Microsoft Excel 2004 & 2008 (Mac OS)
Microsoft Excel 2003 & 2007 (Windows)

Important note: this document is designed for Local Support Providers (LSPs). The user-level Excel document is here and includes general availability, configuration, documentation, and support information. This page was last modified on Wednesday, 02-Jul-2008 08:17:22 EDT.

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) has a Provider Notes article on the new file format that is the default in Excel 2007 for Windows and Excel 2008 for Mac OS and requires a converter to be opened in any other version of Excel. Users of Excel 2003 for Windows can install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to read Excel 2007 and Excel 2008 files in their default format. Users of Excel 2004 for Mac OS can install the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.0 to read Excel 2007 and Excel 2008 files in their default format.

Excel 2007 also has a significantly revised interface, which features a "ribbon" design and will be a major change for many users who are familiar and comfortable with other versions of Excel.

Microsoft released Excel 2008, the first Universal binary version of Excel, in January 2008. Microsoft Excel 2004 works properly in Apple's Rosetta translation layer.

Excel 2002 for Windows was removed from the supported products list in Fiscal 2007 and Excel v.X for Mac OS was removed from the supported products list in Fiscal 2009.

Microsoft software is now available to University of Pennsylvania departments through the Microsoft Select Program, a volume license agreement. A detailed description of the Microsoft Program including product information and a FAQ has been prepared by the Office of Software Licensing. All purchases of Microsoft Select software are made through the Computer Connection.

Microsoft Excel may be purchased as part of Microsoft's Office suite of products, which bundles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, or it may be purchased separately. ISC believes that Excel is generally best purchased in the bundled Office suite.

Windows Vista Compatibility

Excel 2003 and Excel 2007 function correctly in the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista.

Mac OS 10.5 Leopard Compatibility

Excel 2004 and Excel 2008 function correctly in Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.