Opening a Numbers file in Excel won't work with extension of .xls question

[Sir Loin Steak]

Hopefully the title says it.

I have some .numbers files that I need a friend to look at on her pc with Excel 2003 SP3, but it's not working for her. I have changed the extension to .xls but it's no good, as when she tries to open them they are all gobbledegook.

Here's a snapshot of the various files I have, but notice how the icons for each is different, or rather that there are two distinct designs? Some of them DO open in Excel, but some do not.

Any help on why this is happening is appreciated.

 

[jackerin]

I have some .numbers files that I need a friend to look at on her pc with Excel 2003 SP3, but it's not working for her. I have changed the extension to .xls but it's no good, as when she tries to open them they are all gobbledegook.

Changing extension does not change file format. Look in the Save As menu in Numbers if there is an option to save as an Excel document.

 

[DJLC]

Open your files in Numbers. File > Export > Excel. Done.

 

[Sir Loin Steak]

Interesting, many thanks both.



ps, why would you want to change the extension and not the format, anyway?

 

[Mal]

In general, there aren't many good reasons to just change a file's extension, unless it was incorrect to begin with. On occasion, you can make changes that affect the way the file opens. Changing a .ppt extension to .pps, for instance, will cause a PowerPoint Presentation to open and begin playing immediately and close once the presentation is completed, simplifying the process of playing it on another computer quickly.

But as has been noted, it doesn't affect whether it can be opened by various programs, unless it was wrong originally.

jW