Excel 97-2003 To 2007 Converter

[Joke Grinman]

Work in Compatibility Mode You can open a workbook that was created in an earlier version of Excel and work in Compatibility Mode so that the workbook remains in a file format that can easily be opened again in the earlier version. Compatibility mode is not available for Excel 2007 workbooks.

Check a workbook for compatibility If you want to work in the current file format but have to share a workbook with people who use earlier versions of Excel, you can check that the data is compatible with earlier versions of Excel. You can then make the necessary changes to avoid the loss of data or fidelity that might occur when that workbook is opened in an earlier version of Excel.

In Excel 2010 and later, when you open a workbook that was created in Excel 97-2003, it is automatically opened in Compatibility Mode, and you see Compatibility Mode in square brackets next to the file name in the Excel title bar.

In Compatibility Mode, any new or enhanced Excel features are not available, which prevents loss of data and fidelity when the workbook is opened in an earlier version of Excel. Also, instead of using a current file format (.xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm), the workbook is saved in Excel 97-2003 file format (.xls), a file format that can be opened by earlier versions of Excel.

Unlike other Office programs, such as Word, you cannot manually turn on Compatibility Mode in Excel, and you do not have the option to include any new features when you work in a workbook in Compatibility Mode.

Not all new features are supported in earlier versions of Excel. When you work in Compatibility Mode or want to save aworkbook to the Excel 97-2003 (.xls) file format, the Compatibility Checker can help you identify issues that may cause a significant loss of functionality or a minor loss of fidelity in the earlier version of Excel. To avoid the loss of data or functionality in an earlier version of Excel, you can then make the necessary changes to your current workbook.

When you save a workbook to an Excel 97-2003 file format, the Compatibility Checker runs automatically. However, to verify that a workbook is compatible with your current version of Excel, you must run the Compatibility Checker manually the first time you save the workbook. You can then specify that the Compatibility Checker runs automatically every time that you save that workbook. For information about how to run the Compatibility Checker, see Check an Excel workbook for compatibility with earlier versions of Excel.

The Compatibility Checker lists the compatibility issues it finds, and provides a Find and Help button for many issues. You can then locate all occurrences of the issue, and get information about ways to resolve the issue. When run automatically, the Compatibility Checker also specifies the version of Excel in which a potential compatibility issue occurs.

This workbook contains data in cells outside of the row and column limit of the selected file format. Data beyond 65,536 rows tall by 256 (IV) columns wide will not be saved. Formula references to data in this region will return a #REF! error.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the cells and ranges that fall outside the row and column limits, select those rows and columns, and then place them inside the column and row limits of the worksheet or on another worksheet by using the Cut and Paste commands.

What it means A scenario in the worksheet refers to a cell outside the column and row limit of Excel 97-2003 (65,536 rows by 256 columns), and is no longer available when you continue saving the workbook to file format of the earlier version of Excel.

What to do In the Scenario Manager, look for the scenario that contains a reference that falls outside the row and column limit of the earlier version of Excel, and then change the reference to a location within that limit.

What it means Beginning with Excel 2007, you can create custom international calendar formats, such as Hebrew Lunar, Japanese Lunar, Chinese Lunar, Saka, Zodiac Chinese, Zodiac Korean, Rokuyou Lunar, and Korean Lunar. However, these calendar formats are not supported in Excel 97-2003.

What it means Beginning with Excel 2007, the total number of available cell blocks (CLBs) is limited by available memory. In Excel 97-2003, the total number of available CLBs is limited to 64,000 CLBs in an instance of Excel.

A CLB includes 16 worksheet rows. If all rows in a worksheet contain data, you would have 4096 CLBs in that worksheet, and you could have only 16 such worksheets in a single instance of Excel (regardless of how many workbooks you have open in Excel).

What to do To make sure that the workbook does not exceed the 64,000 CLB limit and that it can be opened in Excel 97-2003, you should work in Compatibility Mode after you save the workbook to Excel 97-2003 file format. In Compatibility Mode, Excel keeps track of the CLBs in the active workbook.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate cells that contain sparklines, and then make the necessary changes. For example, you could apply conditional formatting instead of or in addition to the sparklines that won't be displayed in the earlier version of Excel.

What it means Beginning with Excel 2007, you have the option to display different header and footer text on even pages or on the first page. In Excel 97-2003, even page or first page headers and footers cannot be displayed, but they remain available for display when you open the workbook in Excel 2007 and later again.

What to do When you continue saving the workbook, Excel applies the closest available format, which can be identical to another format you applied to something else. To avoid duplication of formats, you can change or remove the cell formatting and cell styles that are not supported before you save the workbook to Excel 97-2003 file format.

What it means Beginning with Excel 2007, you can use 64,000 unique cell formats, but in Excel 97-2003, you can only use up to 4,000 unique cell formats. Unique cell formats include any specific combination of formatting that is applied in a workbook.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the table that contains a custom formula or text, remove that formula or text from the total row, and then use only formulas that are available in the total row.

A table in this workbook is connected to an external data source. Table functionality will be lost, but the data remains connected. If table rows are hidden by a filter, they remain hidden in an earlier version of Excel.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the table that is connected to an external data source, and then disconnect the table from the external data source. In Excel 97-2003, you can then connect the data to the external data source again.

A table in this workbook has a read-only connection to a Windows SharePoint Services List. Table functionality will be lost, as well as the ability to refresh or edit the connection. If table rows are hidden by a filter, they remain hidden in an earlier version of Excel.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the table that has a read-only connection to a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation List, and then disconnect the table from the SharePoint List. In Excel 2003, you can then import the SharePoint List as a read/write list.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the Excel table that contains alternative text. To display the alternative text in the earlier version of Excel, you can copy it into a blank cell on the worksheet, or you could insert a comment that contains the text.

A PivotTable in this workbook exceeds former limits and will be lost if it is saved to earlier file formats. Only PivotTables that are created in Compatibility Mode will work in earlier versions of Excel.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the PivotTable report that exceeds the former limits. Save the workbook to Excel 97-2003 format, and then re-create this PivotTable report in Compatibility Mode.

A PivotTable in this workbook contains conditional formatting rules that are applied to cells in collapsed rows or columns. To avoid losing these rules in earlier versions of Excel, expand those rows or columns.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the collapsed rows or columns that contain conditional formatting rules, and then expand those rows or columns before you save the workbook in an earlier Excel file format.

What it means Beginning with Excel 2010, you can duplicate a measure in a PivotTable that is connected to an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) data source. The PivotTable cannot be displayed in Excel 97-2007.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the PivotTable report that contains a data axis upon which more than one of the same measure appears, and then remove any duplicate measures so that only one measure remains.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the PivotTable that contains alternative text. To display the alternative text in the earlier version of Excel, you can copy it into a blank cell on the worksheet, or you could insert a comment that contains the text.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the PivotTable report that has a PivotTable style applied, remove that PivotTable style, and then manually apply PivotTable formatting that is supported in the earlier versions of Excel.

What to do In the Compatibility Checker, click Find to locate the PivotTable report that is created in the current file format. Save the workbook to Excel 97-2003 format, and then re-create this PivotTable report in Compatibility Mode so that you can open it in Excel 97-2003 without loss of functionality.

What it means Compact form (alone or in combination with tabular and outline form) to keep related data from spreading horizontally off of the screen and to help minimize scrolling is not available in Excel 97-2003, and fields will be displayed in tabular form.

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