Got an Excel file but no Excel on your PC? Microsoft Office Excel Viewer was Microsoft's free tool for opening and printing spreadsheets without the full program. Microsoft retired it in April 2018, so it no longer receives security updates.
Excel files it can open
The viewer opens documents created in Microsoft Excel 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000, and 97. That range covers files from both the 2007 generation and several earlier releases, making it suited to reading older spreadsheets that are still shared or archived.
Its role is focused on viewing workbook contents. Open a spreadsheet to read its data, then print the document when a paper copy is needed. Excel does not need to be installed on the computer for those tasks.
When should you use Excel Viewer?
It still works for quickly reading or printing a received workbook, especially on older PCs without internet access.
Excel Viewer is not an editing tool: it cannot create a workbook or save edits to an existing one. If figures or other spreadsheet content need to be changed, the file must be opened in software that supports editing.
Viewing and printing a workbook
Because it is unsupported, opening spreadsheets from unknown senders is a security risk. Microsoft now points users to the free Excel for the web, which views and edits files in a browser with a Microsoft account.
LibreOffice Calc is another free option that opens and edits Excel files offline.
Pros
- Opens spreadsheets created with Excel 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000, and 97
- Prints Excel documents without requiring Microsoft Excel
- Provides a way to read spreadsheets without editing them
Cons
- Retired by Microsoft in April 2018; no security updates
- View and print only; no editing
System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
Is Excel Viewer still supported?
No. Microsoft retired it in April 2018, and it receives no security updates.
Can Microsoft Office Excel Viewer open XLSX files?
Yes. It opens Excel 2007 XLSX files as well as older XLS files from Excel 97 to 2003.
Can I edit or create spreadsheets in Excel Viewer?
No. It only views and prints; use Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc to edit for free.