Open old formats

Eriksson Isabelle 21 Reputation points
2021-11-08T13:32:15.067+00:00

Hi,

for how long can I open files in these formats: xls, xlsx, doc, docx, pdf, msg, bmp, txt, csv, mht, eml?
Are there any links about the subject? If I would like to open an old xls file, do I have to install an older Excel version to my computer?

Thanks in advance!

Word Management
Word Management
Word: A family of Microsoft word processing software products for creating web, email, and print documents.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
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Excel Management
Excel Management
Excel: A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
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Accepted answer
  1. John Korchok 4,926 Reputation points
    2021-11-09T00:18:00.583+00:00

    xlsx and docx are the current Office file versions. There is no end date that has been set for opening those files in Office.

    pdf, msg, bmp, txt, csv and eml are long-standing formats with no proclaimed sunset date for their useage.

    Only xls and doc are old formats. Some of those versions are, by default, not openable in modern versions of Office. However, in any Office program, you can choose File>Options>Trust Center>File Block Settings, uncheck all options and still open most of those files. Only Office files from the early 90s or earlier may not be openable in modern versions of Office due to security concerns. For those, a copy of Office 2003 should be able to open very old files.

    3 people found this answer helpful.

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  1. Eriksson Isabelle 21 Reputation points
    2021-11-09T05:55:01.313+00:00

    Thank you for the answer! Do you happen to have any references to material that back this up? :)