Change your default Save As file type

Not everyone has braved the jump to Excel 2007 or Excel 2010. Some Excel users are holding on tight to their comfortable menu bar instead of learning their way around the new Ribbon interface. It’s understandable. But if you want to share files to someone using the old file type (.xls files from Excel 2003 and earlier), you might have difficulties.

Sure, you can save your Excel files as an .xls file type instead of Excel 2007/2010’s .xlsx file type. But when you save your workbook, the new .xlsx file type is the default. You have to manually change it to the older .xls file type. And who needs something else to remember?

Play it safe and change Excel’s default Save As file type. This way, you’re always saving in a file type that anyone can open—no matter what version of Excel they use.

To change your default Save As file type:

• Click on the File menu and choose Options. (In 2007, click on the Office button and then click the Excel Options button.)
• Choose Save from the left side of the Excel Options dialog box.
• Select Excel 97-2003 Workbook from the Save Files In This Format dropdown list