Which Excel file type is the smallest?

Question

As a general rule, if your file size is small (less than 5 MB), it's better to stick to XLSX/XLSM formats. Based on what I heard from people and read on many forums, a lot of people prefer to use XLSB as the file format when it comes to using Excel.

Is XLSB smaller than XLSX?

XLSB files are saved as plain binary encoded compressed data which takes less time to save and load. On average, XLSB takes 4 times shorter than the same size XLSX file.

Is CSV or XLSX smaller?

A CSV file will often be larger than the XLSX it was created from. This is because in XLSX is a actually a compressed (zipped) file - you can unzip it with a standard compression tool and check it out for yourself. You will see smaller XLSX files if there is a lot of repeat data.

How do you make Excel files smaller?

Ways to Reduce Excel File Size1Remove unnecessary worksheets, data, and formulas. The number of worksheets and the amount of data contained in an Excel file are directly related to the size of the file. ... 2Remove formatting. ... 3Remove Pivot Cache. ... 4Save in binary format (. ... 5Compress the file.

Is XLSX faster than XLS?

XLSX vs . XLS: Performance. As for speed, although XLSX is the latest Excel file format, it is slower than the old XLS format especially on files that need to use complex formula for a large set of data. For compatibility, XLS has higher compatibility than XLSX.

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