Navigate to the folder name containing your Excel file. • To the right of your name will be a tab, and then a dropdown menu of options. • At the end of the menu, click the drop-down to choose a default. • A wizard will automatically open. This wizard can be accessed in a variety of ways: • From the main menu, go to Tools, and then click in the drop-down to see the list of available settings. • From the drop-down menu, select Save/Open (or File), or click the file name to open it. • From the shortcut, click the menu, and then the Open with option. Alternatively, open the Spreadsheet menu, click the menu, and then select Import from Finder. • From the drop-down menu, select Import. You may have to click Export, and then click Open, to import the sheet into the spreadsheet. How long does it take for the Mac to open an Excel file? — Apple Support As of version 6.0 of the Microsoft Excel Suite, it is quicker to save your work compared to running the downloaded .xls and .xlsx files directly. The time taken to download and import your files can be up to 10 seconds slower, however, and you will occasionally have to wait for the open window to respond. As of version 5.0, the .xlsx extension is available for all Microsoft Excel applications in Mac OS X. It uses Open-based Open XML (OAM) to read and write Excel workbooks. How to open Microsoft Excel spreadsheets in Mac OS X using Mac OS X's built-in OpenOffice Call program — TechCrunch The Mac App Store is full of apps that let you use Microsoft's Office applications — but you can't edit the documents right inside it—because it doesn't run any kind of Office software. Microsoft and Adobe have been collaborating on an OpenOffice alternative called OpenOffice. And while you can technically edit spreadsheets in it with the same sort of software you might use on the Mac, you're not likely to make the most of it since it doesn't let you edit spreadsheets right within it.