Microsoft Excel 4 for Mac workbook file
File type: Spreadsheet and workbook file
A .xlw4 file is a workbook created by Microsoft Excel 4 for Mac, an early version of Microsoft's spreadsheet application.
It stores spreadsheet data and workbook content for use with Excel.
File type category:
Spreadsheet and workbook file
Date updated: September 27, 2026
The .xlw4 file extension is associated with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft's spreadsheet software. An XLW4 workbook can contain worksheets, spreadsheet data, formulas, formatting, and charts or graphs created in Excel 4 for Mac.
These files belong to the older Excel 4 for Mac workbook format. They are separate from the more widely recognized xls and xlsx workbook formats. XLS was commonly used by earlier versions of Excel, while XLSX became the standard workbook format in Microsoft Office 2007 and later.
The format was designed for the classic Mac version of Excel and is now obsolete. Microsoft Excel was later made available for Mac OS X and macOS as well as Microsoft Windows, but current versions may have limited or no support for this legacy workbook format.
Open the .xlw4 file with Microsoft Excel. Because it is a legacy Excel 4 for Mac format, it may require an older compatible version of Excel for Mac; current Excel for macOS or Windows may not open it directly.
If Excel reports that the file is unsupported, use an older Excel installation in the original Mac environment, if available, and then save the workbook in a newer Excel format.
If a compatible version of Microsoft Excel can open the file, use Excel's Save As command to save it as an XLS or XLSX workbook.
If no compatible version of Excel is available, conversion may not be possible without first restoring an older Mac Excel environment.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving xlw4 files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
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