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Format

Microsoft Excel Workspace File

Summary

Name
Microsoft Excel Workspace File
Version
5/95
Identifiers
  • MIME: application/vnd.ms-excel
  • PUID: fmt/1858
Format type
Spreadsheet
Description
An XLW file is a workspace file created by Microsoft Excel. It contains the screen locations of one or more workbooks. XLW files are used to restore the layout when working simultaneously on multiple workbooks, and as such do not contain any actual spreadsheet data; their only function is to store the physical layout of workbook files. They were created when the user selected View -> Save Workspace in earlier versions of Excel. Versions of Excel 2013 onwards do not generate Workspace files, but can open XLW files from Excel 2010 and before. It should be noted that Excel v.4 did create some workbook files with the .xlw extension, which contained worksheet data i.e. rows and columns of cells.
File extensions
xlw
Source
National Library of Australia / National Library of Australia
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Supported by
Microsoft Corporation

Relationships

Has priority over

Internal signatures

Microsoft Excel Workspace File

Note
Absolute from beginning of file, magic bytes: ……..{3}.B…ä.8…{1}…=…

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
0908080000050001{3}0742000200E40438000400{1}0005003D001200
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Added in V112

    Release date
    10 May 2023

    Microsoft Excel Workspace File: Signature researched and samples provided by The National Library of Australia.

    Microsoft Excel Workspace File 5/95: Full entry added. Submitted by The National Library of Australia.