Editing Microsoft Excel (section)

== Versions ==
[[File:Excel_for_Mac_screenshot.png|thumb|Excel for Mac (version 16.67), running on [[macOS Big Sur]] 11.5.2]]

=== Early history ===
In 1982, Microsoft launched its first spreadsheet program, [[Multiplan]], which gained popularity on [[CP/M]] systems. However, Multiplan struggled to compete on [[MS-DOS]] systems, losing market share to [[Lotus 1-2-3]], which became the dominant spreadsheet program by 1983, surpassing both Multiplan and the earlier [[VisiCalc]].<ref name="Allan 2001">{{cite book |last=Allan |first=Roy A. |title=A History of the Personal Computer |publisher=Allan Publishing |publication-place=London, Ontario |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-9689108-0-1 |pages=12/23–12/24}}</ref><ref name="Wallace 1993">{{cite book |last=Wallace |first=James |last2=Erickson |first2=Jim |title=Hard Drive |publisher=Harper Collins |publication-place=New York |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-88730-629-7 |page=217, 221–223, 226, 229–233, 239, 243–244, 281–283}}</ref>

To address Multiplan's falling marketshare, Microsoft began developing a new, advanced spreadsheet program in 1983, codenamed "Odyssey." The project was led by Jabe Blumenthal, who worked on its design, and Doug Klunder, the primary developer of Multiplan. Originally intended for IBM PCs running CP/M and MS-DOS, the project shifted focus in early 1984 when Lotus began developing Jazz, an integrated program for the [[Apple Macintosh]], and Lotus 1-2-3 maintained its dominance on IBM PCs. In March 1984, [[Bill Gates]] redirected Odyssey's development to the Macintosh platform, which required supporting the system's 512 KB memory. This decision delayed the project by nine months, after which Klunder temporarily left Microsoft to work growing lettuce, and the project then was led by Philip Florence, a former developer at [[Wang Laboratories]]. After Florence had a heart attack, Klunder returned to finish the project.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref name="Wallace 1993"/><ref name="Bishop 2015">{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |title='Recalc or Die': 30 years later, Microsoft Excel 1.0 vets recount a project that defied the odds |website=GeekWire |date=September 25, 2015 |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2015/recalc-or-die-30-years-later-microsoft-excel-1-0-vets-recount-a-project-that-defied-the-odds/ |access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref>

On May 2, 1985, [[Steve Jobs]] of [[Apple Computer]] and Bill Gates held a joint press conference at [[Tavern on the Green]] in New York City to publicly announce Excel for Apple's Macintosh platform. Following the announcement, the software was officially released for sale on September 30, 1985.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref name="Wallace 1993"/><ref name="Bishop 2015"/><ref name="Freeberg 1985">{{cite web |last=Freeburg |first=Andy |title=Jobs & Gates At Tavern On The Green |website=Getty Images |date=May 2, 1985 |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-computer-magnates-steve-jobs-co-founder-of-apple-news-photo/84623889 |access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> The first Windows version, Excel 2.05, followed on November 19, 1987, designed to align with the Macintosh version 2.2.<ref name="Allan 2001"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vi8EAAAAMBAJ&q=macintosh%20spreadsheet%20arrow%20keys%20multiplan&pg=PA30|title=InfoWorld First Look: Supercalc 4 challenging 1-2-3 with new tactic|author1=Infoworld Media Group, Inc.|date=July 7, 1986}}</ref><ref name="chan_TheH">{{Cite web|title=The History of Microsoft – 1987|work=channel9.msdn.com|access-date=October 7, 2022|archive-date=September 27, 2010|url=http://channel9.msdn.com/series/history/the-history-of-microsoft-1987|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927044515/http://channel9.msdn.com/series/history/the-history-of-microsoft-1987|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 1990 [[American Institute of Certified Public Accountants]] member survey found that 2% of respondents used Excel as their spreadsheet, 3% as their database, and 8% for graphics.<ref name="aicpa1990">{{Cite report |url=https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1563&context=aicpa_guides |title=1990 AICPA survey of computer usage |author-link=American Institute of Certified Public Accountants |year=1990 |id=561 |access-date=2025-04-30}}</ref> [[Lotus Software|Lotus]] was slow to bring 1-2-3 to Windows and by the early 1990s, Excel had started to outsell 1-2-3 and helped [[Microsoft]] achieve its position as a leading PC software developer. This accomplishment solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future in developing [[Graphical user interface|GUI]] software. Microsoft maintained its advantage with regular new releases, every two years or so.

=== Microsoft Windows ===
Excel 2.0 is the first version of Excel for the [[Intel]] platform. Versions prior to 2.0 were only available on the Apple Macintosh.

==== Excel 2.0 (1987) ====
The first Windows version was labeled "2" to correspond to the Mac version. It was announced on October 6, 1987, and released on November 19.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The History of Microsoft – 1987|work=learn.microsoft.com|date=April 30, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2022|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/history/history-of-microsoft-1987|archive-date=October 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007180805/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/history/history-of-microsoft-1987|url-status=live}}</ref> This included a run-time version of Windows.<ref name="spreadsheetpage.com">{{cite web|url=https://spreadsheetpage.com/excel-version-history/|title=Excel Version History|first=John|last=Walkenbach|date=December 4, 2013|access-date=July 12, 2020|work=The Spreadsheet Page|publisher=John Walkenbach|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715100722/https://spreadsheetpage.com/excel-version-history/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[BYTE]]'' in 1989 listed Excel for Windows as among the "Distinction" winners of the BYTE Awards. The magazine stated that the port of the "extraordinary" Macintosh version "shines", with a user interface as good as or better than the original.

==== Excel 3.0 (1990) ====
Included toolbars, drawing capabilities, outlining, add-in support, 3D charts, and many more new features.<ref name="spreadsheetpage.com"/>

==== Excel 4.0 (1992) ====
Included with [[Microsoft Office 3.0]], this version introduced [[#Impact|auto-fill]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Lewallen|first=Dale|title=PC/Computing guide to Excel 4.0 for Windows|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=imoPAQAAMAAJ&q=excel+4.0+autofill|access-date=July 27, 2013|year=1992|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|isbn=9781562760489|page=13}}</ref>

Also, an [[Easter egg (media)|easter egg]] in Excel 4.0 reveals a hidden animation of a dancing set of numbers 1 through 3, representing Lotus 1–2–3, which is then crushed by an Excel logo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crashreboot.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-eggs-we-have-loved-excel-4.html|title=Easter Eggs we have loved: Excel 4|last1=Lake|first1=Matt|date=April 6, 2009|website=crashreboot.blogspot.com|access-date=November 5, 2013|archive-date=November 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106214522/http://crashreboot.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-eggs-we-have-loved-excel-4.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 5.0 (1993) ====
With version 5.0, included in [[Microsoft Office 4.x|Microsoft Office 4.2 and 4.3]], Excel included Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on [[Visual Basic]] which adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel and to provide [[user-defined function]]s (UDF) for use in worksheets. VBA includes a fully featured [[integrated development environment]] (IDE). [[Macro (computer science)|Macro]] recording can produce VBA code replicating user actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks. VBA allows the creation of forms and in‑worksheet controls to communicate with the user. The language supports use (but not creation) of [[Component object model|ActiveX]] ([[Component object model|COM]]) [[Dynamic-Link Library|DLL]]'s; later versions add support for class modules allowing the use of basic [[object-oriented programming]] techniques.

The automation functionality provided by VBA made Excel a target for [[macro virus]]es. This caused serious problems until antivirus products began to detect these viruses. Microsoft belatedly took steps to prevent the misuse by adding the ability to disable macros completely, to enable macros when opening a workbook or to trust all macros signed using a trusted certificate.

Versions 5.0 to 9.0 of Excel contain various [[Easter egg (virtual)|Easter eggs]], including a "Hall of Tortured Souls", a [[Doom (1993 video game)|''Doom'']]-like minigame, although since version&nbsp;10 Microsoft has taken measures to eliminate such undocumented features from their products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/10/21/483608.aspx|title=Why no Easter Eggs?|first=Larry|last=Osterman|date=October 21, 2005|access-date=July 29, 2006|work=Larry Osterman's WebLog|publisher=MSDN Blogs|archive-date=March 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330065403/http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/10/21/483608.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

5.0 was released in a 16-bit x86 version for Windows 3.1 and later in a 32-bit version for NT 3.51 (x86/Alpha/PowerPC)

==== Excel 95 (v7.0) ====
[[File:Screenshot of Microsoft Office Excel 95, an application part of Microsoft Office system.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 95]]
Released in 1995 with [[Microsoft Office for Windows 95]], this is the first major version after Excel 5.0, as there is no Excel 6.0 with all of the Office applications standardizing on the same major version number.

Internal rewrite to 32-bits. Almost no external changes, but faster and more stable.

Excel 95 contained a hidden ''Doom''-like mini-game called "The Hall of Tortured Souls", a series of rooms featuring the names and faces of the developers as an Easter egg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel 95 Hall of Tortured Souls|url=http://eeggs.com/items/719.html|access-date=July 7, 2006|archive-date=July 6, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706082428/http://www.eeggs.com/items/719.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 97 (v8.0) ====
Included in [[Office 97]] (for x86 and Alpha). This was a major upgrade that introduced the paper clip office assistant and featured standard VBA used instead of internal Excel Basic. It introduced the now-removed Natural Language labels.

This version of Excel includes a flight simulator as an Easter egg.

==== Excel 2000 (v9.0) ====
[[File:FileScreenshot of Microsoft Office Excel 2000.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2000]]
Included in [[Office 2000]]. This was a minor upgrade but introduced an upgrade to the clipboard where it can hold multiple objects at once. The Office Assistant, whose frequent unsolicited appearance in Excel 97 had annoyed many users, became less intrusive.

A small 3-D game called "Dev Hunter" (inspired by [[Spy Hunter]]) was included as an Easter egg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Excel Oddities: Easter Eggs|url=http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/eastereg.htm|access-date=August 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821233917/http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/eastereg.htm|archive-date=August 21, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22511|title=Car Game in Ms Excel|publisher=Totalchoicehosting.com|date=September 6, 2005|access-date=January 28, 2014|archive-date=April 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010659/http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22511|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2002 (v10.0) ====
Included in [[Office XP]]. Very minor enhancements.

==== Excel 2003 (v11.0) ====
Included in [[Office 2003]]. Minor enhancements.

==== Excel 2007 (v12.0) ====
[[File:Microsoft Office Excel 2007.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2007]]
Included in [[Office 2007]]. This release was a major upgrade from the previous version. Similar to other updated Office products, Excel in 2007 used the new Ribbon menu system. This was different from what users were used to, and was met with mixed reactions. One study reported fairly good acceptance by users except for highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical [[WIMP interface]], but was less convinced in terms of efficiency and organization.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2010/Faro/DNCOCO/DNCOCO-25.pdf|title=User Acceptance of the Microsoft Ribbon User Interface|publisher=[[Palacký University of Olomouc]]|first=M|last=Dostál|isbn=978-960-474-245-5|issn=1792-6157|date=December 9, 2010|access-date=May 28, 2013|archive-date=February 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226223646/http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2010/Faro/DNCOCO/DNCOCO-25.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, an online survey reported that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being "somewhat more negative" than intermediate users, and users reporting a [[self-estimated]] reduction in productivity.

Added functionality included Tables,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Using Excel Tables to Manipulate Billing Data|url=https://mooresolutionsinc.com/downloads/Billing_MJ12.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322064704/https://mooresolutionsinc.com/downloads/Billing_MJ12.pdf|archive-date=March 22, 2023|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref> and the [[Microsoft Office 2007#SmartArt|SmartArt]] set of editable business diagrams. Also added was an improved management of named variables through the ''Name Manager'', and much-improved flexibility in formatting graphs, which allow (''x, y'') coordinate labeling and lines of arbitrary weight. Several improvements to pivot tables were introduced.

Also like other office products, the Office Open XML file formats were introduced, including ''.xlsm'' for a workbook with macros and ''.xlsx'' for a workbook without macros.<ref name="Dodge">{{cite book|title=Microsoft Office Excel 2007 inside out|first1=Mark|last1=Dodge|first2=Craig|last2=Stinson|year=2007|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=978-0-7356-2321-7|chapter=Chapter 1: What's new in Microsoft Office Excel 2007|page=1 ''ff''}}</ref>

Specifically, many of the size limitations of previous versions were greatly increased. To illustrate, the number of rows was now 1,048,576 (2<sup>20</sup>) and the columns was 16,384 (2<sup>14</sup>; the far-right column is XFD). This changes what is a valid ''A1''&nbsp;reference versus a named range. This version made more extensive use of multiple cores for the calculation of spreadsheets; however, VBA macros are not handled in parallel and XLL add‑ins were only executed in parallel if they were [[Thread safety|thread-safe]] and this was indicated at registration.

==== Excel 2010 (v14.0) ====
[[File:Excel 2010.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel 2010 running on Windows 7]]
Included in [[Office 2010]], this is the next major version after v12.0, as version [[Triskaidekaphobia|number 13 was skipped]].

Minor enhancements and 64-bit support,<ref name="whatsnew">{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2010-HA010369709.aspx?CTT=1|title=What's New in Excel 2010|access-date=September 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235535/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2010-HA010369709.aspx?CTT=1|archive-date=December 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> including the following:
* Multi-threading recalculation (MTR) for commonly used functions
* Improved pivot tables
* More conditional formatting options
* Additional image editing capabilities
* In-cell charts called ''sparklines''
* Ability to preview before pasting
* Office 2010 ''backstage'' feature for document-related tasks
* Ability to customize the Ribbon
* Many new formulas, most highly specialized to improve accuracy<ref>{{cite book|last=Walkenbach|first=John|title=Excel 2010 Power Programming with VBA|chapter=Some Essential Background|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Publishing, Inc|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|isbn=9780470475355|page=20|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtSdrjjVXrwC&pg=PA20}}</ref>

==== Excel 2013 (v15.0) ====
Included in [[Office 2013]], along with a lot of new tools included in this release:
* Improved Multi-threading and Memory Contention
* FlashFill<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Steven|title=Excel 2013 – Flash Fill|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12314-Excel-2013-Flash-Fill.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=October 1, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230129/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12314-Excel-2013-Flash-Fill.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Power View<ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in Excel 2013|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2013-HA102809308.aspx|work=[[Microsoft Office website|Office.com]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=January 25, 2014|archive-date=January 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122195719/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/what-s-new-in-excel-2013-HA102809308.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Power Pivot]]<ref>{{cite web|last=K.|first=Gasper|title=Does a PowerPivot Pivot Table beat a regular Pivot Table|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12334-Does-a-PowerPivot-Pivot-Table-beat-a-regular-Pivot-Table.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=October 10, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003126/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_12334-Does-a-PowerPivot-Pivot-Table-beat-a-regular-Pivot-Table.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Timeline Slicer
* Windows App
* Inquire<ref>{{cite web|last=K.|first=Gasper|title=Inquire Add-In for Excel 2013|url=http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_11629-Inquire-Add-In-for-Excel-2013.html|work=Experts-Exchange.com|publisher=Experts Exchange|access-date=November 23, 2013|date=May 20, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013711/http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Office_Productivity/Office_Suites/MS_Office/Excel/A_11629-Inquire-Add-In-for-Excel-2013.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* 50 new functions<ref>{{cite web|title=New functions in Excel 2013|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/new-functions-in-excel-2013-HA103980604.aspx|work=[[Microsoft Office website|Office.com]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=November 23, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021138/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/new-functions-in-excel-2013-HA103980604.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2016 (v16.0) ====
Included in [[Office 2016]], along with a lot of new tools included in this release:
* [[Power Query]] integration 
* Read-only mode for Excel
* Keyboard access for Pivot Tables and Slicers in Excel
* New Chart Types
* Quick data linking in Visio
*Excel forecasting functions
*Support for multiselection of Slicer items using touch
*Time grouping and Pivot Chart Drill Down
*Excel data cards<ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in Office 2016|url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-s-new-in-Office-2016-Preview-4841f061-d019-45cc-af74-3e89c8cff1c4|work=[[Microsoft Office website|Office.com]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=August 16, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061212/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-s-new-in-Office-2016-Preview-4841f061-d019-45cc-af74-3e89c8cff1c4|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Office 365 and subsequent (v16.0) ====

Microsoft no longer releases Office or Excel in discrete versions. Instead, features are introduced automatically over time using Windows Update. The version number remains 16.0. Thereafter only the approximate dates when features appear can now be given.

* Dynamic Arrays. These are essentially Array Formulas but they "Spill" automatically into neighboring cells and do not need the ctrl-shift-enter to create them. Further, dynamic arrays are the default format, with new "@" and "#" operators to provide compatibility with previous versions. This is perhaps the biggest structural change since 2007, and is in response to a similar feature in [[Google Sheets]]. Dynamic arrays started appearing in pre-releases about 2018, and as of March 2020 are available in published versions of Office 365 provided a user selected "Office Insiders".

=== Apple Macintosh ===
[[File:Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011.png|thumb|Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011]]
* 1985 Excel 1.0
* 1988 Excel 1.5
* 1989 Excel 2.2
* 1990 Excel 3.0
* 1992 Excel 4.0
* 1993 Excel 5.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office 4.x|Office 4.x]]—Final Motorola 680x0 version<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.microsoft.com/1998/01/06/microsoft-announces-march-availability-of-office-98-macintosh-edition/|title=Microsoft Announces March Availability of Office 98 Macintosh Edition|date=January 6, 1998|work=Microsoft|access-date=December 29, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230171920/https://news.microsoft.com/1998/01/06/microsoft-announces-march-availability-of-office-98-macintosh-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref> and first PowerPC version)
* 1998 Excel 8.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition|Office 98]])
* 2000 Excel 9.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office 2001|Office 2001]])
* 2001 Excel 10.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office v. X|Office v. X]])
* 2004 Excel 11.0 (part of [[Office 2004 for Mac|Office 2004]])
* 2008 Excel 12.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac|Office 2008]])
* 2010 Excel 14.0 (part of [[Microsoft Office for Mac 2011|Office 2011]])
* 2015 Excel 15.0 (part of [[Office 2016 for Mac|Office 2016]]—Office 2016 for Mac brings the Mac version much closer to parity with its Windows cousin, harmonizing many of the reporting and high-level developer functions, while bringing the ribbon and styling into line with its PC counterpart.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Office for Mac Is Finally a 'First-Class Citizen'|url=http://recode.net/2015/07/16/office-for-mac-is-finally-a-first-class-citizen/|website=Re/code|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=July 29, 2015|archive-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726185607/http://recode.net/2015/07/16/office-for-mac-is-finally-a-first-class-citizen/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== OS/2 ===
* 1989 Excel 2.2
* 1990 Excel 2.3
* 1991 Excel 3.0

===Summary===
{{Version |l |show=11100}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for Windows release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1987
|Excel 2
|{{Version|o|2.0}}
|Renumbered to 2 to correspond with contemporary Macintosh version. Supported macros (later known as Excel 4 macros).
|-
|1990
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|Added 3D graphing capabilities
|-
|1992
|Excel 4
|{{Version|o|4.0}}
|Introduced auto-fill feature
|-
|1993
|Excel 5
|{{Version|o|5.0}}
|Included Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and various object-oriented options
|-
|1995
|Excel 95
|{{Version|o|7.0}}
|Renumbered for contemporary Word version. Both programs were packaged in Microsoft Office by this time. 
|-
|1997
|Excel 97
|{{Version|o|8.0}}
|
|-
|2000
|Excel 2000
|{{Version|o|9.0}}
|Part of Microsoft Office 2000
|-
|2002
|Excel 2002
|{{Version|o|10.0}}
|
|-
|2003
|Excel 2003
|{{Version|o|11.0}}
|Released only 1 year later to correspond better with the rest of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
|-
|2007
|Excel 2007
|{{Version|o|12.0}}
|
|-
|2010
|Excel 2010
|{{Version|o|14.0}}
|Due to [[Triskaidekaphobia|superstitions surrounding the number 13]], Excel 13 was skipped in version counting.
|-
|2013
|Excel 2013
|{{Version|o|15.0}}
|Introduced 50 more [[Function (mathematics)|mathematical functions]] (available as pre-packaged commands, rather than typing the formula manually). 
|-
|2016
|Excel 2016
|{{Version|o|16.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2016]]
|-
|2019
|Excel 2019
|{{Version|o|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2019]]
|-
|2021
|Excel 2021
|{{Version|co|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2021]]
|-
|2024
|Excel 2024
|{{Version|c|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2024]]
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for Macintosh release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1985
|Excel 1
|{{Version|o|1.0}}
|Initial version of Excel. Supported macros (later known as Excel 4 macros).
|-
|1988
|Excel 1.5
|{{Version|o|1.5}}
|
|-
|1989
|Excel 2
|{{Version|o|2.2}}
|
|-
|1990
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|
|-
|1992
|Excel 4
|{{Version|o|4.0}}
|
|-
|1993
|Excel 5
|{{Version|o|5.0}}
|Only available on PowerPC-based Macs. First PowerPC version. 
|-
|1998
|Excel 98
|{{Version|o|8.0}}
|Excel 6 and Excel 7 were skipped to correspond with the rest of Microsoft Office at the time. 
|-
|2000
|Excel 2000
|{{Version|o|9.0}}
|
|-
|2001
|Excel 2001
|{{Version|o|10.0}}
|
|-
|2004
|Excel 2004
|{{Version|o|11.0}}
|
|-
|2008
|Excel 2008
|{{Version|o|12.0}}
|
|-
|2011
|Excel 2011
|{{Version|o|14.0}}
|As with the Windows version, version 13 was skipped for superstitious reasons.
|-
|2016
|Excel 2016
|{{Version|o|16.0}}
|Future release dates for the Macintosh version are intended to correspond better to those for the Windows version, from 2016 onward.
|-
|2019
|Excel 2019
|{{Version|o|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2019]]
|-
|2021
|Excel 2021
|{{Version|co|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2021]]
|-
|2024
|Excel 2024
|{{Version|c|17.0}}
|Part of [[Microsoft Office 2024]]
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Microsoft Excel for OS/2 release history
|-
! Year
! Name
! Version
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Comments
|-
|1989
|Excel 2.2
|{{Version|o|2.2}}
|Numbered in between Windows versions at the time
|-
|1990
|Excel 2.3
|{{Version|o|2.3}}
|
|-
|1991
|Excel 3
|{{Version|o|3.0}}
|Last OS/2 version. Discontinued subseries of Microsoft Excel, which is otherwise still an actively developed program. 
|}