How to Open XLS File on Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android (Free)

What is an XLS file?

An XLS file is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet saved in the old binary format used by Excel 97, 2000, 2002 (XP) and 2003. It holds one or more worksheets with text, numbers, dates, formulas, charts and sometimes macros. Microsoft calls the format the Excel Binary File Format, and its version is known as BIFF8. Since Excel 2007, the default format is the XML-based .xlsx, but Excel still opens and saves .xls as "Excel 97-2003 Workbook".

You still run into .xls files all the time because many banks, payroll systems, government portals and older business software export data as .xls, and old archives are full of them. A small number of really old files use the Excel 5.0/95 version of the format (BIFF5), which uses the same extension.

How to open an XLS file: quick answer

1. Have Excel? Double-click the file. Any Excel from 2007 to Microsoft 365 opens it and shows Compatibility Mode in the title bar. That's normal.
2. No Excel? Upload it to Google Sheets (File > Import) or to OneDrive and open it with Excel for the web. Both are free with a Google or Microsoft account.
3. Want to stay offline? Install LibreOffice Calc (free for Windows, Mac and Linux), or use Numbers on a Mac.
4. Just need to see it fast or check if it's safe? Use the viewer above. It works on any device and nothing is uploaded.

Open XLS files on Windows 11 and 10

With Microsoft Excel

1. Double-click the .xls file, or open Excel and choose File > Open > Browse.
2. If a yellow PROTECTED VIEW bar appears, the file came from the internet or an email. Read it as is, or click Enable Editing if you trust where it came from.
3. The title bar shows [Compatibility Mode]. You can edit and save normally; the file keeps the old 65,536-row limit until you convert it (see Convert).

Without Excel

Windows does not include a spreadsheet program. Your free options are LibreOffice Calc (open-source desktop suite that opens Office 97-2003 files), Excel for the web (upload the file to OneDrive and open it in the browser) and Google Sheets. If Windows asks "How do you want to open this file?", pick LibreOffice Calc after installing it and tick "Always use this app".

Excel opens a blank grey window? Open Excel first and use File > Open instead of double-clicking. If the file still won't open, check blocked files and File Block settings.

Open an XLS file on Mac

• Numbers (free, comes with macOS): drag the .xls onto the Numbers icon, or in Numbers choose File > Open. Numbers imports it as a new spreadsheet. Use File > Export To > Excel to send it back as an Excel file.
• Excel for Mac: double-click the file. Same Compatibility Mode behavior as on Windows.
• LibreOffice: free, and closest to Excel for complex old workbooks with many formulas.
• Quick look: select the file in Finder and press the Space bar for a read-only preview.

Some old Mac workbooks use the "1904 date system", so dates can look four years off in other apps. The viewer above shows which date system the file uses.

Open XLS files on iPhone and iPad

1. Save the attachment to Files (in Mail, tap the attachment, tap the Share button, then Save to Files).
2. Tap the file in Files to see a read-only preview.
3. To edit, tap the Share button and choose Numbers or Excel (both free to download from the App Store; Excel editing on larger iPads needs a Microsoft 365 subscription).

You can also open this page in Safari and drop the file into the viewer to check hidden sheets or convert it to .xlsx.

Open an XLS file on Android

1. Install Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets from Google Play. Both open .xls files.
2. Open your Files or Downloads app and tap the .xls file. Choose Excel or Sheets when Android asks which app to use.
3. If the file came from a bank or web portal and the app says it can't open it, it may not be a real .xls. Drop it into the viewer in Chrome to see what it really is.

Open XLS files online, without installing Excel

Uploading a file to an online service sends a copy to that company's servers. For payroll, medical or bank data, a local app or the in-browser viewer here is the privacy-friendly choice.

XLS vs XLSX vs CSV: what's the difference?

In short: keep .xls only when someone using a very old Excel must open the file. For everything else, .xlsx is smaller, safer (no macros) and has no 65,536-row ceiling. More on the newer format in our XLSX guide.

Convert XLS to XLSX, CSV or PDF

XLS to XLSX in Excel

1. Open the .xls in Excel.
2. Go to File > Info and click Convert, or use File > Save As and choose Excel Workbook (*.xlsx).
3. If the workbook has macros, choose Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm) instead, or the macros are dropped.

Without Excel

• In this browser: open the file in the viewer and click Download this sheet as .xlsx or as CSV. This carries over values (cached formula results), not formulas or formatting, one sheet at a time.
• LibreOffice Calc: File > Save As > "Excel 2007-365 (.xlsx)" keeps formulas and formatting.
• Google Sheets: import it, then File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx), PDF or CSV.
• PDF: in Excel, File > Save As (or Export) and choose PDF. Set the print area first if you only need part of a sheet.

Need the other direction? Our CSV to XLSX converter and XLSX to CSV converter also run in the browser.

"The file format and extension don't match"

This is the most common XLS problem. Excel checks the first bytes of the file, finds that it isn't a binary Excel workbook, and warns that the file format and extension don't match. Microsoft lists four causes: the file was renamed by accident, it was renamed on purpose so Excel would open it, it's corrupted, or it's a malicious file disguised as a spreadsheet.

In practice, most of these files are exports from banks, accounting tools and web apps that write an HTML table, an XML Spreadsheet 2003 file or tab-separated text and simply name it .xls. To fix it:

1. Check what it really is. Drop it into the viewer; the "What it really is" line tells you (for example "Web page (HTML table) saved as .xls").
2. If you trust the source, click Yes in Excel. The data opens normally.
3. Save a clean copy: File > Save As > Excel Workbook (*.xlsx). The warning won't appear again for that copy.
4. Email attachment? Save it to your computer first and open it from Excel, not from the mail app.

Unknown sender? Don't click Yes. A real document from a bank or employer rarely needs macros; if an unexpected .xls asks you to "Enable Content", delete it.

Other XLS problems and fixes

It asks for a password

The workbook is encrypted, so the cell data itself is scrambled. No viewer, converter or rename can show it without the password. Ask the sender, then open it in Excel and save a copy without the password if you're allowed to. Google Sheets can't import password-protected .xls files. The viewer above still tells you how many sheets it has and which encryption is used.

"Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid"

The file is usually incomplete (an interrupted download or a damaged email attachment) or isn't an Excel file at all. Download it again, then drop it into the viewer: if the first bytes don't match any spreadsheet format, the file itself is the problem. Excel's File > Open > Browse, then the arrow next to Open and Open and Repair, can rescue some damaged workbooks.

Excel says the file type is blocked

Your Excel's File Block settings forbid opening that old format. In Excel go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > File Block Settings and clear the Open box for the format. At work this may be set by your IT department.

Macros are blocked ("source of this file is untrusted")

Office on Windows blocks VBA macros in files that came from the internet. If you're sure the file is safe, right-click it, choose Properties, tick Unblock on the General tab, and reopen it. You don't need macros just to read the data.

Some rows are missing

A sheet in .xls format stops at row 65,536 and column IV (256). If the data was exported from a system with more rows, the extra rows were cut off when the file was created. Ask for a .xlsx or CSV export instead.

Dates show as numbers like 46309

Excel stores dates as a count of days. Select the column and apply a Date format. If dates are exactly four years and one day off, the workbook uses the 1904 date system (common in old Mac files).

File name ends in "_xls" or ".xls.download"

The download or attachment didn't finish or was renamed by the browser. Re-download it. A file ending in .crdownload is an unfinished Chrome download.

Is an XLS file safe to open?

The spreadsheet data itself is harmless. The risk comes from macros: an .xls can carry VBA code or an old Excel 4.0 macro sheet that runs when you click "Enable Content". Attackers have used both for years in fake invoices and shipping notices.

• Keep files from the internet in Protected View until you know where they came from.
• Never enable macros in an unexpected attachment, even if the sheet tells you to.
• Check it first: the viewer reports VBA projects, Excel 4.0 macro sheets and "very hidden" sheets without running anything.
• Before sharing an .xls, check its Properties tab: old workbooks often keep the author's name and the company in their metadata.

Related file extensions

Sources and technical references

• [MS-XLS]: Excel Binary File Format (.xls) Structure — Microsoft Learn
• File formats that are supported in Excel — Microsoft Support
• Use Excel with earlier versions of Excel (row/column and format limits) — Microsoft Support
• A file is in a different format than its extension indicates — Microsoft Support
• Differences between using a workbook in the browser and in Excel — Microsoft Support
• What is File Block? — Microsoft Support
• Macros from the internet are blocked by default in Office — Microsoft Learn
• Files you can store in Google Drive (Sheets import formats) — Google Help
• Work with Office files in Google Drive — Google Help
• Import an Excel or text file in Numbers on Mac — Apple Support
• About converting Microsoft Office documents — LibreOffice Help

Frequently asked questions