While working in Excel, we often need to deal with Excel files in an old format. As a result, we encountered a number of compatibility issues. To solve this problem, Excel provides us with some simple yet effective solutions. In this article, we will learn two simple methods to convert old Excel files to a new format in Excel. So, let’s start this article and explore these methods.

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2 Simple Methods to Convert Old Excel Files to New Format in Excel

In this section of the article, we will learn two simple methods to convert old Excel files to a new format. Let’s say, we have the Employee Details of ABC Company as our dataset, which is in an old file format of Excel. Our goal is to convert this old Excel file to a new format.

Not to mention, we used the Microsoft Excel 365 version for this article; however, you can use any version according to your preference.

1. Using Convert Option

Convert is a quite useful option provided by Excel to convert old Excel files to a new format. Here, in the following image, we can see that the format of the file is Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Worksheet. Now, let’s follow the steps mentioned below to convert this old Excel file to a new format.

Steps:

• Firstly, go to the File tab from Ribbon.

As a result, the following window will open in your worksheet.

• Following that, select the Info option as marked in the image below.

• Now in the Compatibility Mode section, click on the Convert option.

Subsequently, the following dialogue box will open on your worksheet.

• Finally, click OK in the dialog box.

Consequently, the old Excel file will be converted into the new format, as demonstrated in the following picture.

2. Saving As New Format

In Excel, we can open and convert an old Excel file to a new format just saving the Excel file as a new format. Let’s follow the instructions outlined below to do this.

Steps:

• Firstly, open the Excel file and go to the File tab from Ribbon.

• After that, choose the Save As option, as shown in the following image.

• Then, select the Browse option to specify the location of the saved file.

• After you have specified the location, click on the Save as type option.
• Then, choose the Excel Workbook option from the drop-down.
• Lastly, click on the Save option.

As a result, the old Excel file will be converted to the new format as shown in the picture below.

How to Change .XLS to .XLSX Without Opening in Excel

In this section of the article, we will learn how we can change .XLS to .XLSX without opening the Excel file. To do this, we will use the VBA Macro option in Excel. Now, let’s follow the steps mentioned below.

Steps:

• Firstly, create two new folders named “New Format” and “Old Format” in your computer.

• After that, place the file in .XLS format in the “Old Format” folder.

• Now, open Excel and go to the Developer tab from Ribbon.
• Then, choose the Visual Basic option from the Code group.

• Following that, go to the Insert tab from the Microsoft Visual Basic window
• Then, choose the Module option from the drop-down.

• Subsequently, write the following code in the blank Module.

Sub Rename_It()
Name "H:\Old Format to New Format\Old Format\Converting Old Files to New Format.xls" As "H:\Old Format to New Format\New Format\Converting Old Files to New Format.xlsx"
End Sub

• After writing the code, click on the Save option.

• Now, use the keyboard shortcut ALT + F11 to go to the worksheet.
• Following that, use the shortcut ALT + F8 to open the Macro window as shown in the following image.

• Now in the Macro window, choose the Rename_It option.
• Then, click on Run.

Consequently, the .XLS file will be removed from the Old Format folder and will be saved into the New Format folder as .XLSX format as shown in the image below.

How to Convert .XLSX to .XLS in Excel

The process to convert a .XLSX file to .XLS file is quite similar to the steps mentioned in the 2nd method. Now, let’s follow the procedure discussed in the following section.

Steps:

• Firstly, open the Excel file and go to the File tab from Ribbon.

• After that, click on the Save As option.

• Following that, choose the Browse option as shown in the following image.

• Then, select the saving directory from your computer.
• Afterward, click on the Save as type option.
• After that, choose the Excel 97-2003 Workbook option from the drop-down.
• Finally, click on the Save option.

• Consequently, a dialogue box will appear on your screen and click on the Continue option.

As a result, you will see that a new file will be saved in your selected directory as .XLS format as demonstrated in the following picture.

Conclusion

So, these are the most common and effective methods you can use anytime while working with your Excel datasheet to convert old excel files to new format in Excel. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback related to this article, you can comment below. You can also have a look at our other useful articles on Excel functions and formulas on our website, ExcelDemy.

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