Excel files are called workbooks. Whenever you start a new project in Excel, you’ll need to create a new workbook. There are several ways to start working with a workbook in Excel 2013. You can choose to create a new workbook either with a blank workbook or a predesigned template or open an existing workbook. A template is a predesigned spreadsheet you can use to create a new workbook quickly. Templates often include custom formatting and predefined formulas, so they can save you a lot of time and effort when starting a new project. 

Sometimes you may need to work with workbooks that were created in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, such as Excel 2003 or Excel 2000. When you open these types of workbooks, they will appear in compatibility mode. Compatibility mode disables certain features, so you’ll only be able to access commands found in the program that was used to create the workbook. For example, if you open a workbook created in Excel 2003, you can only use tabs and commands found in Excel 2003.

Saving and Sharing Workbooks

Whenever you create a new workbook in Excel, you’ll need to know how to save it in order to access and edit it later. As with previous versions of Excel, you can save files locally to your computer. But unlike older versions, Excel 2013 also lets you save a workbook to the cloud using OneDrive. You can also export and share workbooks with others directly from Excel. It is important to save your workbook whenever you start a new project or make changes to an existing one. Saving early and often can prevent your work from being lost. You’ll also need to pay close attention to where you save the workbook so it will be easy to find later. 

By default, Excel workbooks are saved in the .xlsx file type. However, there may be times when you need to use another file type, such as PDF or Excel 97-2003 workbook. It’s easy to export your workbook in a variety of file types. You may also find it helpful to export your workbook in other file types. To do so you need to use the plain-text version of your workbook. You can also use the save as type: drop-down menu in the save as dialog box to save workbooks in a variety of file types.