Extract text from Excel backup files (XLK)
To convert XLK backups to another format, you need Microsoft Excel or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Excel Backup File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Excel or a similar tool.
A .XLK file is an Excel Backup File created automatically by Microsoft Excel to preserve the previous saved version of a spreadsheet.
While highly useful for data recovery, the .XLK format creates confusion because operating systems often fail to recognize the extension, leading to broken file associations. Because it is simply a carbon copy of the original spreadsheet (either in the modern ZIP-based XML format or the older Microsoft Compound File format), email clients and security filters frequently flag or block .XLK files as unknown or suspicious attachments. Opening them requires users to either manually launch Excel and browse for the file or forcefully rename the file extension.
To share this data safely or ensure permanent accessibility, conversion is highly recommended. For continued editing, convert to XLSX. For universal data ingestion and broad compatibility, convert to CSV. For archiving or sharing a read-only document, convert to .PDF/A.
Convert.Guru analyzes your XLK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TSV, SLK and XLA files.
If you want to convert XLK file to BAK, BACKUP, OLD, TMP, TEMP, ARC, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z, RAR or ISO, you can use Microsoft Excel or similar software from the "Spreadsheet Data Backup" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SNAPSHOT, OLD, IMG, RESTORE, ISO, COPY, VMDK, TMP, VHD, BAK, ARCHIVE or BACKUP files to XLK, try Microsoft Excel or another comparable tool in the "Spreadsheet Data Backup" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our XLK converter.