Have you ever opened a spreadsheet on your Mac only to be surprised and confused by the unfamiliar layout of Apple‘s Numbers program? Do you prefer the powerful functionality of Microsoft Excel for crunching numbers, organizing data, and creating insightful charts? If so, you likely want to make Excel your default for spreadsheet files rather than Numbers.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain step-by-step how to set Microsoft Excel as the default spreadsheet app on Mac, using easy-to-follow instructions and handy screenshots. You‘ll also learn why Excel is the superior choice for data analysts and researchers doing intensive calculations, analysis, and visualization.
An Overview of Excel vs Numbers Capabilities
To start, let‘s examine the key strengths of both Excel and Apple‘s Numbers to understand why the former excels at complex data tasks.
Launched in 1985, Excel quickly dominated the spreadsheet market by offering advanced table calculation and charting tools well beyond rival software at the time. Today, over 1 billion people have access to Excel, utilizing its powerful functions for crunching numbers, identifying trends, visualizing relationships, building financial models, and more according to Microsoft.
By comparison, Apple released Numbers much more recently in 2007. Designed as a simple, visually attractive alternative, Numbers appeals more to those focused on the presentation side over heavy duty data analysis.
The table below summarizes some of the top capability differences:
| Feature | Excel | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Formulas and functions | Over 400 formulas and functions covering math, stats, logic, lookup, engineering and many other domains | Less than half of Excel‘s function library with about 170 built-in formulas |
| Dataset limits | Over 1 million rows, 16,000 columns per sheet | Limited to only 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet |
| Advanced data tools | Power Pivot, Power Query, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), and other advanced modeling/analysis features | No equivalent advanced tools for intensive calculations |
| Customization | Highly flexible customization of formatting, cell styles, color palettes, number formats, etc. | Less control over fine-grained modifications to default elegant formatting |
With specialized tools made for number crunching vs aesthetic appeal, you can see why Excel is the clearly superior option for research and analysis purposes. But the visual design focus makes Numbers better for simple sharing and presentation of ideas.
Now let‘s walk through exactly how to make Excel open your spreadsheets automatically so you unlock its full potential by default.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Change the Default App to Excel
The process for changing default apps on Mac only takes seconds. Follow these simple steps:
1. Open Finder and Locate A Spreadsheet
- Click on the Finder icon on your Mac dock to open a Finder window showing folders and files.
- Browse to any spreadsheet file you have saved. This can be Excel (.xlsx), Numbers (.numbers), or other formats like .csv or .ods.
2. Right-click on the Spreadsheet File
- Move your mouse over the spreadsheet file icon.
- Click the right mouse button to open the context menu.
3. Select "Get Info"
- From the context menu that appears, choose "Get Info".
- A window will open showing metadata details about that file.
4. Open the "Open with" Menu
- In the Get Info window, click the drop-down menu next to "Open with".
- This will display available programs on your Mac that support opening spreadsheets.
5. Choose Microsoft Excel
- In the Open with menu, click on "Microsoft Excel".
- By selecting it here, you set it as the associated app for this file type.
6. Change All to Set Excel as the Universal Default
- After choosing Excel, a button for "Change All" will appear.
- Click this to set Excel as the default spreadsheet app at the universal level.
And that‘s all it takes! Going forward, any time you double click a spreadsheet file, it will automatically launch Excel for convenient data editing.
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