When you save a file with Microsoft Excel, you will find that there are two formats xlsx and xls. You may don’t know which one to choose. This article will tell you the differences between them, the advantages and disadvantages of each file format, so you can select the most appropriate format in different scenarios.
1. Xlsx Format File Are Smaller Than Xls Format File.
If you save the same file in two formats, you will find that the xlsx file is smaller, or even only one tenth of the size of the xls format file. If there are a lot of excel files, using xlsx format will save a lot of disk space, and the transmission speed will be faster.
The reason why they are so different in size is that they use different document core structures. Xls adopts the unique binary compound document type structure, and xlsx adopts XML format structure. XML file format is designed to transmit and store data, so it has a good compression rate.
2. Xls Has Better Compatibility.
Compared with xlsx, xls format can be compatible with older versions of Microsoft Excel, such as Excel 2003 and previous versions, as well as some old business and data systems. These old software and old system are not compatible with xlsx format.
3. Xls Format Is Limited By The Number Of Rows And Columns.
When there is a lot of data and saved in xls format, it will often prompt error message like This workbook contains data in cells that exceed the number of rows and columns supported by the selected file format. This is because the upper limit of data in xls format is 256 columns and 65536 rows, while xlsx does not have this limit.
4. Xlsx Support The Latest Excel Features.
The new functions of Excel, such as three-dimensional maps, mini-maps, etc. can only be used in the xlsx format table, but cannot be used in the xls format file. The default save format for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and earlier versions is xls, and the default save format for Microsoft Excel 2007 and later versions is xlsx.
