Summary
|
| Name |
Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Workbook (xls) |
| Version |
8 & 8X |
| Other names |
Microsoft Excel Workbook (97-2000) |
| Identifiers |
MIME:
application/vnd.ms-excel
Apple Uniform Type Identifier:
com.microsoft.excel.xls
PUID:
fmt/61
|
| Family |
|
| Classification |
Spreadsheet |
| Disclosure |
None |
| Description |
The Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF) is a spreadsheet file format developed by Microsoft. This description covers both BIFF 8 which is a native file format of Microsoft Excel 97 and BIFF 8X, a native file format of Microsoft Excel XP. The format is proprietary and Microsoft does not make details of its structure public. The information here is derived primarily from OpenOffice.org's reverse-engineered documentation of the format and should not therefore be regarded as definitive. BIFF 8 and BIFF 8X are both based on Microsoft’s generic OLE2 Compound Document Format. An Excel workbook is stored as a ‘Book’ stream within a Compound Document Format file. The Book stream comprises a Workbook Globals Substream, containing a Beginning of File (BOF) record, the Workbook global records, and terminated by an End of File (EOF) record. This is followed by one or more Worksheet substreams, containing a Beginning of File (BOF) record, the worksheet records, and terminated by an End of File (EOF) record. |
| Orientation |
Binary |
| Byte order |
Little-endian (Intel) |
| Related file formats |
Has lower priority than Microsoft Excel Template (97-2003)
Has lower priority than Microsoft Works Spreadsheet (6-9)
Has priority over Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook (xls) (5/95)
Has priority over OLE2 Compound Document Format
Is previous version of Microsoft Excel 2000-2003 Workbook (xls) (8X)
Is subsequent version of Excel 95 Workbook (xls) (7)
Is subtype of OLE2 Compound Document Format
|
| Technical Environment |
|
| Released |
|
| Supported until |
|
| Format Risk |
|
| Developed by |
None.
|
| Supported by |
None.
|
| Source |
 Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
|
| Source date |
11 Mar 2005 |
| Source description |
This format can be identified via a container signature in DROID version 6 or later. The PRONOM database cannot currently represent container signatures; v.122- Date range in name updated from 97 to 97-2003, version number updated to include 8X, links added, binary signature removed and description updated accordingly. Submitted by Preservica. |
| Last updated |
25 Nov 2025 |
| Note |
signature_id signature_name_text Check24 note_text Combo21 Text19 Text22 Text23
78 BIFF 8 & 8X Workbook (generic) True 09 - BOF / 08 - Version indicator / {2} - unspecified / 0006 - version / 0500 - substream Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives 02/08/2005 18/12/2012 Digital preservation research. http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/B/E/0BE8BDD7-E5E8-422A-ABFD-4342ED7AD886/Excel97-2007BinaryFileFormat%28xls%29Specification.pdf |
Details: File format summary
: detailed report on file format 
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