Updated: 2009-04-28
In this article:
This article discusses the file formats that are supported in Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, and Microsoft Office Access 2007. It also provides additional information about file formats that applies to all four applications.
File formats supported in Word 2007
You can save an Office Word 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As.
You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office Word or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save the file to an Office Word 2007 format. For files that were created in an earlier version of Word, you have the option to keep the original format.
Word file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Word Document |
.docx |
The default Office Word 2007 file format. |
|
Word Macro-Enabled Document |
.docm |
The Office Word 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled file format. Stores Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code. |
|
Word 97-2003 Document |
.doc |
The default Word 97-2003 file format. |
|
Word Template |
.dotx |
Template for creating new Office Word 2007 files that do not contain macros. |
|
Word Macro-Enabled Template |
.dotm |
Template for creating new Office Word 2007 files that contain macros. If you want to include UI customizations or macros in the template, use this file format. |
|
Word 97-2003 Template |
.dot |
Template for Word 97-2003 files. |
|
Word XML Document |
.xml |
The XML file format supported in Office Word 2007 (Open XML). |
|
Word 2003 XML Document |
.xml |
The XML format supported in Office Word 2003. |
Other file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Portable Document Format (PDF) |
|
PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Word 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office Word 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
XML Paper Specification (XPS) |
.xps |
XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save a Office Word 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office Word 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
OpenDocument Text |
.odt |
The OpenDocument Text file format is a version of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) v1.1 file format. The ability to save an Office Word 2007 document in the .odt file format (directly from Office Word 2007) is enabled in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). |
|
Single File Web Page |
.mht; .mhtml |
A Web page as a single file with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. |
|
Web Page |
.htm |
A Web page as a folder with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for posting on a site or editing with Microsoft Office FrontPage or another HTML editor. |
|
Web Page, Filtered |
.htm |
Saving in the Web Page, Filtered file format removes Microsoft Office-specific tags. If you save in filtered HTML and then re-open the file in an Office application, text and general appearance will be preserved, but some features might work differently. |
|
Rich Text Format |
.rtf |
RTF controls the representation and formatting of a document, both on the screen and in print. With the RTF file format, documents created under different operating systems and with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications. |
|
Plain Text |
.txt |
When you save a Office Word 2007 document as a .txt file, you lose all formatting. |
|
Works 6.0-9.0 |
.wps |
This is the default file format of Microsoft Works, versions 6.0 through 9.0. |
File formats supported in Excel 2007
You can save an Office Excel 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As. The file formats that are available in the Save As dialog box vary, depending on what type of sheet is active (a worksheet, chart sheet, or other type of sheet).
You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office Excel or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save it to an Office Excel 2007 format, unless you open a workbook that is shared. For files that were created in an earlier version of Office Excel, you have the option to keep the original format.
Excel file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Excel Workbook |
.xlsx |
The default Office Excel 2007 XML-based file format. Cannot store VBA macro code or Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
|
Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook |
.xlsm |
The Office Excel 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled file format. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
|
Excel Binary Workbook |
.xlsb |
The Office Excel 2007 Binary file format (BIFF12). |
|
Excel Template |
.xltx |
The default Office Excel 2007 file format for an Excel template. Cannot store VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
|
Excel Macro-Enabled Template |
.xltxm |
The Office Excel 2007 macro-enabled file format for an Excel template. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
|
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Workbook |
.xls |
The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8). |
|
Excel 97- Excel 2003 Template |
.xlt |
The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format (BIFF8) for an Excel template. |
|
Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook |
.xls |
The Excel 5.0/95 Binary file format (BIFF5). |
|
Excel Add-In |
.xlam |
The Office Excel 2007 XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In, a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects and Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
|
Excel 97-2003 Add-In |
.xla |
The Excel 97-2003 Add-In, a supplemental program that is designed to run additional code. Supports the use of VBA projects. |
Text file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Formatted Text (Space-delimited) |
.prn |
Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
Text (Tab-delimited) |
.txt |
Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
Text (Macintosh) |
.txt |
Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
Text (MS-DOS) |
.txt |
Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
Unicode Text |
.txt |
Saves a workbook as Unicode text, a character encoding standard that was developed by the Unicode Consortium. |
|
CSV (comma delimited) |
.csv |
Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
CSV (Macintosh) |
.csv |
Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
CSV (MS-DOS) |
.csv |
Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and ensures that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
DIF |
.dif |
Data Interchange Format. Saves only the active sheet. |
|
SYLK |
.slk |
Symbolic Link Format. Saves only the active sheet. |
 Note:
|
|---|
|
If you save a workbook in text format, all formatting is lost. |
Other file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Portable Document Format (PDF) |
|
PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Excel 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office Excel 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
XML Paper Specification (XPS) |
.xps |
XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office Excel 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office Excel 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
OpenDocument Spreadsheet |
.ods |
The OpenDocument Spreadsheet file format is a version of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) v1.1 file format. The ability to save an Office Excel 2007 document in the .ods file format (directly from Office Excel 2007) is enabled in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). |
|
XML Spreadsheet 2003 |
.xml |
XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format. |
|
XML Data |
.xml |
XML Data format. |
|
Quattro Pro 5.0 (Win) |
.wb1 |
Quattro Pro version 5.0 for Windows. You can open Quattro Pro files in Excel by using a converter. You cannot save an Excel file to Quattro Pro format. |
|
Quattro Pro 7.0 (Win) |
.wb3 |
Quattro Pro version 7.0 for Windows. You can open Quattro Pro files in Excel by using a converter. You cannot save an Excel file to Quattro Pro format. |
File formats supported in PowerPoint 2007
You can save an Office PowerPoint 2007 file in another file format by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Save As.
You can open a file that was created in another file format (in an earlier version of Microsoft Office PowerPoint or in another program) by clicking the Microsoft Office Button, and then Open. You will be prompted to save the file to an Office PowerPoint 2007 format. For files that were created in an earlier version of PowerPoint, you have the option to keep the original format.
 Important:
|
|---|
|
Office PowerPoint 2007 does not support saving to PowerPoint 95 (or earlier) file formats or Pack and Go Wizard (.ppz) files. |
PowerPoint file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
PowerPoint Presentation |
.pptx |
An Office PowerPoint 2007 presentation, which is an XML-enabled file format, by default. |
|
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation |
.pptm |
A presentation that contains Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. |
|
PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation |
.ppt |
A presentation that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003. |
|
PowerPoint Design Templates |
.potx |
A presentation as a template that you can use to format future presentations. |
|
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Design Template |
.potm |
A template that includes pre-approved macros that you can add to a template to be used in a presentation. |
|
PowerPoint 97-2003 Design Template |
.pot |
A template that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003. |
|
Office Theme |
.thmx |
A style sheet that includes definitions of a color theme, font theme, and effect theme. |
|
PowerPoint Show |
.pps; .ppsx |
A presentation that always opens in Slide Show view rather than in Normal view. |
|
PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Show |
.ppsm |
A slide show that includes pre-approved macros that you can run from within a slide show. |
|
PowerPoint 97-2003 Show |
.ppt |
A slide show that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003. |
|
PowerPoint Add-In |
.ppam |
An add-in that stores custom commands, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code, and specialized features such as an add-in. |
|
PowerPoint 97-2003 Add-In |
.ppa |
An add-in that you can open in PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003. |
Other file formats
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Portable Document Format (PDF) |
|
PDF is a fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office PowerPoint 2007 document in PDF file format (directly from Office PowerPoint 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
XML Paper Specification (XPS) |
.xps |
XPS is another fixed-layout file format that enables a file to retain the intended format when either viewed or printed, and is not easily changed. The ability to save an Office PowerPoint 2007 document in XPS file format (directly from Office PowerPoint 2007) is introduced in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). Previously, this functionality was enabled by installing the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111590). |
|
OpenDocument Presentation |
.odp |
The OpenDocument Presentation file format is a version of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) v1.1 file format. The ability to save an Office PowerPoint 2007 document in the .odp file format (directly from Office PowerPoint 2007) is enabled in The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148353). |
|
Single File Web Page |
.mht; .mhtml |
A Web page as a single file with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for sending a presentation in e-mail. |
|
Web Page |
.htm; .html |
A Web page as a folder with an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for posting on a site or editing with Microsoft Office FrontPage or another HTML editor. |
|
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) |
.gif |
A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. The GIF file format is limited to supporting 256 colors, and therefore, it is more effective for scanned images such as illustrations rather than color photographs. GIF can also be good for line drawings, black and white images, and small text that is only a few pixels high. GIF supports animation and transparent backgrounds. |
|
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) File Format |
.jpg |
A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. The JPEG file format supports 16 million colors and is best suited for photographs and complex graphics. |
|
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) Format |
.png |
A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. PNG was approved as a standard by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to replace GIF. PNG does not support animation as GIF does, and some older browsers do not support this file format. |
|
TIFF (Tag Image File Format) |
.tif |
A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. TIFF is the best file format for storing bit-mapped images on personal computers. TIFF graphics can be any resolution, and they can be black and white, gray-scaled, or color. |
|
Device Independent Bitmap |
.bmp |
A slide as a graphic for use on Web pages. A bitmap is a representation, consisting of rows and columns of dots, of a graphics image in computer memory. The value of each dot (whether it is filled in or not) is stored in one or more bits of data. |
|
Windows Metafile |
.wmf |
A slide as a 16-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 3.x and later). |
|
Enhanced Windows Metafile |
.emf |
A slide as a 32-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 95 and later). |
|
Outline/RTF |
.rtf |
A presentation outline as a text-only document that provides smaller file sizes and the ability to share macro-free files with others who might not have the same version of PowerPoint or the operating system that you have. Any text in the notes pane is not saved with this file format. |
File formats supported in Access 2007
This section describes the differences between the new Office Access 2007 ACCDB file format and the earlier-version MDB file format. In Office Access 2007, the Microsoft Jet database engine has been customized for the 2007 Office system applications. This Office-specific version of Jet, called the Access Database Engine, enables integration with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, creation of multi-valued lookup fields, and other improvements.
New features of the Office Access 2007 file format
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
|
Multi-valued lookup fields |
Most database programs, including prior versions of Access, only allow you to store a single value in each field. In Office Access 2007, however, you can now create a lookup field that allows you to store more than one value in each field. In effect, it creates a many-to-many relationship within the field, and hides the details of the implementation using system tables. For example, suppose you have a Task table with a lookup field that you used to assign the task to an employee. What if you have a task that you need to assign to several employees? In earlier versions of Access, you would need to set up a new cross-reference table to store each combination of task and employee, and then revise your forms and reports to use the new data structure. In Office Access 2007, this is made much easier by implementing a multi-valued lookup field. Instead of being able to select only one item from a drop-down list, now each item in the list has a check box next to it so that you can select as many as you like. The multiple selections are displayed in the field, separated by commas. |
|
Attachment data type |
The new Attachment data type lets you easily store all types of documents and binary files in your database without unnecessary database bloat. Attachments are automatically compressed when appropriate to maximize space usage. You can attach a Office Word 2007 document to a record, or save a series of digital pictures. You can even have multiple attachments attached to a single record. |
|
Integration with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007 |
In the past, Access files have been blocked from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007 because unsafe code could be included within an Access database. Office Access 2007 implements a new format that allows code to be either verified as safe or disabled. This makes it possible to integrate Access databases much more fully with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office Outlook 2007, and it also allows anti-virus programs to inspect Access database files much more easily. |
|
Work with your SharePoint data offline |
You can take your SharePoint lists offline with one click by using Office Access 2007. Work on your data in Access and then synchronize your changes, or reconnect with the SharePoint site at a later time. |
|
Memo field history tracking |
Memo fields are useful for storing large amounts of information. Starting with Office Access 2007, you can set a property (AppendOnly) that forces Access to retain a history of all changes to a Memo field. You can then view a history of those changes. This feature also supports the versioning feature in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 so that you can use Access to track changes in a multiple lines of text field stored in a SharePoint list (provided that the field has the Append Changes to Existing Text option set to Yes). |
New file extensions
| File extension | Description |
|---|---|
|
ACCDB |
The file extension for the new Office Access 2007 file format. This takes the place of the MDB file extension. |
|
ACCDE |
The file extension for Office Access 2007 files that are in "execute only" mode. ACCDE files have all Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) source code removed. A user of an ACCDE file can only execute VBA code, not modify it. ACCDE takes the place of the MDE file extension. |
|
ACCDT |
The file extension for Access Database Templates. |
|
ACCDR |
A new file extension that enables you to open a database in runtime mode. By simply changing a database's file extension from .accdb to .accdr, you can create a "locked-down" version of your Office Access 2007 database. You can change the file extension back to .accdb to restore full functionality. |
Workgroup Information Files (MDW)
Workgroup Information Files store information for secured databases. No changes have been made to the .mdw file format for Office Access 2007. The Office Access 2007 Workgroup Manager will create .mdw files that are identical to those created in Access 2000 through Access 2003, and .mdw files created in those earlier versions can be used by Office Access 2007 databases.
Locking files
When a database is opened, file locking is controlled by a locking file. When you open an .mdb file, Access creates and opens an .ldb locking file. This is true even if you use Office Access 2007 to open an .mdb database file. For example, if you open the file Db1.mdb, Access creates and opens a file named Db1.ldb — this .ldb file controls locking. For files created in the Office Access 2007 file format (.accdb files), Access controls locking by creating and opening a file with a file name extension of .laccdb. For example, if you open Db1.accdb, Access creates and opens a locking file named Db1.laccdb. As with .ldb files, .laccdb files are deleted automatically when the database has been closed by all users.
By maintaining separate locking files for Office Access 2007 files and for files created in earlier versions of Access, it is possible to have both Db1.mdb and Db1.accdb open in Office Access 2007 at the same time without creating any conflicts in the locking file, because two different locking files are created. It is possible to have the same .mdb file open in Office Access 2007 and in an earlier version of Access at the same time, with both versions using the same .ldb locking file.
ACCDE files
An .accde file is the Office Access 2007 version of the .mde file in earlier versions of Access. It is a locked-down version of the original .accdb file. If the .accdb file contained any VBA code, only the compiled code is included in the .accde file. As a result, the VBA code cannot be viewed or modified by the user. Also, .accde file users do not have permissions to make design changes to forms or reports. You create .accde files from .accdb files by using the following procedure.
Create an ACCDE file in Office Access 2007
-
In Office Access 2007, open the database that you want to save as an .accde file.
-
On the Database Tools tab, in the Database Tools group, click Make ACCDE.
-
In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder in which you want to save the file, type a name for the file in the File name box, and then click Save.
Linked tables
You can link a table from an earlier Access format to a database in a later version of Access, but you cannot link a table from a later version of Access to a database in an earlier version of Access. For example, you can link from an .accdb database to tables in another .accdb database, or to tables in an .mdb database; however, you cannot link from an .mdb database to tables in an .accdb database.
Replication
Replication is not supported in the Office Access 2007 file format. You can use Office Access 2007 to replicate a database that was created in older file format, but not one that was created in the Office Access 2007 format.
Additional file format information
This section provides information — which applies to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access — about pasting data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard, and finding a solution when the file format you want to use is not supported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access.
Microsoft Office Clipboard file formats
You can paste data from the Microsoft Office Clipboard into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access by using the Paste or Paste Special command (Home tab, Clipboard group, Paste button) if the Office Clipboard data is in one of the formats shown in the following table.
| File format | File extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Picture |
.wmf or .emf |
Pictures in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF). Note If you copy a Windows metafile picture from another program, Excel pastes the picture as an enhanced metafile. |
|
Bitmap |
.bmp |
Pictures stored in Bitmap format (BMP). |
|
Microsoft Excel file formats |
.xls |
Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95 (BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Office Access 2007 (BIFF12). |
|
SYLK |
.slk |
Symbolic Link Format. |
|
DIF |
.dif |
Data Interchange Format. |
|
Text (tab-delimited) |
.txt |
Tab-separated text format. |
|
CSV (Comma-delimited) |
.csv |
Comma-separated values format. |
|
Formatted text (Space-delimited) |
.rtf |
Rich Text Format (RTF). Only from Excel. |
|
Embedded object |
.gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp |
Microsoft Excel objects, objects from properly registered programs that support OLE 2.0 (OwnerLink), and Picture or another presentation format. |
|
Linked object |
.gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp |
OwnerLink, ObjectLink , Link, Picture, or other format. |
|
Office drawing object |
.emf |
Office drawing object format or Picture (Windows enhanced metafile format, EMF). |
|
Text |
.txt |
Display Text, OEM Text. |
|
HTML |
.htm |
Hypertext Markup Language. When you copy text from another program, Excel pastes the text in HTML format, regardless of the format of the original text. |
File formats that are not supported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access 2007
If the file format that you want to use is not supported in Office Word 2007, Office Excel 2007, Office PowerPoint 2007, or Office Access 2007, you can try the following methods.
-
Search the Internet for a company that makes file format converters for file formats that are not supported in the application.
-
Save to a file format that another program supports. For example, you might want to import your Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access file into another program that does not support the Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access file format. But the other program might be able to import another supported file format, such as a text file format. In this case, you can save your work in text file format, and then from the other program, import the text file.
