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It features
calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for
Applications. It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in
1993, and it has replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets. Excel forms part of Microsoft
Office.
Current file extensions
Main article: Office Open XML
Microsoft Excel 2007, along with the other products in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite, introduced new file
formats. The first of these (.xlsx) is defined in the Office Open XML(OOXML) specification.
New Excel 2007 formats
Format Extension Description
The default Excel 2007 and later workbook format. In reality a ZIP compressed
Excel archive with a directory structure of XML text documents. Functions as the
.xlsx
Workbook primary replacement for the former binary .xls format, although it does not
support Excel macros for security reasons.
Excel Macro-
enabled .xlsm As Excel Workbook, but with macro support.
Workbook
As Excel Macro-enabled Workbook, but storing information in binary form rather
Excel Binary than XML documents for opening and saving documents more quickly and
.xlsb
Workbook efficiently. Intended especially for very large documents with tens of thousands
of rows, and/or several hundreds of columns.
Excel Macro-
A template document that forms a basis for actual workbooks, with macro
enabled .xltm
support. The replacement for the old .xlt format.
Template
Excel add-in to add extra functionality and tools. Inherent macro support
Excel Add-in .xlam
because of the file purpose.
Old file extensions
Format Extension Description
Spreadsheet .xls Main spreadsheet format which holds data in worksheets, charts, and macros
Add-in
.xla Adds custom functionality; written in VBA
(VBA)
Toolbar .xlb The file extension where Microsoft Excel custom toolbar settings are stored.
A chart created with data from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that only saves the
Chart .xlc chart. To save the chart and spreadsheet save as .XLS. XLC is not supported in
Excel 2007 or in any newer versions of Excel.
Dialog .xld Used in older versions of Excel.
Archive .xlk A backup of an Excel Spreadsheet
Adds custom functionality; written in C++/C, Visual Basic, Fortran, etc. and
Add-in (DLL) .xll
compiled in to a special dynamic-link library
Macro .xlm A macro is created by the user or pre-installed with Excel.
Template .xlt A pre-formatted spreadsheet created by the user or by Microsoft Excel.
Module .xlv A module is written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) for Microsoft Excel
Code written in VBA may access functions in a DLL, typically this is used to access
Library .DLL
the Windows API
Workspace .xlw Arrangement of the windows of multiple Workbo
Password protection
Main article: Microsoft Office password protection
Microsoft Excel protection offers several types of passwords:
Versions
Early history
Microsoft originally marketed a spreadsheet program called Multiplan in 1982. Multiplan became very popular
on CP/M systems, but on MS-DOS systems it lost popularity to Lotus 1-2-3. Microsoft released the first version
of Excel for the Macintosh on September 30, 1985, and the first Windows version was 2.05 (to synchronize
with the Macintosh version 2.2) in November 1987.[71] Lotus was slow to bring 1-2-3 to Windows and by the
early 1990s Excel had started to outsell 1-2-3 and helped Microsoft achieve its position as a leading PC
software developer. This accomplishment solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future of
developing GUI software. Microsoft maintained its advantage with regular new releases, every two years or so.
Microsoft Windows
Excel 2.0 is the first version of Excel for the Intel platform. Versions prior to 2.0 were only available on the
Apple Macintosh.
BYTE in 1989 listed Excel for Windows as among the "Distinction" winners of the BYTE Awards. The
magazine stated that the port of the "extraordinary" Macintosh version "shines", with a user interface as good
as or better than the original.[73]
Also, an easter egg in Excel 4.0 reveals a hidden animation of a dancing set of numbers 1 through 3,
representing Lotus 1-2-3, which was then crushed by an Excel logo.[75]
The automation functionality provided by VBA made Excel a target for macro viruses. This caused serious
problems until antivirus products began to detect these viruses. Microsoft belatedly took steps to prevent the
misuse by adding the ability to disable macros completely, to enable macros when opening a workbook or to
trust all macros signed using a trusted certificate.
Versions 5.0 to 9.0 of Excel contain various Easter eggs, including a "Hall of Tortured Souls", although since
version 10 Microsoft has taken measures to eliminate such undocumented features from their products.[76]
5.0 was released in a 16-bit x86 version for Windows 3.1 and later in a 32-bit version for NT 3.51
(x86/Alpha/PowerPC)
Excel 95 (v7.0)
Released in 1995 with Microsoft Office for Windows 95, this is the first major version after Excel 5.0, as there is
no Excel 6.0 with all of the Office applications standardizing on the same major version number.
Internal rewrite to 32-bits. Almost no external changes, but faster and more stable.
Excel 97 (v8.0)
Included in Office 97 (for x86 and Alpha). This was a major upgrade that introduced the paper clip office
assistant and featured standard VBA used instead of internal Excel Basic. It introduced the now-removed
Natural Language labels.