View source for Software:Microsoft Excel

{{Infobox software
| name = Microsoft Excel
| logo = Microsoft Office Excel (2025–present).svg
| screenshot = Microsoft Excel.png
| caption = A simple bar graph and [[Pie chart|pie chart]] being created in Excel, running on [[Software:Windows 11|Windows 11]]
| developer = [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]
| released = {{start date and age|1985|9|30}}
| ver layout = stacked
| latest release version = {{Collapsible list|title={{Nobold|Latest versions (365 and Office)}}
|{{Latest stable software release/Microsoft Office}}}}<br>{{Collapsible list|title={{Nobold|Latest versions (standalone app)}}|{{Latest stable software release/Microsoft Office hub}}}}
| operating system = [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], Android, [[Software:IOS|iOS]]
| programming language = [[C++]] (back-end)<ref name="C++ in MS Office">{{Cite web|date=July 17, 2014|title=C++ in MS Office|url=https://cppcon.org/bonus-talk-cxx-in-ms-office-2014/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107064047/https://cppcon.org/bonus-talk-cxx-in-ms-office-2014/|archive-date=November 7, 2019|access-date=June 25, 2019|publisher=cppcon}}</ref>
| genre = [[Engineering:Spreadsheet|Spreadsheet]]
| license = Trialware<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Office Excel 365|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/try/microsoft-365-free|work=Microsoft.com|access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112040541/https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/microsoft-365/try/microsoft-365-free|url-status=live}}</ref> or [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] [[Commercial software|commercial software]]
| website = {{URL|microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel}}
}}

'''Microsoft Excel''', or simply '''Excel''', is a [[Engineering:Spreadsheet|spreadsheet]] editor developed by [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]] for [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Software:IOS|iOS]] and [[Software:IPadOS|iPadOS]]. It features [[Calculation|calculation]] or [[Computation|computation]] capabilities, graphing tools, [[Pivot table|pivot table]]s, and a [[Macro (computer science)|macro]] programming language called [[Visual Basic for Applications]] (VBA). 

Excel forms part of the [[Software:Microsoft 365|Microsoft 365]] and [[Software:Microsoft Office|Microsoft Office]] suites of software and has been developed since 1985.
[[File:Microsoft Office Excel (2019–2025).svg|thumb|100x100px|Logo from 2019 to 2025]]
[[File:Microsoft Office Excel (2013–2019).svg|thumb|100px|Logo from 2013 to 2019]]
[[File:Office Excel 2007 logo.svg|thumb|100px|Logo from 2007 to 2010]]

== Features ==

=== Basic operation ===
{{Main|Engineering:Spreadsheet}}

Microsoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets,<ref name="Harvey">{{cite book|author=Harvey|first=Greg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5ffgL9KEg8C|title=Excel 2007 For Dummies|publisher=Wiley|year=2006|isbn=978-0-470-03737-9|edition=1st|access-date=September 28, 2020|archive-date=March 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303055116/http://books.google.com/books?id=i5ffgL9KEg8C|url-status=live}}</ref> using a grid of ''cells'' arranged in numbered ''rows'' and letter-named ''columns'' to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations. It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering, and financial needs. In addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display. It allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using ''[[Pivot table|pivot table]]s'' and the ''scenario manager'').<ref name="G_Harvey">
{{cite book|author=Harvey|first=Greg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9PCz-uf-bjkC&pg=PA296|title=Excel 2007 Workbook for Dummies|publisher=Wiley|year=2007|isbn=978-0-470-16937-7|edition=2nd|page=296 ''ff''}}
</ref> A PivotTable is a tool for [[Data analysis|data analysis]]. It does this by simplifying large data sets via PivotTable fields. It has a programming aspect, ''Visual Basic for Applications'', allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics,<ref name="deLevie">
{{cite book|title=Advanced Excel for scientific data analysis|author=de Levie, Robert|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-19-515275-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAnO-2qVazsC}}
</ref><ref name="Bourg">
{{cite book|title=Excel scientific and engineering cookbook|author=Bourg, David M.|publisher=O'Reilly|year=2006|isbn=978-0-596-00879-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQaGBMGaWI4C}}
</ref> and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet. It also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called ''application'', or ''decision support system'' (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer,<ref name="Holsapple">
{{cite book|title=Handbook on Decision Support Systems 1: Basic Themes|author1=Şeref, Michelle M. H.|author2=Ahuja, Ravindra K.|name-list-style=amp|editor1=Burstein, Frad|editor2=Holsapple, Clyde W.|chapter=§4.2 A portfolio management and optimization spreadsheet DSS|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_3sRkRKZQwC&pg=PA288|isbn=978-3-540-48712-8|year=2008|publisher=Springer}}
</ref> or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports.<ref name="Harshbarger">
{{cite book|title=Microsoft Excel 97 Developer's Handbook|author1=Wells, Eric|author2=Harshbarger, Steve|name-list-style=amp|year=1997|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=978-1-57231-359-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRZnWl-LvwsC}} Excellent examples are developed that show just how applications can be designed.
</ref><ref name="Horrell">
{{cite book|title=Data, statistics, and decision models with Excel|author1=Harnett, Donald L.|author2=Horrell, James F.|name-list-style=amp|year=1998|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-0-471-13398-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0xiQgAACAAJ}}
</ref> In a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule,<ref name="acquisition">
Some form of [[Data acquisition|data acquisition]] hardware is required. See, for example, {{cite book|title=Data acquisition techniques using PCs|author=Austerlitz, Howard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKKVOJYqi6YC&pg=PA281|isbn=978-0-12-068377-2|year=2003|publisher=Academic Press|edition=2nd|page=281 ''ff''}}
</ref> analyze the results, make a [[Software:Microsoft Word|Word]] report or [[Software:Microsoft PowerPoint|PowerPoint]] slide show, and email these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.

Microsoft allows for a number of optional command-line switches to control the manner in which Excel starts.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 7, 2007|title=Description of the startup switches for Excel|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291288|url-status=live|access-date=December 14, 2010|work=Microsoft Help and Support|publisher=Microsoft Support|quote=Microsoft Excel accepts a number of optional switches that you can use to control how the program starts. This article lists the switches and provides a description of each switch.|archive-date=December 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230015945/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291288}}</ref>

=== Functions ===
{{See also|Microsoft Power Fx}}
Excel 2016 has 484 functions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel functions (alphabetical)|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/excel-functions-alphabetical-b3944572-255d-4efb-bb96-c6d90033e188|url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2018|website=microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft|archive-date=November 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105062357/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/excel-functions-alphabetical-b3944572-255d-4efb-bb96-c6d90033e188}}</ref> Of these, 360 existed prior to Excel 2010. Microsoft classifies these functions into 14 categories. Of the 484 current functions, 386 may be called from [[Visual Basic for Applications|VBA]] as methods of the object "WorksheetFunction"<ref>{{cite web|date=March 30, 2022|title=WorksheetFunction Object (Excel)|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.worksheetfunction|url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2018|website=Office VBA Reference|publisher=Microsoft|archive-date=November 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105062450/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/excel.worksheetfunction}}</ref> and 44 have the same names as VBA functions.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 13, 2021|title=Functions (Visual Basic for Applications)|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/language/reference/functions-visual-basic-for-applications|url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2018|website=Office VBA Reference|publisher=Microsoft|archive-date=November 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105062438/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/language/reference/functions-visual-basic-for-applications}}</ref>

With the introduction of [[Anonymous function|LAMBDA]] on December 3, 2020, Excel became Turing complete.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft's New Programming Language for Excel Now Turing Complete - |url=https://visualstudiomagazine.com/Articles/2021/01/27/excel-lambda.aspx |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=Visual Studio Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gordon|first=Andy|date=January 25, 2021|title=LAMBDA: The ultimate Excel worksheet function|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/lambda-the-ultimatae-excel-worksheet-function/|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423120636/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/lambda-the-ultimatae-excel-worksheet-function/}}</ref>

=== Macro programming ===

==== VBA programming ====
{{Main|Visual Basic for Applications}}

[[File:Functions in Excel.PNG|thumb|300px|Use of a user-defined function ''sq(x)'' in Microsoft Excel. The named variables ''x'' & ''y'' are identified in the ''Name Manager''. The function ''sq'' is introduced using the ''Visual Basic'' editor supplied with Excel.]]
[[File:Subroutine in Excel.PNG|thumb|300px|Subroutine in Excel calculates the square of named column variable ''x'' read from the spreadsheet, and writes it into the named column variable ''y''.]]

The Windows version of Excel supports programming through Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which is a dialect of [[Visual Basic]]. Programming with VBA allows spreadsheet manipulation that is awkward or impossible with standard spreadsheet techniques. Programmers may write code directly using the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which includes a window for writing code, debugging code, and code module organization environment. The user can implement numerical methods as well as automating tasks such as formatting or data organization in VBA<ref name="Press">
For example, by converting to Visual Basic the recipes in {{cite book|title=Numerical recipes: the art of scientific computing|author1=Press, William H. Press|author2=Teukolsky, Saul A.|author3=Vetterling, William T.|author4=Flannery, Brian P.|name-list-style=amp|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-88068-8|edition=3rd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1aAOdzK3FegC}} Code conversion to Basic from Fortran probably is easier than from C++, so the 2nd edition ({{ISBN|0521437210}}) may be easier to use, or the Basic code implementation of the first edition: {{cite book|title=Numerical recipes: routines and examples in BASIC|author=Sprott, Julien C.|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-40689-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-BfpBw7AqQC}}
</ref> and guide the calculation using any desired intermediate results reported back to the spreadsheet.

VBA was removed from Mac Excel 2008, as the developers did not believe that a timely release would allow porting the VBA engine natively to [[Software:MacOS#Mac OS X|Mac OS X]]. VBA was restored in the next version, Mac Excel 2011,<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel|url=http://www.officeformachelp.com/excel/|url-status=dead|access-date=July 8, 2012|work=Office for Mac|publisher=OfficeforMacHelp.com|archive-date=June 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619131821/http://www.officeformachelp.com/excel/}}</ref> although the build lacks support for [[Software:ActiveX|ActiveX]] objects, impacting some high level developer tools.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Using Excel – PC or Mac? {{!}} Excel Lemon|url=https://www.excellemon.com/view/100-using-excel-pc-or-mac|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160921074527/https://www.excellemon.com/view/100-using-excel-pc-or-mac|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 21, 2016|website=excellemon.com|access-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref>

A common and easy way to generate VBA code is by using the [[Macro (computer science)|Macro]] Recorder.<ref name="Walkenbach">However an increasing proportion of Excel functionality is not captured by the Macro Recorder leading to largely useless macros. Compatibility among multiple versions of Excel is also a downfall of this method. A macro recorder in Excel 2010 may not work in Excel 2003 or older. This is most common when changing colors and formatting of cells.
{{cite book|author=Walkenbach, John|title=Excel 2007 VBA Programming for Dummies|publisher=Wiley|year=2007|isbn=978-0-470-04674-6|edition=Revised by Jan Karel Pieterse|page=79 ''ff''|chapter=Chapter 6: Using the Excel macro recorder|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2IBbPiP3wOIC&pg=PA79}}</ref> The Macro Recorder records actions of the user and generates VBA code in the form of a macro. These actions can then be repeated automatically by running the macro. The macros can also be linked to different trigger types like keyboard shortcuts, a command button or a graphic. The actions in the macro can be executed from these trigger types or from the generic toolbar options. The VBA code of the macro can also be edited in the VBE. Certain features such as loop functions and screen prompt by their own properties, and some graphical display items, cannot be recorded but must be entered into the VBA module directly by the programmer. Advanced users can employ user prompts to create an interactive program, or react to events such as sheets being loaded or changed.

Macro Recorded code may not be compatible with all Excel versions. Some code that is used in Excel 2010 cannot be used in Excel 2003. Making a Macro that changes the cell colors and making changes to other aspects of cells may not be backward compatible.

VBA code interacts with the spreadsheet through the Excel ''Object Model'',<ref name="Walkenbach2">{{cite book|title=cited work|author=Walkenbach, John|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2IBbPiP3wOIC&pg=PA53|chapter=Chapter 4: Introducing the Excel object model|page=53 ''ff''|isbn=978-0-470-04674-6|date=February 2, 2007|publisher=John Wiley & Sons}}</ref> a vocabulary identifying spreadsheet objects, and a set of supplied functions or ''methods'' that enable reading and writing to the spreadsheet and interaction with its users (for example, through custom toolbars or ''command bars'' and ''message boxes''). User-created VBA [[Subroutine|subroutine]]s execute these actions and operate like macros generated using the macro recorder, but are more flexible and efficient.

==== History ====
From its first version Excel supported end-user programming of macros (automation of repetitive tasks) and user-defined functions (extension of Excel's built-in function library). In early versions of Excel, these programs were written in a macro language whose statements had formula syntax and resided in the cells of special-purpose macro sheets (stored with file extension .XLM in Windows.) XLM was the default macro language for Excel through Excel 4.0.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Spreadsheet Page for Excel Users and Developers|url=http://spreadsheetpage.com/index.php/site/tip/developer_faq_general_questions/|access-date=December 19, 2012|website=spreadsheetpage.com|publisher=J-Walk & Associates, Inc.|archive-date=January 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121061001/http://spreadsheetpage.com/index.php/site/tip/developer_faq_general_questions/|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning with version 5.0 Excel recorded macros in VBA by default but with version 5.0 XLM recording was still allowed as an option. After version 5.0 that option was discontinued. All versions of Excel, including Excel 2021, are capable of running an XLM macro, though Microsoft discourages their use.<ref>{{cite web|title=Working with Excel 4.0 macros|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/working-with-excel-4-0-macros-HA010336614.aspx|access-date=December 19, 2012|website=microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft Office Support|archive-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307194541/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/working-with-excel-4-0-macros-HA010336614.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Python programming ===
In 2023, Microsoft announced Excel would support the [[Python (programming language)|Python]] programming language directly.<ref name="Introducing Python">{{cite web|title=Introducing Python in Excel: The Best of Both Worlds for Data Analysis and Visualization|url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/introducing-python-in-excel-the-best-of-both-worlds-for-data/ba-p/3905482|website=TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM|access-date=September 15, 2023|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Announcing Python">{{cite web|title=Announcing Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel.|url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/excel-blog/announcing-python-in-excel-combining-the-power-of-python-and-the/ba-p/3893439|website=TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM|access-date=September 15, 2023|language=en}}</ref> As of 2025, Python in Excel is available to Enterprise and Business users (with some exceptions, and is in preview for Family, Personal, and Education users).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get started with Python in Excel - Microsoft Support |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-started-with-python-in-excel-a33fbcbe-065b-41d3-82cf-23d05397f53d |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=support.microsoft.com}}</ref><ref name="Introducing Python" />

=== Charts ===
[[File:Excel chart.PNG|thumb|right|300px|[[Graph of a function|Graph]] made using Microsoft Excel]]

Excel supports [[Chart|chart]]s, [[Graph of a function|graphs]], or [[Histogram|histogram]]s generated from specified groups of cells. It also supports Pivot Charts that allow for a chart to be linked directly to a Pivot table. This allows the chart to be refreshed with the Pivot Table. The generated graphic component can either be embedded within the current sheet or added as a separate object.

These displays are dynamically updated if the content of cells changes. For example, suppose that the important design requirements are displayed visually; then, in response to a user's change in trial values for parameters, the curves describing the design change shape, and their points of intersection shift, assisting the selection of the best design.

=== Add-ins ===
Additional features are available using add-ins. Several are provided with Excel, including:

* Analysis ToolPak: Provides data analysis tools for statistical and engineering analysis (includes [[Analysis of variance|analysis of variance]] and [[Regression analysis|regression analysis]])
* Analysis ToolPak VBA: VBA functions for Analysis ToolPak
* Euro Currency Tools: Conversion and formatting for euro currency
* Solver Add-In: Tools for optimization and equation solving

== Data storage and communication ==

=== Number of rows and columns ===
Versions of Excel up to 7.0 had a limitation in the size of their data sets of 16K (2<sup>14</sup> = {{val|16384}}) rows. Versions 8.0 through 11.0 could handle 64K (2<sup>16</sup> = {{val|65536}}) rows and 256 columns (2<sup>8</sup> as label 'IV'). Version 12.0 onwards, including the current Version 16.x, can handle over 1M (2<sup>20</sup> = {{val|1048576}}) rows, and {{val|16384}} (2<sup>14</sup>, labeled as column 'XFD') columns.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 23, 2014|title=The 'Big Grid' and Increased Limits in Excel 2007|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa730921.aspx|access-date=April 10, 2008|website=microsoft.com|archive-date=December 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207150655/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa730921.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== File formats ===
{{Infobox file format
| name          = Excel Spreadsheet
| icon          = x75px x75px
| logo          = 
| extension     = .xls, (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb – Excel 2007)
| mime          = application/vnd.ms-excel
| type code     = 
| uniform type  = com.microsoft.excel.xls
| magic         = 
| owner         = [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]
| genre         = [[Engineering:Spreadsheet|Spreadsheet]]
| container for = 
| contained by  = 
| extended from = 
| extended to   = 
| standard      = 
}}

Up until the 2007 version, Microsoft Excel used a proprietary binary file format called Excel Binary File Format (.XLS) as its primary format.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 26, 2008|title=How to extract information from Office files by using Office file formats and schemas|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/840817/|url-status=live|access-date=November 10, 2008|website=microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft|archive-date=May 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514083958/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/840817}}</ref> Excel 2007 uses [[Office Open XML]] as its primary file format, an XML-based format that followed after a previous [[XML]]-based format called "XML Spreadsheet" ("XMLSS"), first introduced in Excel 2002.<ref name="xml">{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140066(office.10).aspx|title=XML Spreadsheet Reference|work=Microsoft Excel 2002 Technical Articles|publisher=MSDN|date=August 2001|access-date=November 10, 2008|archive-date=October 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002081358/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140066(office.10).aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although supporting and encouraging the use of new XML-based formats as replacements, Excel 2007 remained backwards-compatible with the traditional, binary formats. In addition, most versions of Microsoft Excel can read [[Comma-separated values|CSV]], [[DBase|DBF]], [[Software:Symbolic Link (SYLK)|SYLK]], [[Data Interchange Format|DIF]], and other legacy formats. Support for some older file formats was removed in Excel 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-excel/archive/2006/08/24/deprecated-features-for-excel-2007.aspx|title=Deprecated features for Excel 2007|publisher=Microsoft—David Gainer|date=August 24, 2006|access-date=January 2, 2009|archive-date=July 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717141312/http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-excel/archive/2006/08/24/deprecated-features-for-excel-2007.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> The file formats were mainly from DOS-based programs.

==== Binary ====
[[Software:OpenOffice.org|OpenOffice.org]] has created documentation of the Excel format. Two epochs of the format exist: the 97-2003 [[Object Linking and Embedding|OLE]] format, and the older stream format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sc.openoffice.org/excelfileformat.pdf|title=OpenOffice.org's documentation of the Microsoft Excel File Format|date=August 2, 2008|access-date=July 28, 2009|archive-date=May 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509063852/http://sc.openoffice.org/excelfileformat.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Microsoft has made the Excel binary format specification available to freely download.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/B/E/0BE8BDD7-E5E8-422A-ABFD-4342ED7AD886/Excel97-2007BinaryFileFormat(xls)Specification.xps|title=Microsoft Office Excel 97 – 2007 Binary File Format Specification (*.xls 97-2007 format)|year=2007|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|access-date=February 16, 2008|archive-date=December 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222093136/http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/B/E/0BE8BDD7-E5E8-422A-ABFD-4342ED7AD886/Excel97-2007BinaryFileFormat(xls)Specification.xps|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== XML Spreadsheet ====
{{main|Microsoft Office XML formats}}

The ''XML Spreadsheet'' format introduced in Excel 2002<ref name="xml" /> is a simple, XML based format missing some more advanced features like storage of VBA macros. Though the intended file extension for this format is ''.xml'', the program also correctly handles XML files with ''.xls'' extension. This feature is widely used by third-party applications (e.g. ''[[Software:MySQL|MySQL]] Query Browser'') to offer "export to Excel" capabilities without implementing binary file format. The following example will be correctly opened by Excel if saved either as ''Book1.xml'' or ''Book1.xls'':

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"
 xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
 xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
 xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"
 xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
 <Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1">
  <Table ss:ExpandedColumnCount="2" ss:ExpandedRowCount="2" x:FullColumns="1" x:FullRows="1">
   <Row>
    <Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Name</Data></Cell>
    <Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Example</Data></Cell>
   </Row>
   <Row>
    <Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Value</Data></Cell>
    <Cell><Data ss:Type="Number">123</Data></Cell>
   </Row>
  </Table>
 </Worksheet>
</Workbook>
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Current file extensions ====
{{Main|Office Open XML}}

Microsoft Excel 2007, along with the other products in the [[Software:Microsoft Office 2007|Microsoft Office 2007]] suite, introduced new file formats. The first of these (.xlsx) is defined in the Office Open XML (OOXML) specification.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Excel 2007 formats
!Format
!Extension
!Description
|-
|Excel Workbook
|{{code|.xlsx}}
|The default Excel 2007 and later workbook format. In reality, a [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP]] compressed archive with a directory structure of [[XML]] text documents. Functions as the primary replacement for the former binary .xls format, although it does not support Excel macros for security reasons. Saving as .xlsx offers file size reduction over .xls<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fairhurst|first=Danielle Stein|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oSXWBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA324|title=Using Excel for Business Analysis: A Guide to Financial Modelling Fundamentals|date=March 17, 2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-119-06245-5|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Excel Macro-enabled Workbook
|{{code|.xlsm}}
|As Excel Workbook, but with macro support.
|-
|Excel Binary Workbook
|{{code|.xlsb}}
|As Excel Macro-enabled Workbook, but storing information in binary form rather than XML documents for opening and saving documents more quickly and efficiently. Intended especially for very large documents with tens of thousands of rows, and/or several hundreds of columns. This format is very useful for shrinking large Excel files as is often the case when doing data analysis.
|-
|Excel Macro-enabled Template
|{{code|.xltm}}
|A template document that forms a basis for actual workbooks, with macro support. The replacement for the old .xlt format.
|-
|Excel Add-in
|{{code|.xlam}}
|Excel add-in to add extra functionality and tools. Inherent macro support because of the file purpose.
|}

==== Old file extensions ====
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Format
!Extension
!Description
|-
|[[Engineering:Spreadsheet|Spreadsheet]]
|{{code|.xls}}
|Main spreadsheet format which holds data in worksheets, charts, and macros
|-
|Add-in ([[Visual Basic for Applications|VBA]])
|{{code|.xla}}
|Adds custom functionality; written in [[Visual Basic for Applications|VBA]]
|-
|Toolbar
|{{code|.xlb}}
|The file extension where Microsoft Excel custom toolbar settings are stored.
|-
|Chart
|{{code|.xlc}}
|A chart created with data from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that only saves the 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
|{{code|.xld}}
|Used in older versions of Excel
|-
|Archive
|{{code|.xlk}}
|A backup of an Excel spreadsheet
|-
|Add-in (DLL)
|{{code|.xll}}
|Adds custom functionality; written in [[C++]]/[[C (programming language)|C]], [[Fortran]], etc. and compiled into a special [[Dynamic-link library|dynamic-link library]]
|-
|Macro
|{{code|.xlm}}
|A macro is created by the user or pre-installed with Excel.
|-
|Template
|<code>.xlt</code> <!-- using {{code}} either breaks the link or makes it invisible. -->
|A pre-formatted spreadsheet created by the user or by Microsoft Excel
|-
|Module
|{{code|.xlv}}
|A module written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) for Microsoft Excel
|-
|Library
|{{code|.DLL}}
|Code written in VBA may access functions in a DLL, typically this is used to access the Windows API
|-
|Workspace
|{{code|.xlw}}
|Arrangement of the windows of multiple Workbooks
|}

=== Using other Windows applications ===
Windows applications such as [[Software:Microsoft Access|Microsoft Access]] and Microsoft Word, as well as Excel can communicate with each other and use each other's capabilities. The most common is [[Dynamic Data Exchange]]: although strongly deprecated by Microsoft, this is a common method to send data between applications running on Windows, with official MS publications referring to it as "the protocol from hell".<ref name="Newcomer" /> As the name suggests, it allows applications to supply data to others for calculation and display. It is very common in financial markets, being used to connect to important financial data services such as [[Company:Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] and Reuters.

OLE Object Linking and Embedding allows a Windows application to control another to enable it to format or calculate data. This may take on the form of "embedding" where an application uses another to handle a task that it is more suited to, for example a PowerPoint presentation may be embedded in an Excel spreadsheet or vice versa.<ref name="Schmalz">{{cite book|title=Integrating Excel and Access|chapter=Chapter 5: Using Access VBA to automate Excel|author=Schmalz, Michael|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGH10fniqmsC&pg=PT71|isbn=978-0-596-00973-1|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc|year=2006}}{{cite book|title=Integrating Excel and Access|chapter=Chapter 5: Using Access VBA to automate Excel|author=Schmalz, Michael|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGH10fniqmsC&pg=PT71|isbn=978-0-596-00973-1|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc|year=2006}}</ref><ref name="Cornell">{{cite book|title=Excel as Your Database|author=Cornell, Paul|chapter=Chapter 5: Connect to other databases|page=[https://archive.org/details/excelasyourdatab0000corn/page/117 117 ''ff'']|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjkglmBy_l4C&pg=PA117|isbn=978-1-59059-751-4|year=2007|publisher=Apress|url=https://archive.org/details/excelasyourdatab0000corn/page/117}}</ref><ref name="DeMarco2">{{cite book|title=Pro Excel 2007 VBA|chapter=Excel's data import tools|page=43 ''ff''|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gtPQMxO8XuoC&pg=PA43|publisher=Apress|author=DeMarco, Jim|isbn=978-1-59059-957-0|year=2008}}</ref><ref name="Harts">
{{cite book|title=Microsoft Office 2007 Business Intelligence: Reporting, Analysis, and Measurement from the Desktop|author=Harts, Doug|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MVFldXVKpj8C&pg=PA171|year=2007|chapter=Importing Access data into Excel 2007|isbn=978-0-07-149424-3|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional}}</ref>

=== Using external data ===
Excel users can access external [[Computer file|data sources]] via Microsoft Office features such as (for example) {{code|.odc}} connections built with the Office Data Connection file format. Excel files themselves may be updated using a Microsoft supplied ODBC driver.

Excel can accept data in real-time through several programming interfaces, which allow it to communicate with many data sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters (through addins such as Power Plus Pro).

* Dynamic Data Exchange uses the message passing mechanism in Windows to allow data to flow between Excel and other applications. Although it is easy for users to create such links, programming such links reliably is so difficult that Microsoft, the creators of the system, officially refer to it as "the protocol from hell".<ref name="Newcomer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/faking-dde-with-private-servers/184409151?pgno=3|title=Faking DDE with Private Servers|first=Joseph M.|last=Newcomer|website=Dr. Dobb's|access-date=February 17, 2023|archive-date=February 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225011410/https://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/faking-dde-with-private-servers/184409151?pgno=3|url-status=live}}</ref> In spite of its many issues DDE remains the most common way for data to reach traders in financial markets.
* Network DDE extended the DDE protocol to allow spreadsheets on different computers to exchange data. Starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft no longer supports Network DDE.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/ipc/about-network-dde|title=About Network DDE – Win32 apps|website=learn.microsoft.com|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=February 17, 2023|archive-date=February 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217170348/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/ipc/about-network-dde|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Real Time Data, although in many ways technically superior to DDE, has been slow to gain acceptance, since it requires non-trivial programming skills, and when first released was neither adequately documented nor supported by major data vendors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/excel/set-up-realtimedata-function|title=How to set up and use the RTD function in Excel – Office|website=learn.microsoft.com|date=May 5, 2022|access-date=February 17, 2023|archive-date=February 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217170345/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/excel/set-up-realtimedata-function|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite book|last=DeMarco|first=Jim|title=Pro Excel 2007 VBA|year=2008|publisher=Apress|location=Berkeley, CA|isbn=978-1-59059-957-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gtPQMxO8XuoC&pg=PA225|page=225|quote=External data is accessed through a connection file, such as an Office Data Connection (ODC) file (.odc)}}
</ref>

Alternatively, Microsoft Query provides [[Open Database Connectivity|ODBC-based]] browsing within Microsoft Excel.<ref>
{{cite book|author1=Bullen, Stephen|author2=Bovey, Rob|author3=Green, John|name-list-style=amp|title=Professional Excel Development|year=2009|publisher=Addison-Wesley|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ|isbn=978-0-321-50879-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VnegO0pMYlIC&pg=PA665|page=665|edition=2nd|quote=To create a robust solution, we always have to include some VBA code ...}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://proc.isecon.org/2000/602/ISECON.2000.Wehrs.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821074925/http://proc.isecon.org/2000/602/ISECON.2000.Wehrs.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 21, 2010|title=An Applied DSS Course Using Excel and VBA: IS and/or MS?|first=Wehrs|last=William|year=2000|work=The Proceedings of ISECON (Information System Educator Conference)|page=4|access-date=February 5, 2010|quote=Microsoft Query is a data retrieval tool (i.e. ODBC browser) that can be employed within Excel 97. It allows a user to create and save queries on external relational databases for which an ODBC driver is available.}}
</ref><ref>[http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA100996641033.aspx Use Microsoft Query to retrieve external data] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312111200/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/ha100996641033.aspx |date=March 12, 2010 }}</ref>

=== Export and migration of spreadsheets ===
Programmers have produced [[Application programming interface|APIs]] to open Excel spreadsheets in a variety of applications and environments other than Microsoft Excel. These include opening Excel documents on the web using either ActiveX controls, or plugins like the [[Software:Adobe Flash|Adobe Flash Player]]. The [[Software:Apache POI|Apache POI]] open-source project provides Java libraries for reading and writing Excel spreadsheet files.

=== Password protection ===
{{Main|Microsoft Office password protection}}

Microsoft Excel protection offers several types of passwords:
* Password to open a document<ref>{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx#BM1|title=Password protect documents, workbooks, and presentations|publisher=Office.microsoft.com|access-date=April 24, 2013|archive-date=February 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212134311/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx#BM1|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Password to modify a document<ref>{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx#BM3a|title=Password protect documents, workbooks, and presentations|publisher=Office.microsoft.com|access-date=April 24, 2013|archive-date=February 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212134311/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx#BM3a|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Password to unprotect the worksheet
* Password to protect workbook
* Password to protect the sharing workbook<ref>{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/password-protect-worksheet-or-workbook-elements-HP005201059.aspx|title=Password protect worksheet or workbook elements|publisher=Office.microsoft.com|access-date=April 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326192849/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/password-protect-worksheet-or-workbook-elements-HP005201059.aspx|archive-date=March 26, 2013}}</ref>
All passwords except ''password to open a document'' can be removed instantly regardless of the Microsoft Excel version used to create the document. These types of passwords are used primarily for shared work on a document. Such password-protected documents are not encrypted, and data sources from a set password are saved in a document's [[Header (computing)|header]]. ''Password to protect workbook'' is an exception – when it is set, a document is encrypted with the standard password "VelvetSweatshop", but since it is known to the public, it actually does not add any extra protection to the document. The only type of password that can prevent a trespasser from gaining access to a document is the ''password to open a document''. The cryptographic strength of this kind of protection depends strongly on the Microsoft Excel version that was used to create the document.

In ''Microsoft Excel 95'' and earlier versions, the password to open is converted to a 16-bit [[Key (cryptography)|key]] that can be instantly cracked. In ''Excel 97/2000'' the password is converted to a 40-bit key, which can also be cracked very quickly using modern equipment. As regards services that use rainbow tables (e.g. Password-Find), it takes up to several seconds to remove protection. In addition, password-cracking programs can [[Brute-force attack|brute-force attack]] passwords at a rate of hundreds of thousands of passwords a second, which not only lets them decrypt a document but also find the original password.

In ''Excel 2003/XP'' the encryption is slightly better – a user can choose any encryption algorithm that is available in the system (see [[Cryptographic Service Provider]]). Due to the CSP, an ''Excel'' file cannot be decrypted, and thus the ''password to open'' cannot be removed, though the brute-force attack speed remains quite high. Nevertheless, the older ''Excel 97/2000'' algorithm is set by the default. Therefore, users who do not change the default settings lack reliable protection of their documents.

The situation changed fundamentally in ''Excel 2007'', where the modern [[Advanced Encryption Standard|AES]] algorithm with a key of 128 bits started being used for decryption, and a 50,000-fold use of the hash function SHA1 reduced the speed of brute-force attacks down to hundreds of passwords per second. In ''Excel 2010'', the strength of the protection by the default was increased two times due to the use of a 100,000-fold SHA1 to convert a password to a key.

== Other platforms ==
=== Excel for mobile ===
[[File:Excel for Android.png|thumb|Excel running on Android]]
Excel Mobile is a spreadsheet program that can edit XLSX files. It can edit and format text in cells, calculate formulas, search within the spreadsheet, sort rows and columns, freeze panes, filter the columns, add comments, and create charts. It cannot add columns or rows except at the edge of the document, rearrange columns or rows, delete rows or columns, or add spreadsheet tabs.<ref name=TechHive>{{cite web|last1=Ralph|first1=Nate|title=Office for Windows Phone 8: Your handy starter guide|url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2025977/office-for-windows-phone-8-your-handy-starter-guide.html|website=TechHive|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=October 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015060254/http://www.techhive.com/article/2025977/office-for-windows-phone-8-your-handy-starter-guide.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Engadget>{{cite web|last1=Wollman|first1=Dana|title=Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone hands-on|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/06/14/microsoft-office-mobile-for-iphone-hands-on/|website=Engadget|date=June 14, 2013|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903102756/http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/14/microsoft-office-mobile-for-iphone-hands-on/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last1=Pogue|first1=David|title=Microsoft Adds Office for iPhone. Yawn.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/technology/personaltech/microsoft-office-for-the-iphone-is-here-yawn.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=May 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528122230/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/technology/personaltech/microsoft-office-for-the-iphone-is-here-yawn.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New in Excel Mobile">{{cite web|last1=Ogasawara|first1=Todd|title=What's New in Excel Mobile|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/excelmobile.mspx|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=September 13, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208083816/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/excelmobile.mspx|archive-date=February 8, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Microsoft">{{cite web|title=Unsupported features in Excel Mobile|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/excelmobile.mspx|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=September 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020043851/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/excelmobile.mspx|archive-date=October 20, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/excelmobile.mspx Use Excel Mobile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020043851/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/excelmobile.mspx |date=October 20, 2007 }}. Microsoft. Retrieved September 21, 2007.</ref> The 2007 version has the ability to use a full-screen mode to deal with limited screen resolution, as well as split panes to view different parts of a worksheet at one time.<ref name="New in Excel Mobile" /> Protection settings, zoom settings, autofilter settings, certain chart formatting, hidden sheets, and other features are not supported on Excel Mobile, and will be modified upon opening and saving a workbook.<ref name="Microsoft"/> In 2015, Excel Mobile became available for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile on [[Software:Windows Store|Windows Store]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/excel-mobile/9wzdncrfjbh3|title=Excel Mobile|website=[[Software:Windows Store|Windows Store]]|publisher=[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]|access-date=June 26, 2016|archive-date=June 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623090620/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/excel-mobile/9wzdncrfjbh3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/powerpoint-mobile/9wzdncrfjb5q|title=PowerPoint Mobile|website=[[Software:Windows Store|Windows Store]]|publisher=[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]|access-date=June 26, 2016|archive-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422185004/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/powerpoint-mobile/9wzdncrfjb5q|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Excel for the web===
Excel for the web is a free lightweight version of Microsoft Excel available as part of Office on the web, which also includes web versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Excel for the web can display most of the features available in the desktop versions of Excel, although it may not be able to insert or edit them. Certain data connections are not accessible on Excel for the web, including with charts that may use these external connections. Excel for the web also cannot display legacy features, such as Excel 4.0 macros or Excel 5.0 dialog sheets. There are also small differences between how some of the Excel functions work.<ref name="osupport-excel">{{Cite web|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Differences-between-using-a-workbook-in-the-browser-and-in-Excel-F0DC28ED-B85D-4E1D-BE6D-5878005DB3B6|title=Differences between using a workbook in the browser and in Excel – Office Support|website=support.office.com|language=en-US|access-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034000/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Differences-between-using-a-workbook-in-the-browser-and-in-Excel-F0DC28ED-B85D-4E1D-BE6D-5878005DB3B6|archive-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref>

== Microsoft Excel Viewer == <!-- Anchor from redirect; caution. -->
Microsoft Excel Viewer was a freeware program for [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]] for viewing and printing spreadsheet documents created by Excel.<ref>{{cite web|title=Description of the Excel Viewer|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/273711|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906014511/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/273711|archive-date=September 6, 2013|date=February 17, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Microsoft retired the viewer in April 2018 with the last security update released in February 2019 for Excel Viewer 2007 (SP3).<ref name="ExcelviewerEOL">{{cite web|title=How to obtain the latest Excel Viewer|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/excel/get-latest-excel-viewer|website=Microsoft Docs|access-date=January 3, 2021|date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120204513/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/excel/get-latest-excel-viewer|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Description of the security update for Excel Viewer 2007: February 12, 2019|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4461608/description-of-the-security-update-for-excel-viewer-2007-february-12|website=Microsoft|access-date=January 3, 2021|date=April 16, 2020}}</ref>

The first version released by Microsoft was Excel 97 Viewer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Excel Viewer|url=http://www.microsoft.com/office/msexcel/internet/viewer/|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980120142756/http://www.microsoft.com/office/msexcel/internet/viewer/|archive-date=January 20, 1998|year=1997|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Excel 97/2000 Viewer: Spreadsheet Files|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4EB83149-91DA-4110-8595-4A960D3E1C7C&displaylang=EN|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040113003810/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4EB83149-91DA-4110-8595-4A960D3E1C7C&displaylang=EN|archive-date=January 13, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> Excel 97 Viewer was supported in [[Software:Windows Embedded Compact|Windows CE]] for [[Engineering:Handheld PC|Handheld PC]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Features in Windows CE .NET 4.1|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/ms919256(v=msdn.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN|website=Microsoft Docs|access-date=January 3, 2021|date=June 30, 2006|archive-date=March 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311221519/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/ms919256(v=msdn.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2004, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Viewer 2003|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C8378BF4-996C-4569-B547-75EDBD03AAF0&displaylang=en|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050115054414/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C8378BF4-996C-4569-B547-75EDBD03AAF0&displaylang=en|archive-date=January 15, 2005|date=October 12, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> In September 2007, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3).<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=50A22D11-7CC6-4C3A-B3EC-A9EA4E39E28E&displaylang=en|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011003602/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=50A22D11-7CC6-4C3A-B3EC-A9EA4E39E28E&displaylang=en|archive-date=October 11, 2007|date=September 17, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2008, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 (featuring a non-collapsible [[Ribbon (computing)|Ribbon]] interface).<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Viewer|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1cd6acf9-ce06-4e1c-8dcf-f33f669dbc3a&displaylang=en|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926003423/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1cd6acf9-ce06-4e1c-8dcf-f33f669dbc3a&displaylang=en|archive-date=September 26, 2010|date=January 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2009, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2).<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2)|url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17724|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428065656/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17724|archive-date=April 28, 2012|date=April 24, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2011, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3).<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3)|url=http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=27833|website=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229015742/http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=27833|archive-date=December 29, 2011|date=October 25, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Microsoft advises those who wish to view and print Excel files for free to use the [[Software:Microsoft Office#Office for Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile|Excel Mobile]] application for [[Software:Windows 10|Windows 10]] and for [[Software:Windows 7|Windows 7]] and [[Software:Windows 8|Windows 8]] to upload the file to [[Software:Microsoft OneDrive|OneDrive]] and use Excel for the web with a [[Company:Microsoft account|Microsoft account]] to open them in a [[Software:Web browser|browser]].<ref name="ExcelviewerEOL"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Supported versions of the Office viewers|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/979860/supported-versions-of-the-office-viewers|website=Microsoft|access-date=January 3, 2021|date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117195923/https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/979860/supported-versions-of-the-office-viewers|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Limitations and errors ==
In addition to [[Engineering:Spreadsheet#Shortcomings|issues with spreadsheets]] in general, other problems specific to Excel include numeric precision, misleading statistics functions, mod function errors, date limitations and more.

=== Numeric precision ===
{{Main|Numeric precision in Microsoft Excel}}

[[File:Excel fifteen figure.PNG|thumb|390px|Excel maintains 15 figures in its numbers, but they are not always accurate: the bottom line should be the same as the top line.]]


In the figure, the fraction 1/9000 is displayed in Excel. Although this number has a decimal representation that is an infinite string of ones, Excel displays only the leading 15 figures. In the second line, the number one is added to the fraction, and again Excel displays only 15 figures. In the third line, one is subtracted from the sum using Excel. Because the sum in the second line has only eleven 1's after the decimal, the difference when 1 is subtracted from this displayed value is three 0's followed by a string of eleven 1's. However, the difference reported by Excel in the third line is three 0's followed by a string of ''thirteen'' 1's and two extra erroneous digits. This is because Excel calculates with about half a digit more than it displays.

Excel works with a modified 1985 version of the [[IEEE 754-2008|IEEE 754 specification]].<ref name="microsoft_spec">Microsoft's overview is found at: {{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/78113/en-us|title=Floating-point arithmetic may give inaccurate results in Excel|work=Revision 8.2; article ID: 78113|publisher=Microsoft support|date=June 30, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2010|archive-date=May 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514172904/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/78113/EN-US|url-status=live}}</ref> Excel's implementation involves conversions between binary and decimal representations, leading to accuracy that is on average better than one would expect from simple fifteen digit precision, but that can be worse. See the main article for details.

Besides accuracy in user computations, the question of accuracy in Excel-provided functions may be raised. Particularly in the arena of statistical functions, Excel has been criticized for sacrificing accuracy for speed of calculation.<ref name="Altman">
{{cite book|title=Numerical issues in statistical computing for the social scientist|last1=Altman|first1=Micah|last2=Gill|first2=Jeff|author-link2=Jeff Gill (academic)|last3=McDonald|first3=Michael|year=2004|publisher=Wiley-IEEE|isbn=978-0-471-23633-7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_KevqVO3zAC&pg=PA12|chapter=§2.1.1 Revealing example: Computing the coefficient standard deviation|page=12}}
</ref><ref name="deLevie2">{{cite book|first=Robert|last=de Levie|title=''cited work''|isbn=978-0-19-515275-3|year=2004|pages=45–46|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

As many calculations in Excel are executed using VBA, an additional issue is the accuracy of VBA, which varies with variable type and user-requested precision.<ref name="John_Walkenbach_0">
{{cite book|title=Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA|chapter=Defining data types|pages=198 ''ff'' and Table 8–1|isbn=978-0-470-47535-5|first=John|last=Walkenbach|year=2010|publisher=Wiley|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtSdrjjVXrwC&pg=PA198}}</ref>

=== Statistical functions ===
The accuracy and convenience of statistical tools in Excel has been criticized,<ref>{{cite journal|last=McCullough|first=Bruce D.|author2=Wilson, Berry|title=On the accuracy of statistical procedures in Microsoft Excel 2000 and Excel XP|journal=Computational Statistics & Data Analysis|year=2002|volume=40|issue=4|pages=713–721|doi=10.1016/S0167-9473(02)00095-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=McCullough|first=Bruce D.|author2=Heiser, David A.|title=On the accuracy of statistical procedures in Microsoft Excel 2007|journal=Computational Statistics & Data Analysis|year=2008|volume=52|issue=10|pages=4570–4578|doi=10.1016/j.csda.2008.03.004|citeseerx=10.1.1.455.5508}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Yalta|first=A. Talha|title=The accuracy of statistical distributions in Microsoft Excel 2007|journal=Computational Statistics & Data Analysis|year=2008|volume=52|issue=10|pages=4579–4586|doi=10.1016/j.csda.2008.03.005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~evagold/excel.html|title=Using Excel for Statistical Data Analysis—Caveats|publisher=University of Massachusetts School of Public Health|last=Goldwater|first=Eva|access-date=November 10, 2008|archive-date=May 16, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516091435/http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/%7Eevagold/excel.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Heiser">
{{cite web|url=http://www.daheiser.info/excel/frontpage.html|title=Microsoft Excel 2000, 2003 and 2007 faults, problems, workarounds and fixes|first=David A.|last=Heiser|year=2008|access-date=April 8, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418172334/http://www.daheiser.info/excel/frontpage.html|archive-date=April 18, 2010}}
</ref> as mishandling situations when data is missing, as returning incorrect values due to inept handling of round-off and large numbers, as only selectively updating calculations on a spreadsheet when some cell values are changed, and as having a limited set of statistical tools. Microsoft has announced that some of these issues are addressed in Excel 2010.<ref name="corrections">
[http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2009/09/10/function-improvements-in-excel-2010.aspx Function improvements in Excel 2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406191751/http://blogs.msdn.com/excel/archive/2009/09/10/function-improvements-in-excel-2010.aspx |date=April 6, 2010 }} Comments are provided from readers that may illuminate some remaining problems.
</ref>

=== Excel MOD function error ===
Excel has issues with [[Modulo operation|modulo operation]]s. In the case of excessively large results, Excel will return the error warning {{samp|#NUM!}} instead of an answer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bygsoftware.com/issues/modbug.html|title=The MOD bug|publisher=Byg Software|access-date=November 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111114148/http://www.bygsoftware.com/issues/modbug.html|archive-date=January 11, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Fictional leap day in 1900 ===
Excel includes February 29, 1900, incorrectly treating 1900 as a [[Physics:Leap year|leap year]], even though e.g. 2100 is correctly treated as a non-leap year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/214058/en-us|title=Days of the week before March 1, 1900 are incorrect in Excel|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=November 10, 2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714062344/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/214058/en-us|archive-date=July 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/office/troubleshoot/excel/wrongly-assumes-1900-is-leap-year|title=Excel incorrectly assumes that the year 1900 is a leap year|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=May 1, 2019|archive-date=June 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607133954/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-ca/office/troubleshoot/excel/wrongly-assumes-1900-is-leap-year|url-status=live}}</ref> Thus, a formula counting dates between (for example) February 1, 1900 and March 1, 1900 will return an incorrect result. The bug originated from [[Software:Lotus 1-2-3|Lotus 1-2-3]], where it was deliberately implemented to save computer memory, and was also intentionally implemented in Excel for the purpose of [[Bug compatibility|bug compatibility]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/06/16.html|title=My First BillG Review|first=Joel|last=Spolsky|publisher=Joel on Software|date=June 16, 2006|access-date=November 10, 2008|archive-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607153522/http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/06/16.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This legacy has later been carried over into Office Open XML file format.<ref name="The Contradictory Nature of OOXML">{{cite web|url=http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070117145745854|title=The Contradictory Nature of OOXML|date=January 17, 2007|publisher=ConsortiumInfo.org|access-date=September 23, 2009|archive-date=August 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818095243/http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070117145745854|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Date range ===
Excel supports dates with years in the range 1900–9999, except that December 31, 1899, can be entered as 0 and is displayed as 0-jan-1900.

Converting a fraction of a day into hours, minutes and days by treating it as a moment on the day January 1, 1900, does not work for a negative fraction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182247|title=Negative date and time value are displayed as pound signs (###) in Excel|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=March 26, 2012|archive-date=February 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226120445/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182247|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Conversion problems ===
If text is entered that happens to be in a form that Excel interprets as a date, the text can be unintentionally changed to a standard date format. A similar problem occurs when a text happens to be in the form of a floating-point notation of a number. In these cases the original exact text cannot be recovered from the result. Formatting the cell as TEXT before entering ambiguous text prevents Excel from converting it.

This issue has caused a well known problem in the analysis of [[Biology:DNA|DNA]], for example in [[Biology:Bioinformatics|bioinformatics]]. As first reported in 2004,<ref name=ExcelAteMyDNA>{{cite journal|last1=Zeeberg|first1=Barry R|last2=Riss|first2=Joseph|last3=Kane|first3=David W|last4=Bussey|first4=Kimberly J|last5=Uchio|first5=Edward|last6=Linehan|first6=W Marston|last7=Barrett|first7=J Carl|last8=Weinstein|first8=John N|journal=[[Biology:BMC Bioinformatics|BMC Bioinformatics]]|volume=5|issue=1|year=2004|pages=80|pmid=15214961|pmc=459209|doi=10.1186/1471-2105-5-80|doi-access=free|title=Mistaken Identifiers: Gene name errors can be introduced inadvertently when using Excel in bioinformatics}}</ref> genetic scientists found that Excel automatically and incorrectly converts certain [[Biology:Gene nomenclature|gene names]] into dates. A follow-up study in 2016 found many [[Peer review|peer review]]ed [[Scientific journal|scientific journal]] papers had been affected and that "Of the selected journals, the proportion of published articles with Excel files containing gene lists that are affected by gene name errors is 19.6%."<ref name=ExcelAteMyDNAagain>{{cite journal|last1=Ziemann|first1=Mark|last2=Eren|first2=Yotam|last3=El-Osta|first3=Assam|title=Gene name errors are widespread in the scientific literature|journal=[[Biology:Genome Biology|Genome Biology]]|volume=17|issue=1|pages=177|year=2016|pmid=27552985|doi=10.1186/s13059-016-1044-7|doi-access=free|pmc=4994289}}</ref> Excel parses the copied and pasted data and sometimes changes them depending on what it thinks they are. For example, [[Biology:MARCH2|MARCH1 (Membrane Associated Ring-CH-type finger 1)]] gets converted to the date March 1 (1-Mar) and SEPT2 (Septin 2) is converted into September 2 (2-Sep) etc.<ref name=bbcnewsexcel>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37176926|publisher=BBC News|location=London|year=2016|title=Microsoft Excel blamed for gene study errors|author=Anon|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=November 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204709/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37176926|url-status=live}}</ref> While some secondary news sources<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cimpanu|first1=Catalin|title=One in Five Scientific Papers on Genes Contains Errors Because of Excel|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/one-in-five-scientific-papers-on-genes-contains-errors-because-of-excel-507582.shtml|website=[[Softpedia]]|publisher=SoftNews|date=August 24, 2016|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825195333/http://news.softpedia.com/news/one-in-five-scientific-papers-on-genes-contains-errors-because-of-excel-507582.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> reported this as a fault with Excel, the original authors of the 2016 paper placed the blame with the researchers misusing Excel.<ref name=ExcelAteMyDNAagain/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://genomespot.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/my-personal-thoughts-on-gene-name-errors.html|first=Mark|last=Ziemann|year=2016|title=Genome Spot: My personal thoughts on gene name errors|website=genomespot.blogspot.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830135847/http://genomespot.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/my-personal-thoughts-on-gene-name-errors.html?m=1|archive-date=August 30, 2016}}</ref>

In August 2020 the [[Organization:HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee|HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)]] published new guidelines in the journal Nature regarding gene naming in order to avoid issues with "symbols that affect data handling and retrieval." {{as of|2020}}, 27 genes had been renamed, including changing MARCH1 to MARCHF1 and SEPT1 to SEPTIN1 in order to avoid accidental conversion of the gene names into dates.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vincent|first=James|date=August 6, 2020|title=Scientists rename human genes to stop Microsoft Excel from misreading them as dates|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/6/21355674/human-genes-rename-microsoft-excel-misreading-dates|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=October 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009125307/https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/6/21355674/human-genes-rename-microsoft-excel-misreading-dates|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2023, Microsoft introduced a settings option that allows the conversion to be disabled.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Fixes Excel Feature That Forced Scientists to Rename Human Genes|url=https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-fixes-excel-feature-that-forced-scientists-to-1850949443|website=Gizmodo|access-date=October 25, 2023|language=en|date=October 23, 2023}}</ref>

=== Errors with large strings ===

The following functions return incorrect results when passed a string longer than 255 characters:<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel: type() and <code>WorksheetFunction.IsText()</code> fail for long strings|url=https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53128145/excel-type-and-worksheetfunction-istext-fail-for-long-strings|website=Stack Overflow|date=November 3, 2018|access-date=November 5, 2018|archive-date=November 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105211758/https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53128145/excel-type-and-worksheetfunction-istext-fail-for-long-strings|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{code|type()}} incorrectly returns 16, meaning "Error value"
* {{code|IsText()}}, when called as a method of the VBA object {{code|WorksheetFunction}} (i.e., {{code|WorksheetFunction.IsText()}} in VBA), incorrectly returns "false".

=== Filenames ===
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:

: A document with the name '%s' is already open. You cannot open two documents with the same name, even if the documents are in different folders. To open the second document, either close the document that is currently open, or rename one of the documents.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/08/02/stories/2004080200260401.htm|newspaper=Business Line|location=Chennai|title=Trouble with macros|first=Gary|last=Rajah|date=August 2, 2004|access-date=March 19, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729203805/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/08/02/stories/2004080200260401.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
The reason is for calculation ambiguity with linked cells. If there is a cell {{code|1=='[Book1.xlsx]Sheet1'!$G$33}}, and there are two books named "Book1" open, there is no way to tell which one the user means.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/excel/archive/2009/01/07/why-can-t-i-open-two-files-with-the-same-name.aspx|title=Microsoft Excel – Why Can't I Open Two Files With the Same Name?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729140409/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/excel/archive/2009/01/07/why-can-t-i-open-two-files-with-the-same-name.aspx|archive-date=July 29, 2010|access-date=March 19, 2019|first=Joseph|last=Chirilov|date=January 8, 2009|work=MSDN Blogs|publisher=Microsoft Corporation}}</ref>

== Versions ==
[[File:Excel_for_Mac_screenshot.png|thumb|Excel for Mac (version 16.67), running on [[macOS Big Sur]] 11.5.2]]

=== Early history ===
In 1982, Microsoft launched its first spreadsheet program, [[Software:Multiplan|Multiplan]], which gained popularity on CP/M systems. However, Multiplan struggled to compete on [[Software:MS-DOS|MS-DOS]] systems, losing market share to [[Software:Lotus 1-2-3|Lotus 1-2-3]], which became the dominant spreadsheet program by 1983, surpassing both Multiplan and the earlier [[Software:VisiCalc|VisiCalc]].<ref name="Allan 2001">{{cite book |last=Allan |first=Roy A. |title=A History of the Personal Computer |publisher=Allan Publishing |publication-place=London, Ontario |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-9689108-0-1 |pages=12/23–12/24}}</ref><ref name="Wallace 1993">{{cite book |last1=Wallace |first1=James |last2=Erickson |first2=Jim |title=Hard Drive |publisher=Harper Collins |publication-place=New York |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-88730-629-7 |page=217, 221–223, 226, 229–233, 239, 243–244, 281–283}}</ref>

To address Multiplan's falling marketshare, Microsoft began developing a new, advanced spreadsheet program in 1983, codenamed "Odyssey." The project was led by Jabe Blumenthal, who worked on its design, and Doug Klunder, the primary developer of Multiplan. Originally intended for IBM PCs running CP/M and MS-DOS, the project shifted focus in early 1984 when Lotus began developing Jazz, an integrated program for the [[Software:Apple Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]], and Lotus 1-2-3 maintained its dominance on IBM PCs.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Staff |first=WIRED |date=1983-01-26 |title=Jan. 26, 1983: Spreadsheet as Easy as 1-2-3 |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/01/jan-26-1983-spreadsheet-as-easy-as-1-2-3-2/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> In March 1984, [[Biography:Bill Gates|Bill Gates]] redirected Odyssey's development to the Macintosh platform, which required supporting the system's 512 KB memory. This decision delayed the project by nine months, after which Klunder temporarily left Microsoft to work growing lettuce, and the project then was led by Philip Florence, a former developer at [[Organization:Wang Laboratories|Wang Laboratories]]. After Florence had a heart attack, Klunder returned to finish the project.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref name="Wallace 1993"/><ref name="Bishop 2015">{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |title='Recalc or Die': 30 years later, Microsoft Excel 1.0 vets recount a project that defied the odds |website=GeekWire |date=September 25, 2015 |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2015/recalc-or-die-30-years-later-microsoft-excel-1-0-vets-recount-a-project-that-defied-the-odds/ |access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref>

On May 2, 1985, [[Biography:Steve Jobs|Steve Jobs]] of Apple Computer and Bill Gates held a joint press conference at Tavern on the Green in New York City to publicly announce Excel for Apple's Macintosh platform. Following the announcement, the software was officially released for sale on September 30, 1985.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref name="Wallace 1993"/><ref name="Bishop 2015"/><ref name="Freeberg 1985">{{cite web |last=Freeburg |first=Andy |title=Jobs & Gates At Tavern On The Green |website=Getty Images |date=May 2, 1985 |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-computer-magnates-steve-jobs-co-founder-of-apple-news-photo/84623889 |access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> The first Windows version, Excel 2.05, followed on November 19, 1987, designed to align with the Macintosh version 2.2.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vi8EAAAAMBAJ&q=macintosh%20spreadsheet%20arrow%20keys%20multiplan&pg=PA30|title=InfoWorld First Look: Supercalc 4 challenging 1-2-3 with new tactic|author1=Infoworld Media Group, Inc.|date=July 7, 1986}}</ref><ref name="chan_TheH">{{Cite web|title=The History of Microsoft – 1987|work=channel9.msdn.com|access-date=October 7, 2022|archive-date=September 27, 2010|url=http://channel9.msdn.com/series/history/the-history-of-microsoft-1987|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927044515/http://channel9.msdn.com/series/history/the-history-of-microsoft-1987|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 1990 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants member survey found that 2% of respondents used Excel as their spreadsheet, 3% as their database, and 8% for graphics.<ref name="aicpa1990">{{Cite report |url=https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1563&context=aicpa_guides |title=1990 AICPA survey of computer usage |year=1990 |id=561 |access-date=2025-04-30}}</ref> [[Company:Lotus Software|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 [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]] achieve its position as a leading PC software developer. This accomplishment solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future in developing [[Graphical user interface|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 [[Company:Intel|Intel]] platform. Versions prior to 2.0 were only available on the Apple Macintosh.

==== Excel 2.0 (1987) ====
The first Windows version was labeled "2" to correspond to the Mac version. It was announced on October 6, 1987, and released on November 19.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The History of Microsoft – 1987|work=learn.microsoft.com|date=April 30, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2022|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/history/history-of-microsoft-1987|archive-date=October 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007180805/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/history/history-of-microsoft-1987|url-status=live}}</ref> This included a runtime version of Windows.<ref name="spreadsheetpage.com">{{cite web|url=https://spreadsheetpage.com/excel-version-history/|title=Excel Version History|first=John|last=Walkenbach|date=December 4, 2013|access-date=July 12, 2020|work=The Spreadsheet Page|publisher=John Walkenbach|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715100722/https://spreadsheetpage.com/excel-version-history/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''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.

==== Excel 3.0 (1990) ====
Included toolbars, drawing capabilities, outlining, add-in support, 3D charts, and many more new features.<ref name="spreadsheetpage.com"/>

==== Excel 4.0 (1992) ====
Included with [[Software:Microsoft Office 3.0|Microsoft Office 3.0]], this version introduced auto-fill.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lewallen|first=Dale|title=PC/Computing guide to Excel 4.0 for Windows|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=imoPAQAAMAAJ&q=excel+4.0+autofill|access-date=July 27, 2013|year=1992|publisher=Ziff Davis|isbn=9781562760489|page=13}}</ref>

Also, an [[Easter egg (media)|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 is then crushed by an Excel logo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crashreboot.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-eggs-we-have-loved-excel-4.html|title=Easter Eggs we have loved: Excel 4|last1=Lake|first1=Matt|date=April 6, 2009|website=crashreboot.blogspot.com|access-date=November 5, 2013|archive-date=November 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106214522/http://crashreboot.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-eggs-we-have-loved-excel-4.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 5.0 (1993) ====
With version 5.0, included in Microsoft Office 4.2 and 4.3, Excel included Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on [[Visual Basic]] which adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel and to provide [[User-defined function|user-defined function]]s (UDF) for use in worksheets. VBA includes a fully featured [[Integrated development environment|integrated development environment]] (IDE). [[Macro (computer science)|Macro]] recording can produce VBA code replicating user actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks. VBA allows the creation of forms and in‑worksheet controls to communicate with the user. The language supports use (but not creation) of [[Component Object Model|ActiveX]] ([[Component Object Model|COM]]) [[Dynamic-link library|DLL]]'s; later versions add support for class modules allowing the use of basic [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented programming]] techniques.

The automation functionality provided by VBA made Excel a target for [[Macro virus|macro virus]]es. 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", a [[Software:Doom (1993 video game)|''Doom'']]-like minigame, although since version&nbsp;10 Microsoft has taken measures to eliminate such undocumented features from their products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/10/21/483608.aspx|title=Why no Easter Eggs?|first=Larry|last=Osterman|date=October 21, 2005|access-date=July 29, 2006|work=Larry Osterman's WebLog|publisher=MSDN Blogs|archive-date=March 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330065403/http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/10/21/483608.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

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) ====
[[File:Screenshot of Microsoft Office Excel 95, an application part of Microsoft Office system.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 95]]
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 95 contained a hidden ''Doom''-like mini-game called "The Hall of Tortured Souls", a series of rooms featuring the names and faces of the developers as an Easter egg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel 95 Hall of Tortured Souls|url=http://eeggs.com/items/719.html|access-date=July 7, 2006|archive-date=July 6, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706082428/http://www.eeggs.com/items/719.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 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.

This version of Excel includes a flight simulator as an Easter egg.

==== Excel 2000 (v9.0) ====
[[File:FileScreenshot of Microsoft Office Excel 2000.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2000]]
Included in Office 2000. This was a minor upgrade but introduced an upgrade to the clipboard where it can hold multiple objects at once. The Office Assistant, whose frequent unsolicited appearance in Excel 97 had annoyed many users, became less intrusive.

A small 3-D game called "Dev Hunter" (inspired by [[Software:Spy Hunter|Spy Hunter]]) was included as an Easter egg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Oddities: Easter Eggs|url=http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/eastereg.htm|access-date=August 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821233917/http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/eastereg.htm|archive-date=August 21, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22511|title=Car Game in Ms Excel|publisher=Totalchoicehosting.com|date=September 6, 2005|access-date=January 28, 2014|archive-date=April 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010659/http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22511|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2002 (v10.0) ====
Included in Office XP with minor enhancements over the previous version.

==== Excel 2003 (v11.0) ====
Included in Office 2003 with minor enhancements over the previous version.

==== Excel 2007 (v12.0) ====
[[File:Microsoft Office Excel 2007.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2007]]
Included in Office 2007. This release was a major upgrade from the previous version. Similar to other updated Office products, Excel in 2007 used the new Ribbon menu system. This was different from what users were used to, and was met with mixed reactions. One study reported fairly good acceptance by users except for highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical WIMP interface, but was less convinced in terms of efficiency and organization.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2010/Faro/DNCOCO/DNCOCO-25.pdf|title=User Acceptance of the Microsoft Ribbon User Interface|publisher=Palacký University of Olomouc|first=M|last=Dostál|isbn=978-960-474-245-5|issn=1792-6157|date=December 9, 2010|access-date=May 28, 2013|archive-date=February 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226223646/http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2010/Faro/DNCOCO/DNCOCO-25.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, an online survey reported that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being "somewhat more negative" than intermediate users, and users reporting a self-estimated reduction in productivity.

Added functionality included Tables,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Using Excel Tables to Manipulate Billing Data|url=https://mooresolutionsinc.com/downloads/Billing_MJ12.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322064704/https://mooresolutionsinc.com/downloads/Billing_MJ12.pdf|archive-date=March 22, 2023|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref> and the [[Software:Microsoft Office 2007#SmartArt|SmartArt]] set of editable business diagrams. Also added was an improved management of named variables through the ''Name Manager'', and much-improved flexibility in formatting graphs, which allow (''x, y'') coordinate labeling and lines of arbitrary weight. Several improvements to pivot tables were introduced.

Also like other office products, the Office Open XML file formats were introduced, including ''.xlsm'' for a workbook with macros and ''.xlsx'' for a workbook without macros.<ref name="Dodge">{{cite book|title=Microsoft Office Excel 2007 inside out|first1=Mark|last1=Dodge|first2=Craig|last2=Stinson|year=2007|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=978-0-7356-2321-7|chapter=Chapter 1: What's new in Microsoft Office Excel 2007|page=1 ''ff''}}</ref>

Specifically, many of the size limitations of previous versions were greatly increased. To illustrate, the number of rows was now 1,048,576 (2<sup>20</sup>) and the columns was 16,384 (2<sup>14</sup>; the far-right column is XFD). This changes what is a valid ''A1'' reference versus a named range. This version made more extensive use of multiple cores for the calculation of spreadsheets; however, VBA macros are not handled in parallel and XLL add‑ins were only executed in parallel if they were [[Thread safety|thread-safe]] and this was indicated at registration.

==== Excel 2010 (v14.0) ====
[[File:Excel 2010.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2010 running on Windows 7]]
Included in Office 2010, this is the next major version after v12.0, as version [[Unsolved:Triskaidekaphobia|number 13 was skipped]].

Minor enhancements and 64-bit support,<ref name="whatsnew">{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2010-HA010369709.aspx?CTT=1|title=What's New in Excel 2010|access-date=September 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235535/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2010-HA010369709.aspx?CTT=1|archive-date=December 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> including the following:
* Multi-threading recalculation (MTR) for commonly used functions
* Improved pivot tables
* More conditional formatting options
* Additional image editing capabilities
* In-cell charts called ''sparklines''
* Ability to preview before pasting
* Office 2010 ''backstage'' feature for document-related tasks
* Ability to customize the Ribbon
* Many new formulas, most highly specialized to improve accuracy<ref>{{cite book|last=Walkenbach|first=John|title=Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA|chapter=Some Essential Background|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Publishing, Inc|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|isbn=9780470475355|page=20|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtSdrjjVXrwC&pg=PA20}}</ref>

==== Excel 2013 (v15.0) ====
Included in Office 2013, along with a lot of new tools included in this release:
* Improved Multi-threading and Memory Contention
* FlashFill<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Steven|title=Excel 2013 – Flash Fill|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12314-Excel-2013-Flash-Fill.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=October 1, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230129/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12314-Excel-2013-Flash-Fill.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Power View<ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in Excel 2013|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2013-HA102809308.aspx|work=Office.com|publisher=[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]|access-date=January 25, 2014|archive-date=January 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122195719/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2013-HA102809308.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Software:Power Pivot|Power Pivot]]<ref>{{cite web|last=K.|first=Gasper|title=Does a PowerPivot Pivot Table beat a regular Pivot Table|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12334-Does-a-PowerPivot-Pivot-Table-beat-a-regular-Pivot-Table.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=October 10, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003126/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12334-Does-a-PowerPivot-Pivot-Table-beat-a-regular-Pivot-Table.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Timeline Slicer
* Windows App
* Inquire<ref>{{cite web|last=K.|first=Gasper|title=Inquire Add-In for Excel 2013|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_11629-Inquire-Add-In-for-Excel-2013.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=May 20, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013711/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_11629-Inquire-Add-In-for-Excel-2013.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* 50 new functions<ref>{{cite web|title=New functions in Excel 2013|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/new-functions-in-excel-2013-HA103980604.aspx|work=Office.com|publisher=[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]|access-date=November 23, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021138/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/new-functions-in-excel-2013-HA103980604.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2016 (v16.0) ====
Included in Office 2016, along with a lot of new tools included in this release:
* [[Software:Power Query|Power Query]] integration 
* Read-only mode for Excel
* Keyboard access for Pivot Tables and Slicers in Excel
* New Chart Types
* Quick data linking in Visio
* Excel forecasting functions
* Support for multi-selection of Slicer items using touch
* Time grouping and Pivot Chart Drill Down
* Excel data cards<ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in Office 2016|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-s-new-in-Office-2016-Preview-4841f061-d019-45cc-af74-3e89c8cff1c4|work=Office.com|publisher=[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]|access-date=August 16, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061212/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-s-new-in-Office-2016-Preview-4841f061-d019-45cc-af74-3e89c8cff1c4|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Excel 2024, Office 365 and subsequent (v16.0) ====
Microsoft no longer releases Office or Excel in distinctive versions. Instead, features are introduced automatically over time. The version number remains 16.0. Thereafter only the approximate dates when features appear can now be given. New features include:

* Dynamic Arrays. These are essentially Array Formulas but they "Spill" automatically into neighboring cells and do not need the ctrl-shift-enter to create them. Further, dynamic arrays are the default format, with new "@" and "#" operators to provide compatibility with previous versions. This is perhaps the biggest structural change since 2007, and is in response to a similar feature in [[Software:Google Sheets|Google Sheets]]. Dynamic arrays started appearing in pre-releases about 2018, and as of March 2020 are available in published versions of Office 365 provided a user selected "Office Insiders".
Microsoft Office 2024 (the fourth perpetual release of Office 16.0) for the [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]] and [[Software:MacOS|macOS]] was released on October 1, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-05-15|title=Office 2024 for Mac is coming and you won't need a subscription to get it {{!}} Macworld|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/2270517/office-2024-separate-mac-version-one-time-purchase-model.html|access-date=2024-11-16|archive-date=2024-05-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515165717/https://www.macworld.com/article/2270517/office-2024-separate-mac-version-one-time-purchase-model.html|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

=== Mac ===
[[File:Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011]]
* 1985 Excel 1.0
* 1988 Excel 1.5
* 1989 Excel 2.2
* 1990 Excel 3.0
* 1992 Excel 4.0
* 1993 Excel 5.0 (part of Office 4.x—Final Motorola 680x0 version<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.microsoft.com/1998/01/06/microsoft-announces-march-availability-of-office-98-macintosh-edition/|title=Microsoft Announces March Availability of Office 98 Macintosh Edition|date=January 6, 1998|work=Microsoft|access-date=December 29, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230171920/https://news.microsoft.com/1998/01/06/microsoft-announces-march-availability-of-office-98-macintosh-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref> and first PowerPC version)
* 1998 Excel 8.0 (part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition|Office 98]])
* 2000 Excel 9.0 (part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2001|Office 2001]])
* 2001 Excel 10.0 (part of Office v. X)
* 2004 Excel 11.0 (part of [[Software:Office 2004 for Mac|Office 2004]])
* 2008 Excel 12.0 (part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac|Office 2008]])
* 2010 Excel 14.0 (part of [[Software:Microsoft Office for Mac 2011|Office 2011]])
* 2015 Excel 15.0 (part of Office 2016—Office 2016 for Mac brings the Mac version much closer to parity with its Windows cousin, harmonizing many of the reporting and high-level developer functions, while bringing the ribbon and styling into line with its PC counterpart.)<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Mossberg |first1=Walt |title=Office for Mac Is Finally a 'First-Class Citizen'|url=http://recode.net/2015/07/16/office-for-mac-is-finally-a-first-class-citizen/|website=Re/code|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=July 29, 2015|archive-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726185607/http://recode.net/2015/07/16/office-for-mac-is-finally-a-first-class-citizen/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2019|Microsoft Office 2019]] for Mac
* Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2021|Microsoft Office 2021]] for Mac
* Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2024|Microsoft Office 2024]] for Mac

=== OS/2 ===
* 1989 Excel 2.2
* 1990 Excel 2.3
* 1991 Excel 3.0

=== Summary ===
{{Version |l |show=11100}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for Windows release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1987
|Excel 2
|{{Version|o|2.0}}
|Renumbered to 2 to correspond with contemporary Macintosh version. Supported macros (later known as Excel 4 macros).
|-
|1990
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|Added 3D graphing capabilities
|-
|1992
|Excel 4
|{{Version|o|4.0}}
|Introduced auto-fill feature
|-
|1993
|Excel 5
|{{Version|o|5.0}}
|Included Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and various object-oriented options
|-
|1995
|Excel 95
|{{Version|o|7.0}}
|Renumbered for contemporary Word version. Both programs were packaged in Microsoft Office by this time. 
|-
|1997
|Excel 97
|{{Version|o|8.0}}
|
|-
|2000
|Excel 2000
|{{Version|o|9.0}}
|Part of Microsoft Office 2000
|-
|2002
|Excel 2002
|{{Version|o|10.0}}
|
|-
|2003
|Excel 2003
|{{Version|o|11.0}}
|Released only 1 year later to correspond better with the rest of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
|-
|2007
|Excel 2007
|{{Version|o|12.0}}
|
|-
|2010
|Excel 2010
|{{Version|o|14.0}}
|Due to [[Unsolved:Triskaidekaphobia|superstitions surrounding the number 13]], Excel 13 was skipped in version counting.
|-
|2013
|Excel 2013
|{{Version|o|15.0}}
|Introduced 50 more [[Function (mathematics)|mathematical functions]] (available as pre-packaged commands, rather than typing the formula manually). 
|-
|2016
|Excel 2016
|{{Version|o|16.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2016|Microsoft Office 2016]]
|-
|2019
|Excel 2019
|{{Version|o|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2019|Microsoft Office 2019]]
|-
|2021
|Excel 2021
|{{Version|co|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2021|Microsoft Office 2021]]
|-
|2024
|Excel 2024
|{{Version|c|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2024|Microsoft Office 2024]]
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for Macintosh release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1985
|Excel 1
|{{Version|o|1.0}}
|Initial version of Excel. Supported macros (later known as Excel 4 macros).
|-
|1988
|Excel 1.5
|{{Version|o|1.5}}
|
|-
|1989
|Excel 2
|{{Version|o|2.2}}
|
|-
|1990
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|
|-
|1992
|Excel 4
|{{Version|o|4.0}}
|
|-
|1993
|Excel 5
|{{Version|o|5.0}}
|Only available on PowerPC-based Macs. First PowerPC version. 
|-
|1998
|Excel 98
|{{Version|o|8.0}}
|Excel 6 and Excel 7 were skipped to correspond with the rest of Microsoft Office at the time. 
|-
|2000
|Excel 2000
|{{Version|o|9.0}}
|
|-
|2001
|Excel 2001
|{{Version|o|10.0}}
|
|-
|2004
|Excel 2004
|{{Version|o|11.0}}
|
|-
|2008
|Excel 2008
|{{Version|o|12.0}}
|
|-
|2011
|Excel 2011
|{{Version|o|14.0}}
|As with the Windows version, version 13 was skipped for superstitious reasons.
|-
|2016
|Excel 2016
|{{Version|o|16.0}}
|Future release dates for the Macintosh version are intended to correspond better to those for the Windows version, from 2016 onward.
|-
|2019
|Excel 2019
|{{Version|o|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2019|Microsoft Office 2019]]
|-
|2021
|Excel 2021
|{{Version|co|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2021|Microsoft Office 2021]]
|-
|2024
|Excel 2024
|{{Version|c|17.0}}
|Part of [[Software:Microsoft Office 2024|Microsoft Office 2024]]
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for OS/2 release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1989
|Excel 2.2
|{{Version|o|2.2}}
|Numbered in between Windows versions at the time
|-
|1990
|Excel 2.3
|{{Version|o|2.3}}
|
|-
|1991
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|Last OS/2 version. Discontinued subseries of Microsoft Excel, which is otherwise still an actively developed program. 
|}

== Impact ==
Excel offers many [[User interface|user interface]] tweaks over the earliest electronic spreadsheets; however, the essence remains the same as in the original spreadsheet software, [[Software:VisiCalc|VisiCalc]]: the program displays cells organized in rows and columns, and each cell may contain data or a formula, with relative or absolute references to other cells.

Excel 2.0 for Windows, which was modeled after its Mac GUI-based counterpart, indirectly expanded the installed base of the then-nascent Windows environment. Excel 2.0 was released a month before Windows 2.0, and the installed base of Windows was so low at that point in 1987 that Microsoft had to bundle a runtime version of Windows 1.0 with Excel 2.0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2005/11/20/happy-birthday-windows|title=Windows at 20: 20 things you didn't know about Windows 1.0|last1=Perton|first1=Marc|date=November 20, 2005|website=switched.com|access-date=August 1, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411221828/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2005/11/20/happy-birthday-windows|archive-date=April 11, 2013}}</ref> Unlike Microsoft Word, there never was a DOS version of Excel.

Excel became the first spreadsheet to allow the user to define the appearance of spreadsheets (fonts, character attributes, and cell appearance). It also introduced intelligent cell re-computation, where only cells dependent on the cell being modified are updated (previous spreadsheet programs recomputed everything all the time or waited for a specific user command). Excel introduced auto-fill, the ability to drag and expand the selection box to automatically copy a cell or row contents to adjacent cells or rows, adjusting the copies intelligently by automatically incrementing cell references or contents. Excel also introduced extensive graphing capabilities.

Excel holds a central place in modern office work: a 2022 survey found that two-thirds of office workers use Excel at least once per hour, spending 38% of their total working time inside the program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Excel Statistics: Facts & Figures [Original Research] - Acuity Training |url=https://www.acuitytraining.co.uk/news-tips/new-excel-facts-statistics/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=www.acuitytraining.co.uk |date=March 19, 2025 }}</ref> It is estimated between 750 million and 1.2 billion users access Excel each month.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madden |first=Michaela |title=Why Businesses Continue to Use Excel Despite its Shortcomings |url=https://blog.kintone.com/business-with-heart/why-businesses-continue-to-use-excel-despite-its-shortcomings |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=blog.kintone.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

== Security ==
Because Excel is widely used, it has been attacked by hackers. While Excel is not directly exposed to the Internet, if an attacker can get a victim to open a file in Excel, and there is an appropriate security bug in Excel, then the attacker can gain control of the victim's computer.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9128538/Attackers_exploit_unpatched_Excel_vulnerability|title=Attackers exploit unpatched Excel vulnerability|first=Gregg|last=Keizer|journal=Computerworld|date=February 24, 2009|access-date=March 19, 2019|publisher=IDG Communications, Inc.|archive-date=July 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715034015/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9128538/Attackers_exploit_unpatched_Excel_vulnerability|url-status=live}}</ref> UK's [[Organization:GCHQ|GCHQ]] has a tool named TORNADO ALLEY with this purpose.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/document/2014/07/14/jtrig-tools-techniques/|title=JTRIG Tools and Techniques|work=The Intercept|date=July 14, 2014|access-date=March 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224430/https://firstlook.org/theintercept/document/2014/07/14/jtrig-tools-techniques/|archive-date=July 14, 2014|publisher=First Look Productions, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217406-jtrigall.html#document/p4|title=JTRIG Tools and Techniques|page=4|access-date=March 19, 2019|first=John|last=Cook|work=The Intercept|via=[[Company:DocumentCloud|DocumentCloud]]|archive-date=August 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808040612/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217406-jtrigall.html#document/p4|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Games ==
Besides the easter eggs, numerous games have been created or recreated in Excel, such as ''[[Software:Tetris|Tetris]]'', [[Software:2048 (video game)|''2048'']], ''[[Engineering:Scrabble|Scrabble]]'', ''[[Software:Yahtzee|Yahtzee]]'', ''Angry Birds'', ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'', [[Software:Civilization (video game)|''Civilization'']], [[Software:Monopoly (game)|''Monopoly'']], ''Battleship'', Blackjack, ''[[Software:Space Invaders|Space Invaders]]'', and others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-iconic-games-recreated-microsoft-excel/|title=8 Legendary Games Recreated in Microsoft Excel|first=Gavin|last=Phillips|date=December 11, 2015|website=MUO|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216002404/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-iconic-games-recreated-microsoft-excel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earnandexcel.com/blog/excel-games/|title=Excel Games – Fun Things to Do With Spreadsheets|date=November 10, 2021|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216002405/https://earnandexcel.com/blog/excel-games/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/excel-blog/unusual-uses-of-excel/ba-p/3576867|title=Unusual Uses of Excel|date=August 5, 2022|website=techcommunity.microsoft.com|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216002404/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/excel-blog/unusual-uses-of-excel/ba-p/3576867|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2019-09-09-civilization-microsoft-excel.html|title=Someone made a version of 'Civilization' that runs in Microsoft Excel|website=Engadget|date=September 9, 2019|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216002403/https://www.engadget.com/2019-09-09-civilization-microsoft-excel.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.contextures.com/excelgames.html|title=Have Fun Playing Games in Excel|first=Debra|last=Dalgleish|website=Contextures Excel Tips|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209212421/https://www.contextures.com/excelgames.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, Excel became an esport with the advent of the [[Finance:Financial Modeling World Cup|Financial Modeling World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lee |first=Benjamin Charles Germain |title=How Microsoft Excel Tries to Rebrand Work as Excitement |url=https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-excel-productivity-labor-software-review/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oneesports.gg/gaming/microsoft-excel-esports-real-tournament/|title=Microsoft Excel esports is real and it already has an international tournament|website=ONE Esports|date=June 9, 2021|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=February 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216002405/https://www.oneesports.gg/gaming/microsoft-excel-esports-real-tournament/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Software:Comparison of spreadsheet software|Comparison of spreadsheet software]]
* [[Spreadmart]]
* ''Dilemma (Nelly song)'', where Kelly Rowland wonders why her man never received her message
* [[Finance:Financial Modeling World Cup|Financial Modeling World Cup]], online esport financial modeling competition using Excel

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last1=Bullen|first1=Stephen|first2=Rob|last2=Bovey|first3=John|last3=Green|year=2009|title=Professional Excel Development: The Definitive Guide to Developing Applications Using Microsoft Excel and VBA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VnegO0pMYlIC|edition=2nd|location=Boston|publisher=Addison Wesley|isbn=978-0-321-50879-9}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dodge|first1=Mark|last2=Stinson|first2=Craig|year=2007|title=Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Inside Out|location=Redmond, Wash.|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=978-0-7356-2321-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Billo|first=E. Joseph|year=2011|title=Excel for Chemists: A Comprehensive Guide|edition=3rd|location=Hoboken, N.J.|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-38123-6}}
* {{cite web|last=Gordon|first=Andy|date=January 25, 2021|title=LAMBDA: The ultimate Excel worksheet function|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/lambda-the-ultimatae-excel-worksheet-function/|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft}}

== External links ==
{{wikibooks|Excel}}
* {{Official website|https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/excel|Microsoft Excel}} – official site

{{Spreadsheets}}
{{Microsoft Office}}

[[Category:Classic Mac OS software]]
[[Category:Microsoft Office|Excel]]
[[Category:Spreadsheet software for macOS]]
[[Category:Spreadsheet software for Windows]]

{{Sourceattribution|Microsoft Excel}}