---
title: ".xls file — what it is and how to open it"
description: "A .xls file is an Excel Workbook (legacy binary). The pre-2007 Excel format, limited to 65,536 rows. How to open one on Windows, macOS and Linux, and what to convert it to."
url: https://atoneplace.net/file/xls/
site: "At One Place"
---

# .xls files

**.xls file: Excel Workbook (legacy binary)**

The pre-2007 Excel format, limited to 65,536 rows.

## What opens a .xls file

- **Windows:** Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, WPS Office
- **macOS:** Microsoft Excel, Numbers (built in), LibreOffice Calc
- **Linux:** LibreOffice Calc, OnlyOffice, Gnumeric
- **In a browser:** Google Sheets, Excel for the web

## What a .xls file is

XLS is the old binary Excel format from Office 97 through 2003, still produced by plenty of accounting and banking systems that were written back then. Its 65,536-row ceiling is the classic cause of silently truncated exports. Excel and LibreOffice still open it, but converting to XLSX removes the row limit and the security warnings that come with legacy binary Office files.

## Converting it

A .xls file is commonly converted to .xlsx, .csv, .pdf or .ods. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.

## Details

- **Extension:** .xls
- **Full name:** Excel Workbook (legacy binary)
- **Category:** Documents
- **MIME type:** application/vnd.ms-excel
- **Created by:** Microsoft
- **Format:** Binary

## Common questions

### How do I open a .xls file?

On Windows use Microsoft Excel; on macOS use Microsoft Excel; on Linux use LibreOffice Calc. The pre-2007 Excel format, limited to 65,536 rows.

### What is a .xls file?

Excel Workbook (legacy binary). XLS is the old binary Excel format from Office 97 through 2003, still produced by plenty of accounting and banking systems that were written back then. Its 65,536-row ceiling is the classic cause of silently truncated exports.

### Can I convert a .xls file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .xlsx, .csv, .pdf or .ods, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

## Related pages

- [.pdf — Portable Document Format](https://atoneplace.net/file/pdf/)
- [.docx — Word Document (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/docx/)
- [.xlsx — Excel Workbook (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/xlsx/)
- [.pptx — PowerPoint Presentation (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/pptx/)
- [.txt — Plain Text File](https://atoneplace.net/file/txt/)
- [.doc — Word Document (legacy binary)](https://atoneplace.net/file/doc/)
- [.ppt — PowerPoint Presentation (legacy binary)](https://atoneplace.net/file/ppt/)
- [.md — Markdown Document](https://atoneplace.net/file/md/)
- [.rtf — Rich Text Format](https://atoneplace.net/file/rtf/)
- [.pages — Apple Pages Document](https://atoneplace.net/file/pages/)
- [.odt — OpenDocument Text](https://atoneplace.net/file/odt/)
- [.eml — Email Message](https://atoneplace.net/file/eml/)

## Sources

- Media Types Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/)
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)