Convert excel 97-2003 to xlsx

When you open a workbook of 97-2003, Excel 2013 enters the compatibility mode-indicated on the title bar-where it decontaminates the new configurations which cannot be indeed shown or converted by preliminary versions. When you save a workbook, Excel 2013 saves Excel 97-2003 files in their older format using compatibility mode. The workbook stays in compatibility mode until you convert it to the Excel 2007-2013 file format. Excel 2007, Excel 2010, and Excel 2013 use the same file format, so you don’t need to convert files between them.

Convert an Excel 97-2003 to Excel 2013

1. Open the Excel 97-2003 workbook you want to convert to the Excel 2007-2013 file format.

The Excel 97-2003 workbook opens in compatibility mode.

2. Click the File tab, and then click Info.

3. Click Convert.

4. Click OK to convert the file to the Excel 2007-2013 format.

Excel exits compatibility mode, which is only turned on when a previous version is in use.

Did You Know?

You can display extensions in the Save and Open dialog boxes and Recent Documents list. Changing the Windows option also changes Excel. In the Folder Options dialog box on the View tab, clear the Hide Extensions For Known File Types check box.

To convert an old xls Excel file to a new xlsx file, you can apply the Save As feature in Excel, but, if there are multiple xls files needed to be converted, how could deal with this task quickly and easily?

• Convert Multiple Workbooks To PDF Files at once

Convert multiple xls formats to xlsx formats with Save As function one by one

The Save As function in Excel can help you convert the old workbook’s xls format to new xlsx format one by one.

1. Open your workbook that you want to convert its format.

2. Click File > Save As, and a Save As dialog will display, specify a folder to place the new format of the file, and then click Save as type drop down list to choose Excel Workbook, see screenshot:

3. Then click Save button to close the dialog, and this Excel format has been converted from xls to xlsx.

Tips: With this Save As function, you just only convert one Excel file at a time, if you have hundreds of Excel files need to be converted, this method is not a good choice.

Convert multiple xls formats to xlsx formats at once with VBA code

If you want to convert multiple xls files to xlsx files at once without saving one by one, here, I will talk about a VBA code for you, please do with the following steps:

1. Hold down the ALT + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2. Click Insert > Module, and paste the following code in the Module Window.

VBA code: Convert multiple xls formats to xlsx formats at once

Sub ConvertToXlsx()
'Updateby Extendoffice
Dim strPath As String
Dim strFile As String
Dim xWbk As Workbook
Dim xSFD, xRFD As FileDialog
Dim xSPath As String
Dim xRPath As String
Set xSFD = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
With xSFD
.Title = "Please select the folder contains the xls files:"
.InitialFileName = "C:\"
End With
If xSFD.Show <> -1 Then Exit Sub
xSPath = xSFD.SelectedItems.Item(1)
Set xRFD = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
With xRFD
.Title = "Please select a folder for outputting the new files:"
.InitialFileName = "C:\"
End With
If xRFD.Show <> -1 Then Exit Sub
xRPath = xRFD.SelectedItems.Item(1) & "\"
strPath = xSPath & "\"
strFile = Dir(strPath & "*.xls")
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Do While strFile <> ""
If Right(strFile, 3) = "xls" Then
Set xWbk = Workbooks.Open(Filename:=strPath & strFile)
xWbk.SaveAs Filename:=xRPath & strFile & "x", _
FileFormat:=xlOpenXMLWorkbook
xWbk.Close SaveChanges:=False
End If
strFile = Dir
Loop
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

3. Then, press F5 key to run this code, and a window will be displayed, please select a folder which contains the xls files that you want to convert, see screenshot:

4. Then,click OK, another window is popped out, please select a folder path where you want to output the new converted files, see screenshot:

5. And then, clik OK, after finishing the conversion, you can go to the specified folder to preview the converted result, see screenshots:

Convert multiple xls formats to xlsx formats at once with a powerful feature

With this Kutools for Excel’s Format Converter utility, you can convert multiple xls formats to xlsx formats or vise versa, it also can help you convert multiple workbooks to PDF files at one.

Note:To apply this Format Converter, firstly, you should download the Kutools for Excel, and then apply the feature quickly and easily.

After installing Kutools for Excel, please do as this:

1. Click Kutools Plus > Workbook > Format Converter, see screenshot:

2. And a promt box will pop out to remind you must close the workbook that you want to convert. See screenshot:

3. Click OK, then, in the File Format Converter dialog, specify the following options:

• Under the Convert type drop down list, select Excel 97-2003 to Excel 2007 or higher;
• Then click Add button to add the xls files that you want to convert, you can add the workbooks from your computor disk or OneDrive as you need;

4. After inserting the xls files, still in the File Format Converter dialog box, please click

Notes: In the above dialog box:

• If the workbooks in the subfolders needed to be converted as well, please check the Include subfolders when adding folders check box;
• If you want to remove the original files after converting, please check the Delete source files after conversion box;
• If you want to keep the modified date of original files, please check the Keep modified date of original files box;
• The directory structure of the file can be retained by checking the The directory structure of the file is preserved when converted box;

5. Then click OK to start converting, after finishing the conversion, you can go to the specific folder to preview the converted result. See screenshots:

How to convert an Excel 97

How do I convert Excel 97

How to convert Excel 97

How do I convert multiple old Excel files to a new version?