How to Change Excel 2007's Default File Extension

If you're frustrated because your friends and business associates can't open your .xlsx files, you have two choices: show them how to open your Excel 2007 files or change the way you save your Excel 2007 files. Don't want to inconvenience the recipients of your Excel 2007 files? The easiest choice is to save your spreadsheet in the more universal .xls file extension. That way, you can send your spreadsheets to most business professionals fully confident that your recipients will be able to open them.

Saving Individual Excel 2007 Files as .XLS Files

Saving an individual Excel 2007 file as an .xls file is easy enough to do. Simply open the original .xlsx file and then click the Office button in the upper left corner of the screen. Choose Save As followed by Excel 97-2003 Workbook. This will save a new file in the .xls file extension. You will now have two copies of the original file: an .xlsx file and an .xls file.

Changing the Default File Format in Excel 2007

While saving individual files is easy, it does become tedious if you do it often. Plus, with duplicate files, file management is a bit more difficult. A better choice is to change the way Excel 2007 saves your spreadsheets in the first place. To change the default file format in Excel 2007, go back into the Office button and click on the Excel Options button. Now, click the "Save" link found in the left column. Under Save Workbooks > Save Files in this Format, click the dropdown arrow and choose "Excel 97-2003 (*.xls)." Click OK and all of your future Excel 2007 files will be saved with the .xls file extension.

Viewing Excel 2007 .XLSX Files in Earlier Versions of Excel

What if you want to teach your recipients how to open your files? In some cases, you may need to do this, especially if some of the features of your spreadsheet will be disabled by downgrading file formats. If the other person is running Excel XP or 2003, he can go to Microsoft and download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. This will upgrade Excel, making it possible to open, edit, save, and print your .xlsx file.

If the other person simply needs to be able to view the file, downloading the Excel 2007 File Viewer from Microsoft will do the trick.

The new .xlsx file format for Excel 2007 has caused its fair share of compatibility problems. Fortunately, it's easy to work around these issues once you understand that not all Excel users can open .xlsx files.