Let’s bring the Excel file from stone age back to modern world.

A few years ago, my company switched from Office 2003 to Office 2007.  I was one of the very  few who felt excited about the change.

On the day IT department made the announcement, they reminded users to save file as old formats (e.g. .xls, .doc, .ppt, etc.) for compatibility issue.  Well it is understood, although I don’t agree with it.  What’s the point of buying a smart phone if you intend to make phone call (and SMS) only. 😛

Office 2010 has been  the standard tool for all users in the company for quite a while.  Nevertheless, I have been constantly receiving files from colleagues in .xls format for whatever reason.

As such, I used to convert those file to .xlsx if I need to work on the file.  I used to do so by saving the file as .xlsx using the same file name.

The disadvantage of it seems not to be a big deal: just a few more clicks.  But I don’t like the fact that there will be two files of the same document.  See below:

If I do not delete the .xls file, there is a high chance that I may open the wrong file in the future and then spend hours of work on it without realizing  it is the “wrong” file… @_@

Not until recently, I realize that there is a “Convert” button…

File –> Info –> Convert (you should see this if your workbook is opened in Compatibility mode)

You will be prompted:

Simply click Yes if you plan to continue to work on the file.

In this way, not only fewer clicks involved, but also less hassle in file management.

Why I didn’t see that button before, given its prominent location… hahaha, no idea. 🙂