{"history":[],"article":{"id":"229082c3-ab7b-4cc4-9c17-17cfc63a6408","title":"Microsoft Excel","slug":"microsoft-excel","content":":::summary\n![A simple bar graph being created in Excel, running on Windows 11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Microsoft///Office///Excel///%282019%E2%80%93present%29.svg)\n**Name:** Microsoft Excel \n**Screenshot:** Microsoft Excel.png \n**Developer:** [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) \n**Released:** November 19, 1987 \n**Ver Layout:** stacked \n**Operating System:** [Microsoft Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows) \n**Programming Language:** [C++](https://bliptext.com/articles/c) (back-end) \n**Genre:** [Spreadsheet](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) \n**License:** [Trialware](https://bliptext.com/articles/trialware) \n**Website:** microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel \n:::\n\n# \n**[Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) Excel** is a [spreadsheet](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) editor developed by [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) for [Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows), [macOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/macos), [Android](https://bliptext.com/articles/android-operating-system), [iOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ios) and [iPadOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ipados).\nIt features [calculation](https://bliptext.com/articles/calculation) or [computation](https://bliptext.com/articles/computation) capabilities, graphing tools, [pivot tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivot-table), and a [macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) programming language called [Visual Basic for Applications](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) (VBA).\nExcel forms part of the [Microsoft 365](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-365) suite of software.\n\n# Features\n\n## Basic operation\nMicrosoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets, using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations.\nIt has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering, and financial needs.\nIn addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display.\nIt allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using [pivot tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivot-table) and the scenario manager).\nA [PivotTable](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivottable) is a tool for [data analysis](https://bliptext.com/articles/data-analysis).\nIt does this by simplifying large data sets via PivotTable fields.\nIt has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics, and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet.\nIt also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called application, or decision support system (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer, or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports.\nIn a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule, analyze the results, make a [Word](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-word) report or [PowerPoint](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-powerpoint) slide show, and e-mail these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.\nMicrosoft allows for a number of optional command-line switches to control the manner in which Excel starts.\n\n## Functions\nExcel 2016 has 484 functions.\nOf these, 360 existed prior to Excel 2010.\nMicrosoft classifies these functions into 14 categories.\nOf the 484 current functions, 386 may be called from [VBA](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) as methods of the object \"WorksheetFunction\" and 44 have the same names as [VBA](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) functions.\nWith the introduction of LAMBDA, Excel became [Turing complete](https://bliptext.com/articles/turing-complete).\n\n## Macro programming\n\n### VBA programming\nThe Windows version of Excel supports programming through Microsoft's [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) for Applications (VBA), which is a dialect of [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic).\nProgramming with VBA allows spreadsheet manipulation that is awkward or impossible with standard spreadsheet techniques.\nProgrammers may write code directly using the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which includes a window for writing code, debugging code, and code module organization environment.\nThe user can implement numerical methods as well as automating tasks such as formatting or data organization in VBA and guide the calculation using any desired intermediate results reported back to the spreadsheet.\nVBA was removed from Mac Excel 2008, as the developers did not believe that a timely release would allow porting the VBA engine natively to [Mac OS X](https://bliptext.com/articles/macos).\nVBA was restored in the next version, Mac Excel 2011, although the build lacks support for [ActiveX](https://bliptext.com/articles/activex) objects, impacting some high level developer tools.\nA common and easy way to generate VBA code is by using the [Macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) Recorder.\nThe Macro Recorder records actions of the user and generates VBA code in the form of a macro.\nThese actions can then be repeated automatically by running the macro.\nThe macros can also be linked to different trigger types like keyboard shortcuts, a command button or a graphic.\nThe actions in the macro can be executed from these trigger types or from the generic toolbar options.\nThe VBA code of the macro can also be edited in the VBE.\nCertain features such as loop functions and screen prompt by their own properties, and some graphical display items, cannot be recorded but must be entered into the VBA module directly by the programmer.\nAdvanced users can employ user prompts to create an interactive program, or react to events such as sheets being loaded or changed.\nMacro Recorded code may not be compatible with Excel versions.\nSome code that is used in Excel 2010 cannot be used in Excel 2003.\nMaking a Macro that changes the cell colors and making changes to other aspects of cells may not be backward compatible.\nVBA code interacts with the spreadsheet through the Excel Object Model, a vocabulary identifying spreadsheet objects, and a set of supplied functions or methods that enable reading and writing to the spreadsheet and interaction with its users (for example, through custom toolbars or command bars and message boxes).\nUser-created VBA [subroutines](https://bliptext.com/articles/subroutine) execute these actions and operate like macros generated using the macro recorder, but are more flexible and efficient.\n# [Use of a user-defined function sq(x) in Microsoft Excel. The named variables x & y are identified in the Name Manager. The function sq is introduced using the Visual Basic editor supplied with Excel. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Functions///in///Excel.PNG]\n# [Subroutine in Excel calculates the square of named column variable x read from the spreadsheet, and writes it into the named column variable y. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Subroutine///in///Excel.PNG]\n\n### History\nFrom its first version Excel supported end-user programming of macros (automation of repetitive tasks) and user-defined functions (extension of Excel's built-in function library).\nIn early versions of Excel, these programs were written in a macro language whose statements had formula syntax and resided in the cells of special-purpose macro sheets (stored with file extension .XLM in Windows.) XLM was the default macro language for Excel through Excel 4.0.\nBeginning with version 5.0 Excel recorded macros in VBA by default but with version 5.0 XLM recording was still allowed as an option.\nAfter version 5.0 that option was discontinued.\nAll versions of Excel, including Excel 2021, are capable of running an XLM macro, though Microsoft discourages their use.\n\n## Python programming\nIn 2023 Microsoft announced Excel would support the [Python](https://bliptext.com/articles/python-programming-language) programming language directly.\nAs of January 2024, Python in Excel is available in the Microsoft 365 Insider Program.\n\n## Charts\nExcel supports [charts](https://bliptext.com/articles/chart), [graphs](https://bliptext.com/articles/graph-of-a-function), or [histograms](https://bliptext.com/articles/histogram) generated from specified groups of cells.\nIt also supports Pivot Charts that allow for a chart to be linked directly to a Pivot table.\nThis allows the chart to be refreshed with the Pivot Table.\nThe generated graphic component can either be embedded within the current sheet or added as a separate object.\nThese displays are dynamically updated if the content of cells changes.\nFor example, suppose that the important design requirements are displayed visually; then, in response to a user's change in trial values for parameters, the curves describing the design change shape, and their points of intersection shift, assisting the selection of the best design.\n# [Graph made using Microsoft Excel | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Excel///chart.PNG]\n\n## Add-ins\nAdditional features are available using [add-ins](https://bliptext.com/articles/add-in).\nSeveral are provided with Excel, including:\n\n# Data storage and communication\n\n## Number of rows and columns\nVersions of Excel up to 7.0 had a limitation in the size of their data sets of 16K (214 = 16,384) rows.\nVersions 8.0 through 11.0 could handle 64K (216 = 65,536) rows and 256 columns (28 as label 'IV').\nVersion 12.0 onwards, including the current Version 16.x, can handle over 1M (220 = 1,048,576) rows, and 16,384 (214, labeled as column 'XFD') columns.\n\n## File formats\nUp until the 2007 version, Microsoft Excel used a proprietary binary file format called Excel Binary File Format (.XLS) as its primary format.\nExcel 2007 uses [Office Open XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-open-xml) as its primary file format, an [XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)-based format that followed after a previous [XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)-based format called \"[XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml) Spreadsheet\" (\"[XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)SS\"), first introduced in Excel 2002.\nAlthough supporting and encouraging the use of new XML-based formats as replacements, Excel 2007 remained backwards-compatible with the traditional, binary formats.\nIn addition, most versions of Microsoft Excel can read [CSV](https://bliptext.com/articles/comma-separated-values), [DBF](https://bliptext.com/articles/dbase), [SYLK](https://bliptext.com/articles/symbolic-link-sylk), [DIF](https://bliptext.com/articles/data-interchange-format), and other legacy formats.\nSupport for some older file formats was removed in Excel 2007.\nThe file formats were mainly from DOS-based programs.\n\n### Binary\n[OpenOffice.org](https://bliptext.com/articles/openoffice-org) has created documentation of the Excel format.\nTwo epochs of the format exist: the 97-2003 [OLE](https://bliptext.com/articles/object-linking-and-embedding) format, and the older stream format.\nMicrosoft has made the Excel binary format specification available to freely download.\n\n### XML Spreadsheet\nThe XML Spreadsheet format introduced in Excel 2002 is a simple, XML based format missing some more advanced features like storage of VBA macros.\nThough the intended file extension for this format is .xml, the program also correctly handles XML files with .xls extension.\nThis feature is widely used by third-party applications (e.g. [MySQL](https://bliptext.com/articles/mysql) Query Browser) to offer \"export to Excel\" capabilities without implementing binary file format.\nThe following example will be correctly opened by Excel if saved either as Book1.xml or Book1.xls:\n\n \n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n### Current file extensions\nMicrosoft Excel 2007, along with the other products in the [Microsoft Office 2007](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-2007) suite, introduced new file formats.\nThe first of these (.xlsx) is defined in the Office Open XML (OOXML) specification.\n\n### Old file extensions\n\n## Using other Windows applications\nWindows applications such as [Microsoft Access](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-access) and Microsoft Word, as well as Excel can communicate with each other and use each other's capabilities.\nThe most common is [Dynamic Data Exchange](https://bliptext.com/articles/dynamic-data-exchange): although strongly deprecated by Microsoft, this is a common method to send data between applications running on Windows, with official MS publications referring to it as \"the protocol from hell\".\nAs the name suggests, it allows applications to supply data to others for calculation and display.\nIt is very common in financial markets, being used to connect to important financial data services such as [Bloomberg](https://bliptext.com/articles/bloomberg-l-p) and [Reuters](https://bliptext.com/articles/reuters).\nOLE Object Linking and Embedding allows a Windows application to control another to enable it to format or calculate data.\nThis may take on the form of \"embedding\" where an application uses another to handle a task that it is more suited to, for example a [PowerPoint](https://bliptext.com/articles/powerpoint) presentation may be embedded in an Excel spreadsheet or vice versa.\n\n## Using external data\nExcel users can access external [data sources](https://bliptext.com/articles/computer-file) via Microsoft Office features such as (for example) .odc connections built with the Office Data Connection file format.\nExcel files themselves may be updated using a Microsoft supplied [ODBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/odbc) driver.\nExcel can accept data in real-time through several programming interfaces, which allow it to communicate with many data sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters (through addins such as [Power Plus Pro](https://bliptext.com/articles/power-plus-pro)).\nAlternatively, [Microsoft Query](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-query-by-example) provides [ODBC-based](https://bliptext.com/articles/open-database-connectivity) browsing within Microsoft Excel.\n\n## Export and migration of spreadsheets\nProgrammers have produced [APIs](https://bliptext.com/articles/application-programming-interface) to open Excel spreadsheets in a variety of applications and environments other than Microsoft Excel.\nThese include opening Excel documents on the web using either ActiveX controls, or plugins like the [Adobe Flash Player](https://bliptext.com/articles/adobe-flash).\nThe [Apache POI](https://bliptext.com/articles/apache-poi) [open-source](https://bliptext.com/articles/open-source) project provides [Java](https://bliptext.com/articles/java-platform) libraries for reading and writing Excel spreadsheet files.\n\n## Password protection\nMicrosoft Excel protection offers several types of passwords:\nAll passwords except password to open a document can be removed instantly regardless of the Microsoft Excel version used to create the document.\nThese types of passwords are used primarily for shared work on a document.\nSuch password-protected documents are not [encrypted](https://bliptext.com/articles/encrypted), and data sources from a set password are saved in a document's [header](https://bliptext.com/articles/header-computing).\nPassword to protect workbook is an exception – when it is set, a document is encrypted with the standard password \"VelvetSweatshop\", but since it is known to the public, it actually does not add any extra protection to the document.\nThe only type of password that can prevent a trespasser from gaining access to a document is the password to open a document.\nThe cryptographic strength of this kind of protection depends strongly on the Microsoft Excel version that was used to create the document.\nIn Microsoft Excel 95 and earlier versions, the password to open is converted to a 16-bit [key](https://bliptext.com/articles/key-cryptography) that can be instantly cracked.\nIn Excel 97/2000 the password is converted to a 40-bit key, which can also be cracked very quickly using modern equipment.\nAs regards services that use [rainbow tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/rainbow-tables) (e.g. Password-Find), it takes up to several seconds to remove protection.\nIn addition, password-cracking programs can [brute-force attack](https://bliptext.com/articles/brute-force-attack) passwords at a rate of hundreds of thousands of passwords a second, which not only lets them decrypt a document but also find the original password.\nIn Excel 2003/XP the encryption is slightly better – a user can choose any encryption algorithm that is available in the system (see [Cryptographic Service Provider](https://bliptext.com/articles/cryptographic-service-provider)).\nDue to the CSP, an Excel file cannot be decrypted, and thus the password to open cannot be removed, though the brute-force attack speed remains quite high.\nNevertheless, the older Excel 97/2000 algorithm is set by the default.\nTherefore, users who do not change the default settings lack reliable protection of their documents.\nThe situation changed fundamentally in Excel 2007, where the modern [AES](https://bliptext.com/articles/advanced-encryption-standard) algorithm with a key of 128 bits started being used for decryption, and a 50,000-fold use of the hash function [SHA1](https://bliptext.com/articles/sha1) reduced the speed of brute-force attacks down to hundreds of passwords per second.\nIn Excel 2010, the strength of the protection by the default was increased two times due to the use of a 100,000-fold SHA1 to convert a password to a key.\n\n# Other platforms\n\n## Excel for mobile\nExcel Mobile is a spreadsheet program that can edit XLSX files.\nIt can edit and format text in cells, calculate formulas, search within the spreadsheet, sort rows and columns, freeze panes, filter the columns, add comments, and create charts.\nIt cannot add columns or rows except at the edge of the document, rearrange columns or rows, delete rows or columns, or add spreadsheet tabs.\nThe 2007 version has the ability to use a full-screen mode to deal with limited screen resolution, as well as split panes to view different parts of a worksheet at one time.\nProtection settings, zoom settings, autofilter settings, certain chart formatting, hidden sheets, and other features are not supported on Excel Mobile, and will be modified upon opening and saving a workbook.\nIn 2015, Excel Mobile became available for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile on [Windows Store](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-store).\n\n## Excel for the web\nExcel for the web is a free lightweight version of Microsoft Excel available as part of Office on the web, which also includes web versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.\nExcel for the web can display most of the features available in the desktop versions of Excel, although it may not be able to insert or edit them.\nCertain data connections are not accessible on Excel for the web, including with charts that may use these external connections.\nExcel for the web also cannot display legacy features, such as Excel 4.0 macros or Excel 5.0 dialog sheets.\nThere are also small differences between how some of the Excel functions work.\n\n# Microsoft Excel Viewer\nMicrosoft Excel Viewer was a freeware program for [Microsoft Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows) for viewing and printing spreadsheet documents created by Excel.\nMicrosoft retired the viewer in April 2018 with the last security update released in February 2019 for Excel Viewer 2007 (SP3).\nThe first version released by Microsoft was Excel 97 Viewer.\nExcel 97 Viewer was supported in [Windows CE](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-embedded-compact) for [Handheld PCs](https://bliptext.com/articles/handheld-pc).\nIn October 2004, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003.\nIn September 2007, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3).\nIn January 2008, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 (featuring a non-collapsible [Ribbon](https://bliptext.com/articles/ribbon-computing) interface).\nIn April 2009, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2).\nIn October 2011, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3).\nMicrosoft advises to view and print Excel files for free to use the [Excel Mobile](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office) application for [Windows 10](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-10) and for [Windows 7](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-7) and [Windows 8](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-8) to upload the file to [OneDrive](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-onedrive) and use [Excel for the web](https://bliptext.com/articles/) with a [Microsoft account](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-account) to open them in a [browser](https://bliptext.com/articles/web-browser).\n\n# Limitations and errors\nIn addition to [issues with spreadsheets](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) in general, other problems specific to Excel include numeric precision, misleading statistics functions, mod function errors, date limitations and more.\n\n## Numeric precision\nDespite the use of 15-figure precision, Excel can display many more figures (up to thirty) upon user request.\nBut the displayed figures are not those actually used in its computations, and so, for example, the difference of two numbers may differ from the difference of their displayed values.\nAlthough such departures are usually beyond the 15th decimal, exceptions do occur, especially for very large or very small numbers.\nSerious errors can occur if decisions are made based upon automated comparisons of numbers (for example, using the Excel If function), as equality of two numbers can be unpredictable.\nIn the figure, the fraction 1/9000 is displayed in Excel.\nAlthough this number has a decimal representation that is an infinite string of ones, Excel displays only the leading 15 figures.\nIn the second line, the number one is added to the fraction, and again Excel displays only 15 figures.\nIn the third line, one is subtracted from the sum using Excel.\nBecause the sum in the second line has only eleven 1's after the decimal, the difference when 1 is subtracted from this displayed value is three 0's followed by a string of eleven 1's. However, the difference reported by Excel in the third line is three 0's followed by a string of thirteen 1's and two extra erroneous digits.\nThis is because Excel calculates with about half a digit more than it displays.\nExcel works with a modified 1985 version of the [IEEE 754 specification](https://bliptext.com/articles/ieee-754-2008).\nExcel's implementation involves conversions between binary and decimal representations, leading to accuracy that is on average better than one would expect from simple fifteen digit precision, but that can be worse.\nSee the main article for details.\nBesides accuracy in user computations, the question of accuracy in Excel-provided functions may be raised.\nParticularly in the arena of statistical functions, Excel has been criticized for sacrificing accuracy for speed of calculation.\nAs many calculations in Excel are executed using VBA, an additional issue is the accuracy of VBA, which varies with variable type and user-requested precision.\n# [Excel maintains 15 figures in its numbers, but they are not always accurate: the bottom line should be the same as the top line. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Excel///fifteen///figure.PNG]\n\n## Statistical functions\nThe accuracy and convenience of statistical tools in Excel has been criticized, as mishandling situations when data is missing, as returning incorrect values due to inept handling of round-off and large numbers, as only selectively updating calculations on a spreadsheet when some cell values are changed, and as having a limited set of statistical tools.\nMicrosoft has announced that some of these issues are addressed in Excel 2010.\n\n## Excel MOD function error\nExcel has issues with [modulo operations](https://bliptext.com/articles/modulo-operation).\nIn the case of excessively large results, Excel will return the error warning #NUM!\ninstead of an answer.\n\n## Fictional leap day in the year 1900\nExcel includes February 29, 1900, incorrectly treating 1900 as a [leap year](https://bliptext.com/articles/leap-year), even though e.g. 2100 is correctly treated as a non-[leap year](https://bliptext.com/articles/leap-year).\nThus, a formula counting dates between (for example) February 1, 1900 and March 1, 1900 will return an incorrect result.\nThe bug originated from [Lotus 1-2-3](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-1-2-3), where it was deliberately implemented to save computer memory, and was also intentionally implemented in Excel for the purpose of [bug compatibility](https://bliptext.com/articles/bug-compatibility).\nThis legacy has later been carried over into Office Open XML file format.\nThus a (not necessarily whole) number greater than or equal to 61 interpreted as a date and time are the (real) number of days after December 30, 1899, 0:00, a non-negative number less than 60 is the number of days after December 31, 1899, 0:00, and numbers with whole part 60 represent the fictional day.\n\n## Date range\nExcel supports dates with years in the range 1900–9999, except that December 31, 1899, can be entered as 0 and is displayed as 0-jan-1900.\nConverting a fraction of a day into hours, minutes and days by treating it as a moment on the day January 1, 1900, does not work for a negative fraction.\n\n## Conversion problems\nIf text is entered that happens to be in a form that Excel interprets as a date, the text can be unintentionally changed to a standard date format.\nA similar problem occurs when a text happens to be in the form of a floating-point notation of a number.\nIn these cases the original exact text cannot be recovered from the result.\nFormatting the cell as TEXT before entering ambiguous text prevents Excel from converting it.\nThis issue has caused a well known problem in the analysis of [DNA](https://bliptext.com/articles/dna), for example in [bioinformatics](https://bliptext.com/articles/bioinformatics).\nAs first reported in 2004, genetic scientists found that Excel automatically and incorrectly converts certain [gene names](https://bliptext.com/articles/gene-nomenclature) into dates.\nA follow-up study in 2016 found many [peer reviewed](https://bliptext.com/articles/peer-review) [scientific journal](https://bliptext.com/articles/scientific-journal) papers had been affected and that \"Of the selected journals, the proportion of published articles with Excel files containing gene lists that are affected by gene name errors is 19.6%.\"\nExcel parses the copied and pasted data and sometimes changes them depending on what it thinks they are.\nFor example, [MARCH1 (Membrane Associated Ring-CH-type finger 1)](https://bliptext.com/articles/march2) gets converted to the date March 1 (1-Mar) and [SEPT2 (Septin 2)](https://bliptext.com/articles/sept2) is converted into September 2 (2-Sep) etc. While some secondary news sources reported this as a fault with Excel, the original authors of the 2016 paper placed the blame with the researchers misusing Excel.\nIn August 2020 the [HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)](https://bliptext.com/articles/hugo-gene-nomenclature-committee) published new guidelines in the journal [Nature](https://bliptext.com/articles/nature-journal) regarding gene naming in order to avoid issues with \"symbols that affect data handling and retrieval.\"\nSo far 27 genes have been renamed, including changing MARCH1 to MARCHF1 and SEPT1 to SEPTIN1 in order to avoid accidental conversion of the gene names into dates.\nIn October 2023, Microsoft fixed the long-standing issue.\n\n## Errors with large strings\nThe following functions return incorrect results when passed a string longer than 255 characters:\n\n## Filenames\nMicrosoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:\nThe reason is for calculation ambiguity with linked cells.\nIf there is a cell ='[Book1.xlsx]Sheet1'!$G$33, and there are two books named \"Book1\" open, there is no way to tell which one the user means.\n\n# Versions\n\n## Early history\nMicrosoft originally marketed a spreadsheet program called [Multiplan](https://bliptext.com/articles/multiplan) in 1982.\nMultiplan became very popular on [CP/M](https://bliptext.com/articles/cp-m) systems, but on [MS-DOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ms-dos) systems it lost popularity to [Lotus 1-2-3](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-1-2-3).\nMicrosoft released the first version of Excel for the Macintosh on September 30, 1985, and the first Windows version was 2.05 (to synchronize with the Macintosh version 2.2) on November 19, 1987.\n[Lotus](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-software) was slow to bring 1-2-3 to Windows and by the early 1990s, Excel had started to outsell 1-2-3 and helped [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) achieve its position as a leading PC software developer.\nThis accomplishment solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future in developing [GUI](https://bliptext.com/articles/graphical-user-interface) software.\nMicrosoft maintained its advantage with regular new releases, every two years or so.\n\n## Microsoft Windows\nExcel 2.0 is the first version of Excel for the [Intel](https://bliptext.com/articles/intel) platform.\nVersions prior to 2.0 were only available on the Apple Macintosh.\n\n### Excel 2.0 (1987)\nThe first Windows version was labeled \"2\" to correspond to the Mac version.\nIt was announced on October 6, 1987, and released on November 19.\nThis included a run-time version of Windows.\n[BYTE](https://bliptext.com/articles/byte) in 1989 listed Excel for Windows as among the \"Distinction\" winners of the [BYTE](https://bliptext.com/articles/byte) Awards.\nThe magazine stated that the port of the \"extraordinary\" Macintosh version \"shines\", with a user interface as good as or better than the original.\n\n### Excel 3.0 (1990)\nIncluded toolbars, drawing capabilities, outlining, add-in support, 3D charts, and many more new features.\n\n### Excel 4.0 (1992)\nIntroduced [auto-fill](https://bliptext.com/articles/).\nAlso, an [easter egg](https://bliptext.com/articles/easter-egg-media) in Excel 4.0 reveals a hidden animation of a dancing set of numbers 1 through 3, representing Lotus 1–2–3, which is then crushed by an Excel logo.\n\n### Excel 5.0 (1993)\nWith version 5.0, Excel included [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) which adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel and to provide [user-defined functions](https://bliptext.com/articles/user-defined-function) (UDF) for use in worksheets.\nVBA includes a fully featured [integrated development environment](https://bliptext.com/articles/integrated-development-environment) (IDE).\n[Macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) recording can produce VBA code replicating user actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks.\nVBA allows the creation of forms and in‑worksheet controls to communicate with the user.\nThe language supports use (but not creation) of [ActiveX](https://bliptext.com/articles/component-object-model) ([COM](https://bliptext.com/articles/component-object-model)) [DLL](https://bliptext.com/articles/dynamic-link-library)'s; later versions add support for class modules allowing the use of basic [object-oriented programming](https://bliptext.com/articles/object-oriented-programming) techniques.\nThe automation functionality provided by VBA made Excel a target for [macro viruses](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-virus).\nThis caused serious problems until antivirus products began to detect these viruses.\nMicrosoft belatedly took steps to prevent the misuse by adding the ability to disable macros completely, to enable macros when opening a workbook or to trust all macros signed using a trusted certificate.\nVersions 5.0 to 9.0 of Excel contain various [Easter eggs](https://bliptext.com/articles/easter-egg-virtual), including a \"Hall of Tortured Souls\", a Doom-like minigame, although since version 10 Microsoft has taken measures to eliminate such undocumented features from their products.\n5.0 was released in a 16-bit x86 version for Windows 3.1 and later in a 32-bit version for NT 3.51 (x86/Alpha/PowerPC)\n\n### Excel 95 (v7.0)\nReleased in 1995 with [Microsoft Office for Windows 95](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-for-windows-95), this is the first major version after Excel 5.0, as there is no Excel 6.0 with all of the Office applications standardizing on the same major version number.\nInternal rewrite to 32-bits.\nAlmost no external changes, but faster and more stable.\nExcel 95 contained a hidden Doom-like mini-game called \"The Hall of Tortured Souls\", a series of rooms featuring the names and faces of the developers as an Easter egg.\n# [Microsoft Excel 95 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Screenshot///of///Microsoft///Office///Excel///95%2C///an///application///part///of///Microsoft///Office///system.png]\n\n### Excel 97 (v8.0)\nIncluded in [Office 97](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-97) (for x86 and Alpha).\nThis was a major upgrade that introduced the paper clip office assistant and featured standard VBA used instead of internal Excel Basic.\nIt introduced the now-removed Natural Language labels.\nThis version of Excel includes a flight simulator as an Easter egg.\n\n### Excel 2000 (v9.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2000](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2000).\nThis was a minor upgrade but introduced an upgrade to the clipboard where it can hold multiple objects at once.\nThe Office Assistant, whose frequent unsolicited appearance in Excel 97 had annoyed many users, became less intrusive.\nA small 3-D game called \"Dev Hunter\" (inspired by [Spy Hunter](https://bliptext.com/articles/spy-hunter)) was included as an Easter egg.\n# [Microsoft Excel 2000 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/FileScreenshot///of///Microsoft///Office///Excel///2000.png]\n\n### Excel 2002 (v10.0)\nIncluded in [Office XP](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-xp).\nVery minor enhancements.\n\n### Excel 2003 (v11.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2003](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2003).\nMinor enhancements.\n\n### Excel 2007 (v12.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2007](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2007).\nThis release was a major upgrade from the previous version.\nSimilar to other updated Office products, Excel in 2007 used the new Ribbon menu system.\nThis was different from what users were used to, and was met with mixed reactions.\nOne study reported fairly good acceptance by users except for highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical [WIMP interface](https://bliptext.com/articles/wimp-interface), but was less convinced in terms of efficiency and organization.\nHowever, an online survey reported that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being \"somewhat more negative\" than intermediate users, and users reporting a [self-estimated](https://bliptext.com/articles/self-estimated) reduction in productivity.\nAdded functionality included Tables, and the [SmartArt](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-2007) set of editable business diagrams.\nAlso added was an improved management of named variables through the Name Manager, and much-improved flexibility in formatting graphs, which allow (x, y) coordinate labeling and lines of arbitrary weight.\nSeveral improvements to pivot tables were introduced.\nAlso like other office products, the Office Open XML file formats were introduced, including .xlsm for a workbook with macros and .xlsx for a workbook without macros.\nSpecifically, many of the size limitations of previous versions were greatly increased.\nTo illustrate, the number of rows was now 1,048,576 (220) and the columns was 16,384 (214; the far-right column is XFD).\nThis changes what is a valid A1 reference versus a named range.\nThis version made more extensive use of multiple cores for the calculation of spreadsheets; however, VBA macros are not handled in parallel and XLL add‑ins were only executed in parallel if they were [thread-safe](https://bliptext.com/articles/thread-safety) and this was indicated at registration.\n# [Microsoft Excel 2007 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Microsoft///Office///Excel///2007.png]\n\n### Excel 2010 (v14.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2010](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2010), this is the next major version after v12.0, as version [number 13 was skipped](https://bliptext.com/articles/triskaidekaphobia).\nMinor enhancements and 64-bit support, including the following:\n# [Microsoft Excel 2010 running on Windows 7 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Excel///2010.png]\n\n### Excel 2013 (v15.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2013](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2013), along with a lot of new tools included in this release:\n\n### Excel 2016 (v16.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2016](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2016), along with a lot of new tools included in this release:\n\n### Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Office 365 and subsequent (v16.0)\nMicrosoft no longer releases Office or Excel in discrete versions.\nInstead, features are introduced automatically over time using Windows Update.\nThe version number remains 16.0.\nThereafter only the approximate dates when features appear can now be given.\n\n## Apple Macintosh\n# [Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Microsoft///Excel///for///Mac///2011.png]\n\n## OS/2\n\n## Summary\n\n# Impact\nExcel offers many [user interface](https://bliptext.com/articles/user-interface) tweaks over the earliest electronic spreadsheets; however, the essence remains the same as in the original spreadsheet software, [VisiCalc](https://bliptext.com/articles/visicalc): the program displays cells organized in rows and columns, and each cell may contain data or a formula, with relative or absolute references to other cells.\nExcel 2.0 for Windows, which was modeled after its Mac GUI-based counterpart, indirectly expanded the installed base of the then-nascent Windows environment.\nExcel 2.0 was released a month before Windows 2.0, and the installed base of Windows was so low at that point in 1987 that Microsoft had to bundle a runtime version of Windows 1.0 with Excel 2.0.\nUnlike Microsoft Word, there never was a DOS version of Excel.\nExcel became the first spreadsheet to allow the user to define the appearance of spreadsheets (fonts, character attributes, and cell appearance).\nIt also introduced intelligent cell re-computation, where only cells dependent on the cell being modified are updated (previous spreadsheet programs recomputed everything all the time or waited for a specific user command).\nExcel introduced auto-fill, the ability to drag and expand the selection box to automatically copy a cell or row contents to adjacent cells or rows, adjusting the copies intelligently by automatically incrementing cell references or contents.\nExcel also introduced extensive graphing capabilities.\n\n# Security\nBecause Excel is widely used, it has been attacked by hackers.\nWhile Excel is not directly exposed to the Internet, if an attacker can get a victim to open a file in Excel, and there is an appropriate security bug in Excel, then the attacker can gain control of the victim's computer.\nUK's [GCHQ](https://bliptext.com/articles/gchq) has a tool named TORNADO ALLEY with this purpose.\n\n# Games\nBesides the easter eggs, numerous games have been created or recreated in Excel, such as [Tetris](https://bliptext.com/articles/tetris), 2048, [Scrabble](https://bliptext.com/articles/scrabble), [Yahtzee](https://bliptext.com/articles/yahtzee), [Angry Birds](https://bliptext.com/articles/angry-birds), [Pac-Man](https://bliptext.com/articles/pac-man), Civilization, Monopoly, Battleship, [Blackjack](https://bliptext.com/articles/blackjack), [Space Invaders](https://bliptext.com/articles/space-invaders), and others.\nIn 2020, Excel became an [esport](https://bliptext.com/articles/esport) with the advent of the [Financial Modeling World Cup](https://bliptext.com/articles/financial-modeling-world-cup).","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T16:48:19.200Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T16:48:19.200Z","search_vector":"'excel':2 'microsoft':1","search_content":" \n \n**Name:** Microsoft Excel \n**Screenshot:** Microsoft Excel.png \n**Developer:** [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) \n**Released:** November 19, 1987 \n**Ver Layout:** stacked \n**Operating System:** [Microsoft Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows) \n**Programming Language:** [C++](https://bliptext.com/articles/c) (back-end) \n**Genre:** [Spreadsheet](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) \n**License:** [Trialware](https://bliptext.com/articles/trialware) \n**Website:** microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel \n \n\n# \n**[Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) Excel** is a [spreadsheet](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) editor developed by [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) for [Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows), [macOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/macos), [Android](https://bliptext.com/articles/android-operating-system), [iOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ios) and [iPadOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ipados).\nIt features [calculation](https://bliptext.com/articles/calculation) or [computation](https://bliptext.com/articles/computation) capabilities, graphing tools, [pivot tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivot-table), and a [macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) programming language called [Visual Basic for Applications](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) (VBA).\nExcel forms part of the [Microsoft 365](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-365) suite of software.\n\n# Features\n\n## Basic operation\nMicrosoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets, using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations.\nIt has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering, and financial needs.\nIn addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display.\nIt allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using [pivot tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivot-table) and the scenario manager).\nA [PivotTable](https://bliptext.com/articles/pivottable) is a tool for [data analysis](https://bliptext.com/articles/data-analysis).\nIt does this by simplifying large data sets via PivotTable fields.\nIt has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics, and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet.\nIt also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called application, or decision support system (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer, or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports.\nIn a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule, analyze the results, make a [Word](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-word) report or [PowerPoint](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-powerpoint) slide show, and e-mail these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.\nMicrosoft allows for a number of optional command-line switches to control the manner in which Excel starts.\n\n## Functions\nExcel 2016 has 484 functions.\nOf these, 360 existed prior to Excel 2010.\nMicrosoft classifies these functions into 14 categories.\nOf the 484 current functions, 386 may be called from [VBA](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) as methods of the object \"WorksheetFunction\" and 44 have the same names as [VBA](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic-for-applications) functions.\nWith the introduction of LAMBDA, Excel became [Turing complete](https://bliptext.com/articles/turing-complete).\n\n## Macro programming\n\n### VBA programming\nThe Windows version of Excel supports programming through Microsoft's [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) for Applications (VBA), which is a dialect of [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic).\nProgramming with VBA allows spreadsheet manipulation that is awkward or impossible with standard spreadsheet techniques.\nProgrammers may write code directly using the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which includes a window for writing code, debugging code, and code module organization environment.\nThe user can implement numerical methods as well as automating tasks such as formatting or data organization in VBA and guide the calculation using any desired intermediate results reported back to the spreadsheet.\nVBA was removed from Mac Excel 2008, as the developers did not believe that a timely release would allow porting the VBA engine natively to [Mac OS X](https://bliptext.com/articles/macos).\nVBA was restored in the next version, Mac Excel 2011, although the build lacks support for [ActiveX](https://bliptext.com/articles/activex) objects, impacting some high level developer tools.\nA common and easy way to generate VBA code is by using the [Macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) Recorder.\nThe Macro Recorder records actions of the user and generates VBA code in the form of a macro.\nThese actions can then be repeated automatically by running the macro.\nThe macros can also be linked to different trigger types like keyboard shortcuts, a command button or a graphic.\nThe actions in the macro can be executed from these trigger types or from the generic toolbar options.\nThe VBA code of the macro can also be edited in the VBE.\nCertain features such as loop functions and screen prompt by their own properties, and some graphical display items, cannot be recorded but must be entered into the VBA module directly by the programmer.\nAdvanced users can employ user prompts to create an interactive program, or react to events such as sheets being loaded or changed.\nMacro Recorded code may not be compatible with Excel versions.\nSome code that is used in Excel 2010 cannot be used in Excel 2003.\nMaking a Macro that changes the cell colors and making changes to other aspects of cells may not be backward compatible.\nVBA code interacts with the spreadsheet through the Excel Object Model, a vocabulary identifying spreadsheet objects, and a set of supplied functions or methods that enable reading and writing to the spreadsheet and interaction with its users (for example, through custom toolbars or command bars and message boxes).\nUser-created VBA [subroutines](https://bliptext.com/articles/subroutine) execute these actions and operate like macros generated using the macro recorder, but are more flexible and efficient.\n# [Use of a user-defined function sq(x) in Microsoft Excel. The named variables x & y are identified in the Name Manager. The function sq is introduced using the Visual Basic editor supplied with Excel. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Functions///in///Excel.PNG]\n# [Subroutine in Excel calculates the square of named column variable x read from the spreadsheet, and writes it into the named column variable y. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Subroutine///in///Excel.PNG]\n\n### History\nFrom its first version Excel supported end-user programming of macros (automation of repetitive tasks) and user-defined functions (extension of Excel's built-in function library).\nIn early versions of Excel, these programs were written in a macro language whose statements had formula syntax and resided in the cells of special-purpose macro sheets (stored with file extension .XLM in Windows.) XLM was the default macro language for Excel through Excel 4.0.\nBeginning with version 5.0 Excel recorded macros in VBA by default but with version 5.0 XLM recording was still allowed as an option.\nAfter version 5.0 that option was discontinued.\nAll versions of Excel, including Excel 2021, are capable of running an XLM macro, though Microsoft discourages their use.\n\n## Python programming\nIn 2023 Microsoft announced Excel would support the [Python](https://bliptext.com/articles/python-programming-language) programming language directly.\nAs of January 2024, Python in Excel is available in the Microsoft 365 Insider Program.\n\n## Charts\nExcel supports [charts](https://bliptext.com/articles/chart), [graphs](https://bliptext.com/articles/graph-of-a-function), or [histograms](https://bliptext.com/articles/histogram) generated from specified groups of cells.\nIt also supports Pivot Charts that allow for a chart to be linked directly to a Pivot table.\nThis allows the chart to be refreshed with the Pivot Table.\nThe generated graphic component can either be embedded within the current sheet or added as a separate object.\nThese displays are dynamically updated if the content of cells changes.\nFor example, suppose that the important design requirements are displayed visually; then, in response to a user's change in trial values for parameters, the curves describing the design change shape, and their points of intersection shift, assisting the selection of the best design.\n# [Graph made using Microsoft Excel | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Excel///chart.PNG]\n\n## Add-ins\nAdditional features are available using [add-ins](https://bliptext.com/articles/add-in).\nSeveral are provided with Excel, including:\n\n# Data storage and communication\n\n## Number of rows and columns\nVersions of Excel up to 7.0 had a limitation in the size of their data sets of 16K (214 = 16,384) rows.\nVersions 8.0 through 11.0 could handle 64K (216 = 65,536) rows and 256 columns (28 as label 'IV').\nVersion 12.0 onwards, including the current Version 16.x, can handle over 1M (220 = 1,048,576) rows, and 16,384 (214, labeled as column 'XFD') columns.\n\n## File formats\nUp until the 2007 version, Microsoft Excel used a proprietary binary file format called Excel Binary File Format (.XLS) as its primary format.\nExcel 2007 uses [Office Open [XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-open-xml) as its primary file format, an [XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)-based format that followed after a previous [XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)-based format called \"[XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml) Spreadsheet\" (\"[XML](https://bliptext.com/articles/xml)SS\"), first introduced in Excel 2002.\nAlthough supporting and encouraging the use of new XML-based formats as replacements, Excel 2007 remained backwards-compatible with the traditional, binary formats.\nIn addition, most versions of Microsoft Excel can read [CSV](https://bliptext.com/articles/comma-separated-values), [DBF](https://bliptext.com/articles/dbase), [SYLK](https://bliptext.com/articles/symbolic-link-sylk), [DIF](https://bliptext.com/articles/data-interchange-format), and other legacy formats.\nSupport for some older file formats was removed in Excel 2007.\nThe file formats were mainly from DOS-based programs.\n\n### Binary\n[OpenOffice.org](https://bliptext.com/articles/openoffice-org) has created documentation of the Excel format.\nTwo epochs of the format exist: the 97-2003 [OLE](https://bliptext.com/articles/object-linking-and-embedding) format, and the older stream format.\nMicrosoft has made the Excel binary format specification available to freely download.\n\n### XML Spreadsheet\nThe XML Spreadsheet format introduced in Excel 2002 is a simple, XML based format missing some more advanced features like storage of VBA macros.\nThough the intended file extension for this format is .xml, the program also correctly handles XML files with .xls extension.\nThis feature is widely used by third-party applications (e.g. [MySQL](https://bliptext.com/articles/mysql) Query Browser) to offer \"export to Excel\" capabilities without implementing binary file format.\nThe following example will be correctly opened by Excel if saved either as Book1.xml or Book1.xls:\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n### Current file extensions\nMicrosoft Excel 2007, along with the other products in the [Microsoft Office 2007](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-2007) suite, introduced new file formats.\nThe first of these (.xlsx) is defined in the Office Open XML (OOXML) specification.\n\n### Old file extensions\n\n## Using other Windows applications\nWindows applications such as [Microsoft Access](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-access) and Microsoft Word, as well as Excel can communicate with each other and use each other's capabilities.\nThe most common is [Dynamic Data Exchange](https://bliptext.com/articles/dynamic-data-exchange): although strongly deprecated by Microsoft, this is a common method to send data between applications running on Windows, with official MS publications referring to it as \"the protocol from hell\".\nAs the name suggests, it allows applications to supply data to others for calculation and display.\nIt is very common in financial markets, being used to connect to important financial data services such as [Bloomberg](https://bliptext.com/articles/bloomberg-l-p) and [Reuters](https://bliptext.com/articles/reuters).\nOLE Object Linking and Embedding allows a Windows application to control another to enable it to format or calculate data.\nThis may take on the form of \"embedding\" where an application uses another to handle a task that it is more suited to, for example a [PowerPoint](https://bliptext.com/articles/powerpoint) presentation may be embedded in an Excel spreadsheet or vice versa.\n\n## Using external data\nExcel users can access external [data sources](https://bliptext.com/articles/computer-file) via Microsoft Office features such as (for example) .odc connections built with the Office Data Connection file format.\nExcel files themselves may be updated using a Microsoft supplied [ODBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/odbc) driver.\nExcel can accept data in real-time through several programming interfaces, which allow it to communicate with many data sources such as Bloomberg and Reuters (through addins such as [Power Plus Pro](https://bliptext.com/articles/power-plus-pro)).\nAlternatively, [Microsoft Query](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-query-by-example) provides [ODBC-based](https://bliptext.com/articles/open-database-connectivity) browsing within Microsoft Excel.\n\n## Export and migration of spreadsheets\nProgrammers have produced [APIs](https://bliptext.com/articles/application-programming-interface) to open Excel spreadsheets in a variety of applications and environments other than Microsoft Excel.\nThese include opening Excel documents on the web using either ActiveX controls, or plugins like the [Adobe Flash Player](https://bliptext.com/articles/adobe-flash).\nThe [Apache POI](https://bliptext.com/articles/apache-poi) [open-source](https://bliptext.com/articles/open-source) project provides [Java](https://bliptext.com/articles/java-platform) libraries for reading and writing Excel spreadsheet files.\n\n## Password protection\nMicrosoft Excel protection offers several types of passwords:\nAll passwords except password to open a document can be removed instantly regardless of the Microsoft Excel version used to create the document.\nThese types of passwords are used primarily for shared work on a document.\nSuch password-protected documents are not [encrypted](https://bliptext.com/articles/encrypted), and data sources from a set password are saved in a document's [header](https://bliptext.com/articles/header-computing).\nPassword to protect workbook is an exception – when it is set, a document is encrypted with the standard password \"VelvetSweatshop\", but since it is known to the public, it actually does not add any extra protection to the document.\nThe only type of password that can prevent a trespasser from gaining access to a document is the password to open a document.\nThe cryptographic strength of this kind of protection depends strongly on the Microsoft Excel version that was used to create the document.\nIn Microsoft Excel 95 and earlier versions, the password to open is converted to a 16-bit [key](https://bliptext.com/articles/key-cryptography) that can be instantly cracked.\nIn Excel 97/2000 the password is converted to a 40-bit key, which can also be cracked very quickly using modern equipment.\nAs regards services that use [rainbow tables](https://bliptext.com/articles/rainbow-tables) (e.g. Password-Find), it takes up to several seconds to remove protection.\nIn addition, password-cracking programs can [brute-force attack](https://bliptext.com/articles/brute-force-attack) passwords at a rate of hundreds of thousands of passwords a second, which not only lets them decrypt a document but also find the original password.\nIn Excel 2003/XP the encryption is slightly better – a user can choose any encryption algorithm that is available in the system (see [Cryptographic Service Provider](https://bliptext.com/articles/cryptographic-service-provider)).\nDue to the CSP, an Excel file cannot be decrypted, and thus the password to open cannot be removed, though the brute-force attack speed remains quite high.\nNevertheless, the older Excel 97/2000 algorithm is set by the default.\nTherefore, users who do not change the default settings lack reliable protection of their documents.\nThe situation changed fundamentally in Excel 2007, where the modern [AES](https://bliptext.com/articles/advanced-encryption-standard) algorithm with a key of 128 bits started being used for decryption, and a 50,000-fold use of the hash function [SHA1](https://bliptext.com/articles/sha1) reduced the speed of brute-force attacks down to hundreds of passwords per second.\nIn Excel 2010, the strength of the protection by the default was increased two times due to the use of a 100,000-fold SHA1 to convert a password to a key.\n\n# Other platforms\n\n## Excel for mobile\nExcel Mobile is a spreadsheet program that can edit XLSX files.\nIt can edit and format text in cells, calculate formulas, search within the spreadsheet, sort rows and columns, freeze panes, filter the columns, add comments, and create charts.\nIt cannot add columns or rows except at the edge of the document, rearrange columns or rows, delete rows or columns, or add spreadsheet tabs.\nThe 2007 version has the ability to use a full-screen mode to deal with limited screen resolution, as well as split panes to view different parts of a worksheet at one time.\nProtection settings, zoom settings, autofilter settings, certain chart formatting, hidden sheets, and other features are not supported on Excel Mobile, and will be modified upon opening and saving a workbook.\nIn 2015, Excel Mobile became available for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile on [Windows Store](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-store).\n\n## Excel for the web\nExcel for the web is a free lightweight version of Microsoft Excel available as part of Office on the web, which also includes web versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.\nExcel for the web can display most of the features available in the desktop versions of Excel, although it may not be able to insert or edit them.\nCertain data connections are not accessible on Excel for the web, including with charts that may use these external connections.\nExcel for the web also cannot display legacy features, such as Excel 4.0 macros or Excel 5.0 dialog sheets.\nThere are also small differences between how some of the Excel functions work.\n\n# Microsoft Excel Viewer\nMicrosoft Excel Viewer was a freeware program for [Microsoft Windows](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-windows) for viewing and printing spreadsheet documents created by Excel.\nMicrosoft retired the viewer in April 2018 with the last security update released in February 2019 for Excel Viewer 2007 (SP3).\nThe first version released by Microsoft was Excel 97 Viewer.\nExcel 97 Viewer was supported in [Windows CE](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-embedded-compact) for [Handheld PCs](https://bliptext.com/articles/handheld-pc).\nIn October 2004, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003.\nIn September 2007, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3).\nIn January 2008, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 (featuring a non-collapsible [Ribbon](https://bliptext.com/articles/ribbon-computing) interface).\nIn April 2009, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2).\nIn October 2011, Microsoft released Excel Viewer 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3).\nMicrosoft advises to view and print Excel files for free to use the [Excel Mobile](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office) application for [Windows 10](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-10) and for [Windows 7](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-7) and [Windows 8](https://bliptext.com/articles/windows-8) to upload the file to [OneDrive](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-onedrive) and use [Excel for the web](https://bliptext.com/articles/) with a [Microsoft account](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-account) to open them in a [browser](https://bliptext.com/articles/web-browser).\n\n# Limitations and errors\nIn addition to [issues with spreadsheets](https://bliptext.com/articles/spreadsheet) in general, other problems specific to Excel include numeric precision, misleading statistics functions, mod function errors, date limitations and more.\n\n## Numeric precision\nDespite the use of 15-figure precision, Excel can display many more figures (up to thirty) upon user request.\nBut the displayed figures are not those actually used in its computations, and so, for example, the difference of two numbers may differ from the difference of their displayed values.\nAlthough such departures are usually beyond the 15th decimal, exceptions do occur, especially for very large or very small numbers.\nSerious errors can occur if decisions are made based upon automated comparisons of numbers (for example, using the Excel If function), as equality of two numbers can be unpredictable.\nIn the figure, the fraction 1/9000 is displayed in Excel.\nAlthough this number has a decimal representation that is an infinite string of ones, Excel displays only the leading 15 figures.\nIn the second line, the number one is added to the fraction, and again Excel displays only 15 figures.\nIn the third line, one is subtracted from the sum using Excel.\nBecause the sum in the second line has only eleven 1's after the decimal, the difference when 1 is subtracted from this displayed value is three 0's followed by a string of eleven 1's. However, the difference reported by Excel in the third line is three 0's followed by a string of thirteen 1's and two extra erroneous digits.\nThis is because Excel calculates with about half a digit more than it displays.\nExcel works with a modified 1985 version of the [IEEE 754 specification](https://bliptext.com/articles/ieee-754-2008).\nExcel's implementation involves conversions between binary and decimal representations, leading to accuracy that is on average better than one would expect from simple fifteen digit precision, but that can be worse.\nSee the main article for details.\nBesides accuracy in user computations, the question of accuracy in Excel-provided functions may be raised.\nParticularly in the arena of statistical functions, Excel has been criticized for sacrificing accuracy for speed of calculation.\nAs many calculations in Excel are executed using VBA, an additional issue is the accuracy of VBA, which varies with variable type and user-requested precision.\n# [Excel maintains 15 figures in its numbers, but they are not always accurate: the bottom line should be the same as the top line. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Excel///fifteen///figure.PNG]\n\n## Statistical functions\nThe accuracy and convenience of statistical tools in Excel has been criticized, as mishandling situations when data is missing, as returning incorrect values due to inept handling of round-off and large numbers, as only selectively updating calculations on a spreadsheet when some cell values are changed, and as having a limited set of statistical tools.\nMicrosoft has announced that some of these issues are addressed in Excel 2010.\n\n## Excel MOD function error\nExcel has issues with [modulo operations](https://bliptext.com/articles/modulo-operation).\nIn the case of excessively large results, Excel will return the error warning #NUM!\ninstead of an answer.\n\n## Fictional leap day in the year 1900\nExcel includes February 29, 1900, incorrectly treating 1900 as a [leap year](https://bliptext.com/articles/leap-year), even though e.g. 2100 is correctly treated as a non-[leap year](https://bliptext.com/articles/leap-year).\nThus, a formula counting dates between (for example) February 1, 1900 and March 1, 1900 will return an incorrect result.\nThe bug originated from [Lotus 1-2-3](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-1-2-3), where it was deliberately implemented to save computer memory, and was also intentionally implemented in Excel for the purpose of [bug compatibility](https://bliptext.com/articles/bug-compatibility).\nThis legacy has later been carried over into Office Open XML file format.\nThus a (not necessarily whole) number greater than or equal to 61 interpreted as a date and time are the (real) number of days after December 30, 1899, 0:00, a non-negative number less than 60 is the number of days after December 31, 1899, 0:00, and numbers with whole part 60 represent the fictional day.\n\n## Date range\nExcel supports dates with years in the range 1900–9999, except that December 31, 1899, can be entered as 0 and is displayed as 0-jan-1900.\nConverting a fraction of a day into hours, minutes and days by treating it as a moment on the day January 1, 1900, does not work for a negative fraction.\n\n## Conversion problems\nIf text is entered that happens to be in a form that Excel interprets as a date, the text can be unintentionally changed to a standard date format.\nA similar problem occurs when a text happens to be in the form of a floating-point notation of a number.\nIn these cases the original exact text cannot be recovered from the result.\nFormatting the cell as TEXT before entering ambiguous text prevents Excel from converting it.\nThis issue has caused a well known problem in the analysis of [DNA](https://bliptext.com/articles/dna), for example in [bioinformatics](https://bliptext.com/articles/bioinformatics).\nAs first reported in 2004, genetic scientists found that Excel automatically and incorrectly converts certain [gene names](https://bliptext.com/articles/gene-nomenclature) into dates.\nA follow-up study in 2016 found many [peer reviewed](https://bliptext.com/articles/peer-review) [scientific journal](https://bliptext.com/articles/scientific-journal) papers had been affected and that \"Of the selected journals, the proportion of published articles with Excel files containing gene lists that are affected by gene name errors is 19.6%.\"\nExcel parses the copied and pasted data and sometimes changes them depending on what it thinks they are.\nFor example, [MARCH1 (Membrane Associated Ring-CH-type finger 1)](https://bliptext.com/articles/march2) gets converted to the date March 1 (1-Mar) and [SEPT2 (Septin 2)](https://bliptext.com/articles/sept2) is converted into September 2 (2-Sep) etc. While some secondary news sources reported this as a fault with Excel, the original authors of the 2016 paper placed the blame with the researchers misusing Excel.\nIn August 2020 the [HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)](https://bliptext.com/articles/hugo-gene-nomenclature-committee) published new guidelines in the journal [Nature](https://bliptext.com/articles/nature-journal) regarding gene naming in order to avoid issues with \"symbols that affect data handling and retrieval.\"\nSo far 27 genes have been renamed, including changing MARCH1 to MARCHF1 and SEPT1 to SEPTIN1 in order to avoid accidental conversion of the gene names into dates.\nIn October 2023, Microsoft fixed the long-standing issue.\n\n## Errors with large strings\nThe following functions return incorrect results when passed a string longer than 255 characters:\n\n## Filenames\nMicrosoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:\nThe reason is for calculation ambiguity with linked cells.\nIf there is a cell ='[Book1.xlsx]Sheet1'!$G$33, and there are two books named \"Book1\" open, there is no way to tell which one the user means.\n\n# Versions\n\n## Early history\nMicrosoft originally marketed a spreadsheet program called [Multiplan](https://bliptext.com/articles/multiplan) in 1982.\nMultiplan became very popular on [CP/M](https://bliptext.com/articles/cp-m) systems, but on [MS-DOS](https://bliptext.com/articles/ms-dos) systems it lost popularity to [Lotus 1-2-3](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-1-2-3).\nMicrosoft released the first version of Excel for the Macintosh on September 30, 1985, and the first Windows version was 2.05 (to synchronize with the Macintosh version 2.2) on November 19, 1987.\n[Lotus](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotus-software) was slow to bring 1-2-3 to Windows and by the early 1990s, Excel had started to outsell 1-2-3 and helped [Microsoft](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft) achieve its position as a leading PC software developer.\nThis accomplishment solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future in developing [GUI](https://bliptext.com/articles/graphical-user-interface) software.\nMicrosoft maintained its advantage with regular new releases, every two years or so.\n\n## Microsoft Windows\nExcel 2.0 is the first version of Excel for the [Intel](https://bliptext.com/articles/intel) platform.\nVersions prior to 2.0 were only available on the Apple Macintosh.\n\n### Excel 2.0 (1987)\nThe first Windows version was labeled \"2\" to correspond to the Mac version.\nIt was announced on October 6, 1987, and released on November 19.\nThis included a run-time version of Windows.\n[BYTE](https://bliptext.com/articles/byte) in 1989 listed Excel for Windows as among the \"Distinction\" winners of the [BYTE](https://bliptext.com/articles/byte) Awards.\nThe magazine stated that the port of the \"extraordinary\" Macintosh version \"shines\", with a user interface as good as or better than the original.\n\n### Excel 3.0 (1990)\nIncluded toolbars, drawing capabilities, outlining, add-in support, 3D charts, and many more new features.\n\n### Excel 4.0 (1992)\nIntroduced [auto-fill](https://bliptext.com/articles/).\nAlso, an [easter egg](https://bliptext.com/articles/easter-egg-media) in Excel 4.0 reveals a hidden animation of a dancing set of numbers 1 through 3, representing Lotus 1–2–3, which is then crushed by an Excel logo.\n\n### Excel 5.0 (1993)\nWith version 5.0, Excel included [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on [Visual Basic](https://bliptext.com/articles/visual-basic) which adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel and to provide [user-defined functions](https://bliptext.com/articles/user-defined-function) (UDF) for use in worksheets.\nVBA includes a fully featured [integrated development environment](https://bliptext.com/articles/integrated-development-environment) (IDE).\n[Macro](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-computer-science) recording can produce VBA code replicating user actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks.\nVBA allows the creation of forms and in‑worksheet controls to communicate with the user.\nThe language supports use (but not creation) of [ActiveX](https://bliptext.com/articles/component-object-model) ([COM](https://bliptext.com/articles/component-object-model)) [DLL](https://bliptext.com/articles/dynamic-link-library)'s; later versions add support for class modules allowing the use of basic [object-oriented programming](https://bliptext.com/articles/object-oriented-programming) techniques.\nThe automation functionality provided by VBA made Excel a target for [macro viruses](https://bliptext.com/articles/macro-virus).\nThis caused serious problems until antivirus products began to detect these viruses.\nMicrosoft belatedly took steps to prevent the misuse by adding the ability to disable macros completely, to enable macros when opening a workbook or to trust all macros signed using a trusted certificate.\nVersions 5.0 to 9.0 of Excel contain various [Easter eggs](https://bliptext.com/articles/easter-egg-virtual), including a \"Hall of Tortured Souls\", a Doom-like minigame, although since version 10 Microsoft has taken measures to eliminate such undocumented features from their products.\n5.0 was released in a 16-bit x86 version for Windows 3.1 and later in a 32-bit version for NT 3.51 (x86/Alpha/PowerPC)\n\n### Excel 95 (v7.0)\nReleased in 1995 with [Microsoft Office for Windows 95](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-for-windows-95), this is the first major version after Excel 5.0, as there is no Excel 6.0 with all of the Office applications standardizing on the same major version number.\nInternal rewrite to 32-bits.\nAlmost no external changes, but faster and more stable.\nExcel 95 contained a hidden Doom-like mini-game called \"The Hall of Tortured Souls\", a series of rooms featuring the names and faces of the developers as an Easter egg.\n# [Microsoft Excel 95 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Screenshot///of///Microsoft///Office///Excel///95%2C///an///application///part///of///Microsoft///Office///system.png]\n\n### Excel 97 (v8.0)\nIncluded in [Office 97](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-97) (for x86 and Alpha).\nThis was a major upgrade that introduced the paper clip office assistant and featured standard VBA used instead of internal Excel Basic.\nIt introduced the now-removed Natural Language labels.\nThis version of Excel includes a flight simulator as an Easter egg.\n\n### Excel 2000 (v9.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2000](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2000).\nThis was a minor upgrade but introduced an upgrade to the clipboard where it can hold multiple objects at once.\nThe Office Assistant, whose frequent unsolicited appearance in Excel 97 had annoyed many users, became less intrusive.\nA small 3-D game called \"Dev Hunter\" (inspired by [Spy Hunter](https://bliptext.com/articles/spy-hunter)) was included as an Easter egg.\n# [Microsoft Excel 2000 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/FileScreenshot///of///Microsoft///Office///Excel///2000.png]\n\n### Excel 2002 (v10.0)\nIncluded in [Office XP](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-xp).\nVery minor enhancements.\n\n### Excel 2003 (v11.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2003](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2003).\nMinor enhancements.\n\n### Excel 2007 (v12.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2007](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2007).\nThis release was a major upgrade from the previous version.\nSimilar to other updated Office products, Excel in 2007 used the new Ribbon menu system.\nThis was different from what users were used to, and was met with mixed reactions.\nOne study reported fairly good acceptance by users except for highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical [WIMP interface](https://bliptext.com/articles/wimp-interface), but was less convinced in terms of efficiency and organization.\nHowever, an online survey reported that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being \"somewhat more negative\" than intermediate users, and users reporting a [self-estimated](https://bliptext.com/articles/self-estimated) reduction in productivity.\nAdded functionality included Tables, and the [SmartArt](https://bliptext.com/articles/microsoft-office-2007) set of editable business diagrams.\nAlso added was an improved management of named variables through the Name Manager, and much-improved flexibility in formatting graphs, which allow (x, y) coordinate labeling and lines of arbitrary weight.\nSeveral improvements to pivot tables were introduced.\nAlso like other office products, the Office Open XML file formats were introduced, including .xlsm for a workbook with macros and .xlsx for a workbook without macros.\nSpecifically, many of the size limitations of previous versions were greatly increased.\nTo illustrate, the number of rows was now 1,048,576 (220) and the columns was 16,384 (214; the far-right column is XFD).\nThis changes what is a valid A1 reference versus a named range.\nThis version made more extensive use of multiple cores for the calculation of spreadsheets; however, VBA macros are not handled in parallel and XLL add‑ins were only executed in parallel if they were [thread-safe](https://bliptext.com/articles/thread-safety) and this was indicated at registration.\n# [Microsoft Excel 2007 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Microsoft///Office///Excel///2007.png]\n\n### Excel 2010 (v14.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2010](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2010), this is the next major version after v12.0, as version [number 13 was skipped](https://bliptext.com/articles/triskaidekaphobia).\nMinor enhancements and 64-bit support, including the following:\n# [Microsoft Excel 2010 running on Windows 7 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Excel///2010.png]\n\n### Excel 2013 (v15.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2013](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2013), along with a lot of new tools included in this release:\n\n### Excel 2016 (v16.0)\nIncluded in [Office 2016](https://bliptext.com/articles/office-2016), along with a lot of new tools included in this release:\n\n### Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Office 365 and subsequent (v16.0)\nMicrosoft no longer releases Office or Excel in discrete versions.\nInstead, features are introduced automatically over time using Windows Update.\nThe version number remains 16.0.\nThereafter only the approximate dates when features appear can now be given.\n\n## Apple Macintosh\n# [Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Microsoft///Excel///for///Mac///2011.png]\n\n## OS/2\n\n## Summary\n\n# Impact\nExcel offers many [user interface](https://bliptext.com/articles/user-interface) tweaks over the earliest electronic spreadsheets; however, the essence remains the same as in the original spreadsheet software, [VisiCalc](https://bliptext.com/articles/visicalc): the program displays cells organized in rows and columns, and each cell may contain data or a formula, with relative or absolute references to other cells.\nExcel 2.0 for Windows, which was modeled after its Mac GUI-based counterpart, indirectly expanded the installed base of the then-nascent Windows environment.\nExcel 2.0 was released a month before Windows 2.0, and the installed base of Windows was so low at that point in 1987 that Microsoft had to bundle a runtime version of Windows 1.0 with Excel 2.0.\nUnlike Microsoft Word, there never was a DOS version of Excel.\nExcel became the first spreadsheet to allow the user to define the appearance of spreadsheets (fonts, character attributes, and cell appearance).\nIt also introduced intelligent cell re-computation, where only cells dependent on the cell being modified are updated (previous spreadsheet programs recomputed everything all the time or waited for a specific user command).\nExcel introduced auto-fill, the ability to drag and expand the selection box to automatically copy a cell or row contents to adjacent cells or rows, adjusting the copies intelligently by automatically incrementing cell references or contents.\nExcel also introduced extensive graphing capabilities.\n\n# Security\nBecause Excel is widely used, it has been attacked by hackers.\nWhile Excel is not directly exposed to the Internet, if an attacker can get a victim to open a file in Excel, and there is an appropriate security bug in Excel, then the attacker can gain control of the victim's computer.\nUK's [GCHQ](https://bliptext.com/articles/gchq) has a tool named TORNADO ALLEY with this purpose.\n\n# Games\nBesides the easter eggs, numerous games have been created or recreated in Excel, such as [Tetris](https://bliptext.com/articles/tetris), 2048, [Scrabble](https://bliptext.com/articles/scrabble), [Yahtzee](https://bliptext.com/articles/yahtzee), [Angry Birds](https://bliptext.com/articles/angry-birds), [Pac-Man](https://bliptext.com/articles/pac-man), Civilization, Monopoly, Battleship, [Blackjack](https://bliptext.com/articles/blackjack), [Space Invaders](https://bliptext.com/articles/space-invaders), and others.\nIn 2020, Excel became an [esport](https://bliptext.com/articles/esport) with the advent of the [Financial Modeling World Cup](https://bliptext.com/articles/financial-modeling-world-cup).","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}