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Excel - Explaining 3 New File Formats - Episode 403

343 views · Published 5 October 2009 · 3:07 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial - Explaining 3 New File Formats.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In this video, we're diving into the world of Excel 2007 formats. In my last video, I talked about the massive increase in rows and columns in the new Excel, and how to convert your files using the Save As feature. But I also mentioned that there are three new file formats in Excel 2007, and today I want to give you a quick overview of what those are all about.

Since the beginning, Excel has always saved files in a binary format. If you were to open one of these files in a text editor, you would see a jumble of strange characters. The problem with this format is that if even just a few cells became corrupted, the entire workbook would be affected. But now, the default format in Excel 2007 is an Excel Workbook, where everything is stored as XML. XML is an open format that is text-based, making it much easier to read and edit. This format is saved as an XLSX file.

There is also an XLSM format, which is an XML workbook that allows for macros. This is a great security feature, as you can easily tell if a file contains macros or not. I highly recommend using this format if you are a macro user, or simply stick with the XLSX format. There are several advantages to using these XML-based formats, as we'll see in the file we saved in my last video, "Tips and Tricks.xlsm".

One of the first things you'll notice when using these new formats is the decrease in file size. In my example, the file went from 221k down to 92k, which is a significant reduction. But here's where it gets really interesting. If you rename the file extension from xlsm to zip, you can actually open it with a program like WinZip and see all of the components inside the workbook. This includes individual XML files for each sheet, allowing you to view and edit the contents of each cell. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, as you can even create a new Excel workbook from scratch using a text editor.

In conclusion, the three new file formats in Excel 2007, two of which are XML-based, offer many advantages over the old binary format. They make files smaller, easier to read and edit, and provide more security and recovery options. So next time you're working with Excel, consider using one of these new formats and see the difference for yourself. Thanks for watching, and be sure to tune in for more netcasts from MrExcel!

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Table of Contents:
(00:00) New Excel file formats
(00:27) Overview of the three new file formats
(00:37) Explanation of the old binary format and its issues
(00:52) Introduction to the new default format, Excel Workbook
(01:12) XLSM format for workbooks with macros
(2:00) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm
(01:23) Recommendation to use XLSM or XLSX format
(01:39) File size comparison and a trick to view the components of the workbook
(02:17) Possibilities of editing or creating an Excel workbook using a text editor
(02:30) Recap of the new file formats and their benefits
(02:40) Importance of the XML-based formats for file recovery
(02:50) Conclusion and invitation to the next netcast.

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Actually - there are three different file formats in Excel 2007. Episode 403 describes the differences and shows you how you can use a zip utility to take a look inside the new file format.

This blog is the video netcast companion to the upcoming book, Excel 2007 Miracles Made Easy. Download a new two minute video every Tuesday and Thursday to learn one of the tips from the book!

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