Office drawing object format or Picture (Windows enhanced metafile format, EMF). Text .txt Display Text, OEM Text. Single File Web Page .mht, .mhtml Single File Web Page (MHT or MHTML). This file format integrates inline graphics, applets, linked documents, and other supporting items referenced in the document. Note: This format is not supported in Excel 2007. Web Page .htm, .html Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Note: When you copy text from another program, Excel pastes the text in HTML format, regardless of the format of the original text. File formats that are not supported in ExcelThe following file formats are no longer supported in Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, Excel Starter, and Excel 2007. You cannot open or save files in these file formats. Format Extension Clipboard type identifiers Excel Chart .xlc Excel 2.0, 3.0, and 2.x file formats WK1, FMT, WK2, WK3, FM3, WK4 .wk1, .wk2, .wk3, .wk4, .wks Lotus 1-2-3 file formats (all versions) Microsoft Works .wks Microsoft Works file format (all versions) DBF 2 .dbf DBASE II file format WQ1 .wq1 Quattro Pro for MS-DOS file format WB1, WB3 .wb1, .wb3 Quattro Pro 5.0 and 7.0 for Windows. File formats that are not supported in Excel StarterAdditionally, the following file formats are no longer supported in Excel Starter. You cannot open or save files in these file formats. Format Extension Excel 97-2003 Add-In .xla Excel Add-In .xlam Data source name .dsn Access MDE database .mde Office Data Connection .odc Data Link File .udl Opening or viewing unsupported file formatsIf a file format that you want to use is not supported in Excel, you can try the following:
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