The file extension XLS,
or Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet, is a
document file from
Microsoft Corporation
representing an Excel
spreadsheet document
file. Whenever you work
with Excel and save your
worksheet, the default
file extension is the
XLS file extension.
If you do not have
Excel, you have a couple
of other choices for
viewing XLS files. For
example, you can also
open these files with
the Microsoft Excel
Viewer or
OpenOffice.org’s Calc
application. Both
options are free. The
viewer is a free
download from
Microsoft’s website
however all you can do
with it is view the
files. You cannot edit
or alter .xls files with
it. OpenOffice.org’s
Calc is also free and it
is fully compatible with
Excel. You can download
this application and
make changes to the .xls
file.
Occasionally, your
Windows operating system
may get confused and not
know which program to
use to open .XLS files.
When this happens,
clicking on the file
extension XLS file in
Windows Explorer doesn't
work. What does this
mean? Most likely, a
file association has
been broken.
File associations break
for numerous reasons
including power surges,
interruptions, failing
hard drives, corrupt
files, and unexpected
shutdowns. In addition,
spyware and computer
viruses can also break
file associations.
You can reset broken .xls
file associations
manually. Simply
right-click the file
extension XLS that you
would like to link with
an application such as
Excel or Calc. Next, a
small menu appears.
Click on "Open with"
from this menu. Now,
search through the list
of programs until you
find the Excel or Calc
or some other desired
and compatible program.
See the small box down
below that says, "Always
use the selected program
to open this type of
file?" If you want this
Excel (or some other
application) to always
open the file extension
XLS, place a check mark
in the box.
Corruption of files can
happen to numerous types
of files including file
extension XLS. When .XLS
files become damaged,
they generally can't be
used. A problem with
file extension XLS can
also cause the program
used to open the file to
crash too. Further
program crashes can
cause even more errors.
Damaged XLS files create
an endless cycle of
damage - with each new
crash, further
corruption occurs.
Because of this, it’s
important to keep you
computer in the best
shape possible. This
means regular
maintenance, spyware and
virus protection, and
extreme care are
required. Use the built
in disk-error checking
utilities, disk
defragmenters, and
disk-clean up tools
periodically to keep
your computer in good
health. In addition,
Excel comes with a
repair utility that can
detect and repair Excel
program errors.
Corrupt XLS files can
often be opened even if
they initially refuse
your efforts. Sometimes
simply copying the .xls
file to a new location
will do the trick. Other
times, the disk-error
checking utility will
fix it. Sometimes,
opening the file in MS
Word does the trick. For
finicky .xls problems,
you may need a special
Excel file recovery
application designed for
xls data recovery.
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