Microsoft Excel file extensions

Microsoft Excel makes it possible to analyze, manage, and share information in more ways than ever before, helping you make better, smarter decisions. New analysis and visualization tools help you track and highlight important data trends. Easily access your important data on the go from almost any Web browser or smartphone. You can even upload your files to the Web and work simultaneously with others online. Whether you’re producing financial reports or managing personal expenses, Excel gives you more efficiency and flexibility to accomplish your goals.

The first thing you’ll see when you open Excel is a brand new look. It’s cleaner, but it’s also designed to help you get professional-looking results quickly. You’ll find many new features that let you get away from walls of numbers and draw more persuasive pictures of your data, guiding you to better, more informed decisions.

Excel Top features

Get started quickly

Templates do most of the set-up and design work for you, so you can focus on your data. When you open Excel, you’ll see templates for budgets, calendars, forms, and reports, and more.

Instant data analysis

The new Quick Analysis tool lets you convert your data into a chart or table in two steps or less. Preview your data with conditional formatting, sparklines, or charts, and make your choice stick in just one click.

Fill out an entire column of data in a flash

Flash Fill is like a data assistant that finishes your work for you. As soon as it detects what you want to do, Flash Fill enters the rest of your data in one fell swoop, following the pattern it recognizes in your data.

Create the right chart for your data

With Chart recommendations, Excel recommends the most suitable charts for your data. Get a quick peek to see how your data looks in the different charts, and then simply pick the one that shows the insights you want to present.

Filter table data by using slicers

First introduced in Excel 2010 as an interactive way to filter PivotTable data, slicers can now also filter data in Excel tables, query tables, and other data tables. Simpler to set up and use, slicers show the current filter so you’ll know exactly what data you’re looking at.

One workbook, one window

In Excel each workbook has in its own window, making it easier to work on two workbooks at once. It also makes life easier when you’re working on two monitors.

New Excel functions

You’ll find several new functions in the math and trigonometry, statistical, engineering, date and time, lookup and reference, logical, and text function categories. Also new are a few Web service functions for referencing existing Representational State Transfer (REST)-compliant Web services.

Save and share files online

Excel makes it easier to save your workbooks to your own online location, like your free OneDrive or your organization’s Office 365 service. It’s also simpler to share your worksheets with other people. No matter what device they’re using or where they are, everyone works with the latest version of a worksheet— and you can even work together in real time.

History:

• Excel 2.0 (1987)
• Excel 3.0 (1990)
• Excel 4.0 (1992)
• Excel 5.0 (1993)
• Excel 95 (1995)
• Excel 97 (1997)
• Excel 2000 (1999)
• Excel 2002 (2001)
• Excel 2003 (2003)
• Excel 2007 (2006)
• Excel 2010 (2010)
• Excel 2013 (2013)
• Excel 2016 (2015)