XL98: How to Open Excel 1.x Files in Later Versions of Excel (290772)

SUMMARY

If you attempt to open a Microsoft Excel 1.x file in Microsoft Excel 5 for the Macintosh or in Microsoft Excel 98 for the Macintosh, you may receive the following error message:

Cannot open document created in Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh version 1.x

This article explains how to open an Excel 1.x file in later versions of Excel.

MORE INFORMATION

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Excel 1.x was released in 1987 and uses a file format that is no longer in use. A converter for this format was available in Excel through version 4.0. Unfortunately, a change in the functionality of the converter engine required removal of the Excel 1.x converter in later versions of Excel, including versions 5.0, 97, and 98. Because of the age of the product, limited options now exist for opening Excel 1.x files.

Until recently, third-party solutions were available in the form of add-in converters compatible with Excel 98. Unfortunately, the DataViz MacLink Plus Converter now limits converter support to Excel 2.0 files and later.

To open a file created in Excel 1.x, use either of the following methods:

If Excel 1.x is still available to you, follow these steps:
1. Open the file in Excel 1.x.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the dialog box that appears, click the SYLK option button, and then click Save.
You should now be able to open the file in Excel 5.0 or Excel 98.

-or-
If you do not have Excel version 1.x, but you do have access to either Excel 3.0 or Excel 4.0, follow these steps:
1. Open the file in either Excel 3.0 or Excel 4.0.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. Save the file in Normal format.
You should now be able to open the file up in Excel 5.0, Excel 97, or Excel 98.