How do I change Excel 2007 to save in 97-2003 format by default?

Excel 2007 will save in the default file format. In most cases this will be as an Excel 2007 workbook. This can be really frustrating if you forget to change the file type on saving and realise it won't be compatible to the person you are sending it to.

Fortunately, you can save yourself this aggravation by changing the default save format to 97-2003 if you prefer. To do this, click the main office button and locate Excel Options on the bottom right of the menu (see below).

Select Save from the left side menu. From this panel you can customise how workbooks are saved. The first thing you'll notice is a drop down list next to where it says 'Save files in this format.' (see below). The default Excel Workbook refers to your 2007 version. Scroll down a couple to select 97-2003 Workbook.

Click OK and you are done. Now Excel will automatically save in 97-2003 format by default. Of course, you can change this back again or choose to save an individual workbook in another format at the time of saving.