Open XLS files in your browser
Excel's format from Excel 97 to Excel 2003, still exported by banks, accounting software and old systems. Open one right here, every sheet. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your workbook opens at the sheet it was saved on, drawn as its app draws it, with its tabs along the bottom.
- Every sheet • Formats, merges and frozen panes
- Show formulas • Behind every value
- Show as a table • Sort, filter and search
- Export • Save a sheet or all of them as CSV
About XLS
An XLS is a binary workbook inside a Compound File, Microsoft's file system in a file: one stream of BIFF records, each a cell, a format, a formula or a sheet's settings. BIFF8 was Excel's format from Excel 97 until Excel 2007 brought XLSX, and XLT is its template. Microsoft published its specification in 2008.
Banks, accounting packages and government sites still export XLS, because every spreadsheet app reads it. Its macros made it a common way in for malware, and a workbook can be locked with a password.
Filepeek reads the XLS itself, the BIFF5 of Excel 5 and 95 too, and draws each sheet with its number formats, fonts, colors, borders, merged cells, frozen panes, notes, pictures and charts, and each chart sheet on its own tab. Show formulas shows what's behind each number, and macros never run.
Excel 97-2003 workbook
.xls • .xlt
Format
- MIME type
- application/vnd.ms-excel
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Released
- 1997
Inside the file
- Sheets
- Cells, formats, charts and pictures
- Values
- Numbers, dates and text, with their formulas
- Notes
- Cell notes and links
- Versions
- Excel 5 to Excel 2003 (BIFF5 and BIFF8)
Opens in every browser
Browsers download XLS files for an app to open. Filepeek opens every sheet in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, with no Excel to install.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Questions
How do I open an XLS file without Excel?
Drop it on this page or choose Peek an XLS. It opens at the sheet it was saved on, with every other sheet a tab away.
Can I see the formulas?
Yes. Choose Show formulas, and each cell shows its formula instead of the value Excel saved.
Can I save it as CSV?
Yes. Choose Export, then Save sheet as CSV, or Save every sheet as CSV for one file a sheet.
Can it open an XLS with a password?
Yes. Type the password when Filepeek asks, and it opens. The password stays on your device, and it's gone once you close the file.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The workbook opens inside your browser and never leaves your device.