How to Open XLS Files in a Microsoft Spreadsheet

Using Excel
1. Click the 'Start' button or orb in the lower left corner of your screen, and point your cursor to 'All Programs.' Scroll down, click the 'Microsoft Office' folder, and click 'Microsoft Office Excel.' A blank Excel spreadsheet will open.
2. Click the circular Microsoft Office orb on the top left of the spreadsheet. Click the second option, 'Open.' Click the location of your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on the left side. People usually store documents on their desktop or in the 'My Documents' folder.
3. Click the drop-down box on the lower right corner of the dialog box, and click 'All Excel files.' This will ensure that you can open the Excel file even if it was created with a different version of Microsoft Excel than the version that you have on your computer. Double-click the folder that the Excel file is located in within the main window. Click the 'Open' button in the bottom right corner.
Without Excel
4. Visit Microsoft's Excel Viewer web page (see Resources).
5. Scroll down the page until you see a blue box with a 'Download' button at the top. Click the button. A dialog box will pop up. Click 'Save File.' The download may take anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, depending on your connection speed.
6. Double-click on the file in your downloads box (ExcelViewer.exe) when it has finished downloading. Click on the 'Yes' button if the computer prompts you for permission to install the file. The installation wizard will launch.
7. Click the check box at the bottom of the wizard to agree to the agreement terms, and click the 'Next' button in the bottom right corner. Click the 'Install' button in the bottom right corner. The program may take several minutes to install. Click 'OK' when the installation has finished. You can now double-click on any Microsoft Excel file to view it.