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In a spreadsheet, what is the default file extension for files saved in modern MS Excel?
.xls
.xlsx
.csv
.txt
.xlsx
The default file extension for files saved in modern Microsoft Excel (Excel 2007 and later) is .xlsx. This format is based on the Open XML standard, which replaces the older binary format (.xls).
ISO/IEC 29500:2012 (Information technology тАФ Document description and processing languages тАФ Office Open XML File Formats)
The default file extension for files saved in modern Microsoft Excel (Excel 2007 and later) is .xlsx. This format is based on the Open XML standard, which replaces the older binary format (.xls).
File┬аSizeXMLтАЛтЙИ21тАЛ┬аto┬а41тАЛ┬аof┬аFile┬аSizeBinaryтАЛ
The .xlsx format utilizes the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard, which stores data as a collection of zipped XML files. When an Excel file is saved, the application compresses the structural XML data, style definitions, and content into a single file container. This structure significantly reduces file size and improves data recovery compared to the legacy binary OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) format.
Introduced in MS Office 2007 to provide better interoperability.
Supports large datasets with a maximum of 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns.
The 'x' at the end of the extension denotes the use of XML format.
The format is technically a ZIP-compressed container.
Increased file stability and easier data recovery from corruption.
Smaller file sizes due to integrated compression.
Enhanced security as macros are stored separately (e.g., .xlsm).
Not natively readable by legacy versions of Excel prior to 2007 without a Compatibility Pack.
More complex file structure makes direct manipulation of raw file bits harder for non-developers.
Data analysis and financial modeling.
Storage of complex datasets and pivot tables.
Automation via VBA or external scripts.
The legacy .xls format used the Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF) which was proprietary.
Option A (.xls) is the legacy binary format used by Excel 97-2003.
Option C (.csv) is Comma Separated Values, a plain-text format without formatting or formulas.
Option D (.txt) is a generic plain-text file format without structured data handling.
B is correct тАФ .xlsx is the default XML-based file extension used by modern Microsoft Excel versions.
Always remember that files containing macros (VBA code) require the .xlsm extension; .xlsx does not support active code to improve security.