How do DOCX and XLScompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Office Open XML Document
DOCX is the default format for Microsoft Word documents. It's an XML-based format that replaced the older .doc format, offering better compression, easier recovery, and broader compatibility.
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy)
XLS is the legacy binary format used by Microsoft Excel before 2007. While superseded by XLSX, many existing spreadsheets and enterprise systems still use this format.
| Specification | DOCX | XLS |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Office Open XML Document | Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy) |
| Extension | .docx | .xls |
| MIME type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | application/vnd.ms-excel |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 2007 | 1987 |
DOCX and XLS serve different purposes. DOCX is ideal for business reports and memos, while XLS excels at legacy spreadsheet compatibility.
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.