[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"extension:v3:en:xlsm":3},{"resolvedFromAlias":4,"canonicalExt":5,"ext":5,"name":6,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"updatedAt":9,"popularity":10,"summary":11,"howToOs":12,"quickAnswer":18,"answerIntro":19,"whatIs":20,"description":21,"furtherReading":22,"openInstructions":41,"commonIssues":54,"securityNotes":76,"faq":80,"aliases":90,"mimeTypes":91,"relatedExtensions":93,"breadcrumbs":140,"categoryAnchor":150,"categoryFuturePath":151,"metaDescription":152,"availableHowToOs":153,"openOnDeviceLinks":154,"cannotOpenReasons":170,"cannotOpenFixes":171,"convertOptions":172,"securityAffiliateMessaging":173,"securityAffiliates":174},false,"xlsm","Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (Office Open XML)","documents","Documents","2026-06-12T08:07:12.386Z",75,".xlsm is an Office Open XML Excel workbook that can contain VBA macros. Open it in Microsoft Excel; be cautious because macros can run code.",[13,14,15,16,17],"windows","mac","linux","ios","android","To open .XLSM files on Windows, double-click the .xlsm file to open it in Microsoft Excel, or open Excel and use File > Open.","To open an .xlsm file, use Microsoft Excel on Windows or macOS. Because .xlsm files can contain macros, Excel may open the file with macros disabled until you explicitly enable them.",".xlsm is an Excel macro-enabled workbook in the Office Open XML family (the “m” indicates the file can contain macros). It is an Open XML Spreadsheet (SpreadsheetML) package variant designed to preserve macro content alongside normal workbook data. The registered media type is application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12.",".xlsm is the macro-enabled workbook format used by modern versions of Excel that support the Office Open XML file formats. Microsoft’s “m” extensions indicate that the document can contain macros, and Excel requires this format when saving workbooks that contain macros.\n\nIn practice, .xlsm is used for spreadsheets that automate tasks with macros (for example, workflow buttons, data cleanup routines, or reporting automation) while still using typical Excel features like worksheets and formulas. Microsoft notes that the Macro-Enabled Workbook format preserves macros and macro sheets in addition to standard workbook features.\n\nAt a standards level, .xlsm builds on the Office Open XML standard (ECMA-376) for spreadsheet documents, with additional conventions for macro-enabled files described in Microsoft’s Office macro-enabled format specifications.",[23,26,29,32,35,38],{"title":24,"url":25},"IANA Media Types: application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12","https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12",{"title":27,"url":28},"Microsoft Support: Open XML formats and file name extensions","https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-xml-formats-and-file-name-extensions-5200d93c-3449-4380-8e11-31ef14555b18",{"title":30,"url":31},"Microsoft Support: Save a macro","https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-a-macro-24a026ef-3145-4bf8-a5f2-2fc7889ff74a",{"title":33,"url":34},"Microsoft Support: Excel formatting and features that are not transferred to other file formats","https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/excel-formatting-and-features-that-are-not-transferred-to-other-file-formats",{"title":36,"url":37},"Microsoft Learn: [MS-OFFMACRO] Office Macro-Enabled File Formats","https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/office_standards/ms-offmacro/c7c9ec49-e401-4000-bd2c-6cabd6adb250",{"title":39,"url":40},"Ecma International: ECMA-376 Office Open XML","https://ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-376/",{"windows":42,"macos":45,"linux":48,"ios":51,"android":53},[43,44],"Double-click the .xlsm file to open it in Microsoft Excel, or open Excel and use File > Open.","If you trust the file source and need the automation, follow Excel’s prompt to enable macros; otherwise keep macros disabled and review the contents first.",[46,47],"Open the .xlsm file with Microsoft Excel for macOS (File > Open from within Excel if needed).","If Excel shows a security warning about macros, only enable them if you trust the workbook and understand what the macro does.",[49,50],"If you need the macros to run, open the file on a Windows or macOS machine with Microsoft Excel.","If you only need to view the spreadsheet data, try opening it in a compatible spreadsheet application; be aware that macro behavior may not be supported.",[52],"If you need macro functionality, open the file in Microsoft Excel on Windows or macOS; mobile viewing may not support running macros.",[52],[55,62,69],{"title":56,"description":57,"steps":58},"Macros are blocked or won’t run","Because .xlsm files can contain macros, Excel may open the workbook with macros disabled and require user action before any macro code can run.",[59,60,61],"Confirm you trust the file’s source and that you actually need the macro to run.","In Excel, use the security prompt/notification to enable macros for the workbook if appropriate.","If you don’t need automation, keep macros disabled and use the workbook as a regular spreadsheet.",{"title":63,"description":64,"steps":65},"Saving removes macros when using the wrong format","If you save a macro-containing workbook to a non-macro-enabled format (such as a standard Office Open XML workbook), the macros may be lost or not preserved.",[66,67,68],"In Excel, use Save As and choose the macro-enabled workbook format (*.xlsm).","Reopen the saved file to confirm the macros are still present and functioning.","If you must share a macro-free copy, save a separate non-macro version and keep the original .xlsm as the source.",{"title":70,"description":71,"steps":72},"Features don’t transfer when exporting to other formats","Some Excel features, including macros and macro sheets, are preserved in .xlsm but may not transfer to other file formats.",[73,74,75],"Keep the master copy as .xlsm when you need macros preserved.","When exporting or converting, verify that the destination format supports what you need (especially macros).","Test the exported file in the target application before distributing it.",[77,78,79],".xlsm files can contain macros; the “m” extension indicates macro-capable content, so treat files from unknown sources as potentially unsafe.","If a workbook asks you to enable macros, only do so when you trust the sender and you understand why the macro is needed.","If you only need the data, open the workbook with macros disabled to reduce risk from unwanted macro execution.",[81,84,87],{"question":82,"answer":83},"What does the “m” in .xlsm mean?","Microsoft uses “m” extensions in the Office Open XML family to indicate the file can contain macros; .xlsm is the Excel macro-enabled workbook format.",{"question":85,"answer":86},"Can I save a workbook with macros as .xlsx?","If the workbook contains macros, Microsoft advises saving it as a macro-enabled workbook (*.xlsm); saving to a non-macro-enabled format can remove or not preserve the macros.",{"question":88,"answer":89},"What is the MIME type for .xlsm?","application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12 (as registered with IANA).",[],[92],"application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12",[94,100,106,112,118,123,129,135],{"ext":95,"name":96,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":97,"summary":98,"howToOs":99},"pdf","Portable Document Format",100,"PDF files maintain consistent formatting across devices and are widely used for documents that require a fixed layout, such as forms and reports.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":101,"name":102,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":103,"summary":104,"howToOs":105},"docx","Microsoft Word Open XML Document",98,"DOCX files are widely used word-processing documents created by Microsoft Word, supporting rich text and multimedia elements.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":107,"name":108,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":109,"summary":110,"howToOs":111},"xlsx","Microsoft Excel Open XML Spreadsheet",92,"XLSX files are widely-used spreadsheet files that store data, formulas, and charts, and are compatible with various spreadsheet applications.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":113,"name":114,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":115,"summary":116,"howToOs":117},"log","Plain-text Log File",85,".log files are typically plain-text logs that record events, messages, and errors from software or operating systems. They can usually be opened with basic text editors on any platform.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":119,"name":120,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":115,"summary":121,"howToOs":122},"pptx","Microsoft PowerPoint Open XML Presentation","PPTX files are widely used for creating and sharing presentation decks with multimedia content.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":124,"name":125,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":126,"summary":127,"howToOs":128},"txt","Plain Text File",82,"TXT files contain plain text and can be opened on any operating system with a variety of text editors.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":130,"name":131,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":132,"summary":133,"howToOs":134},"ppsx","PowerPoint Show (Office Open XML Slideshow)",70,".ppsx is a Microsoft PowerPoint “Show” file that is designed to open directly in Slide Show mode instead of the normal editing view.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":136,"name":137,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":132,"summary":138,"howToOs":139},"pptm","PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (Open XML)",".pptm is a Microsoft PowerPoint Open XML presentation format that can contain VBA macros. It is commonly opened with Microsoft PowerPoint and is used when a slideshow needs embedded automation.",[13,14,15,16,17],[141,144,147],{"label":142,"to":143},"Home","/",{"label":145,"to":146},"File Extension Index","/file-extension",{"label":148,"to":149},".XLSM","/file-extension/xlsm","category-documents","/category/documents","Learn what .XLSM files are, how to open them on every platform, common fixes, and security best practices.",[13,14,15,16,17],[155,158,161,164,167],{"os":13,"label":156,"to":157},"Open .XLSM on Windows","/how-to/open-xlsm-on-windows",{"os":14,"label":159,"to":160},"Open .XLSM on Mac","/how-to/open-xlsm-on-mac",{"os":15,"label":162,"to":163},"Open .XLSM on Linux","/how-to/open-xlsm-on-linux",{"os":16,"label":165,"to":166},"Open .XLSM on iOS","/how-to/open-xlsm-on-ios",{"os":17,"label":168,"to":169},"Open .XLSM on Android","/how-to/open-xlsm-on-android",[56,63,70],[59,60,61],[],"active_document",[175,179],{"name":176,"description":177,"affiliateUrl":178},"Avast","Avast offers free and premium antivirus software that protects against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing. Scan files before opening them to ensure safety.","https://www.avast.com/lp-aff-consumer-store?expid=inf601",{"name":180,"description":181,"affiliateUrl":182},"Norton","Norton 360 delivers comprehensive antivirus protection, VPN, and identity theft monitoring. Scan files for threats before opening to keep your device secure.","http://buy.norton.com/aff_home?utm_campaign=en-ww_nor_n36_aff_nas_nau_nah_cj_nad_low:_sec_nat_mktc_norton_360"]