What's lost when I save my workbook as an XML Spreadsheet 2003 file?

When you save a Microsoft Excel worksheet in XML Spreadsheet format, you might see a message telling you that some features could be lost when you save to that format. Many Excel features are retained, but some are not. Details are listed in the following tables.

Features that are lost when saving as XML Spreadsheet 2003 (.xml) format:

Excel feature	Result when saved
Auditing tracer arrows	Not retained
Charts, PivotCharts, and other graphic objects	Not retained
Chart sheets, Macro sheets, Dialog sheets	Not retained
Custom views	Not retained
Data consolidation	References are not retained
Drawing object layers	Not retained
Lists	List functionality is lost, but the data is retained.
Office Apps	Not retained
Outlining and grouping	Not retained
Password settings	Data in password-protected worksheets and workbooks cannot be saved. To publish data that's protected, do not use a password. You can, however, save a database password with a worksheet query; users will be required to enter the password when the XML Spreadsheet is opened.
PivotTable reports	Data is retained, but ability to pivot, filter, or sort is lost.
Scenarios	Not retained
Shared Workbook information	Not retained
Sparklines	Not retained
User-defined function categories	Not retained
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) projects	Not retained

Features that are retained when saving as XML Spreadsheet 2003 (.xml) format:

Excel feature	Result when saved
1904 date system	Retained
Asterisks that mark totals for OLAP data	Retained
Background refresh, retrieving data for each item in a page field individually	Retained
Calculated fields	Retained
Calculated items	Retained
Cell comments	Retained
Changes to Excel source data	Retained
Character and cell formatting	Retained
Conditional formatting	Retained
Custom calculations	Retained
Custom sort order	Retained
Customized error values and empty cell values
Data validation restrictions and messages	Retained
Distributed alignment	Retained
External data ranges	Retained
Grouped items in fields	Retained
Indented formats	Retained
Indented text	Retained
Labels in formulas	Retained
Lists	List functionality is lost, but the data is retained.
Multiple fonts in a single cell	Retained
Number formats	Retained
Offline cube file	Retained
Page fields in rows or columns	Retained
Pattern fills	Retained
PivotTable Reports	Retained
Precision as displayed	Retained
Printing and page setup features	Retained
R1C1 reference style	Retained
References to data on other worksheets	Retained
Rotated or vertical text	Retained
Subtotals	Retained
Subtotals displayed at the top of item groups	Numbers and calculations are retained. Group and outline features are not retained.
Thai alignment	Retained
Transition settings for Lotus compatibility	Retained
Web queries	Retained
Worksheet row limit	Retained

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