SYLK is a Microsoft file format used to exchange data between applications, specifically spreadsheets. SYLK files have a .slk suffix. Limitations: SYLK does not support Unicode. If a SYLK file is crea...
SYLK is a Microsoft file format used to exchange data between applications, specifically spreadsheets. SYLK files have a .slk suffix. Limitations: SYLK does not support Unicode. If a SYLK file is created by an application supporting Unicode like Excel, it is encoded in the system’s ANSI code page, not Unicode. Upon parsing a file with .csv extension, Excel automatically detects if it is a SYLK file when starting with “ID;P”. Then a dialogue asks to open as SYLK instead of CSV. So a malicious macro can be embedded in a text .csv file.
The SYLK format is also supported on MS Office for Mac. SYLK files for Mac have a .sylk extension but are basically the same as .slk files. Data can be exported in SYLK format from a spreadsheet. Comprised of ASCII characters, SYLK files are easily created and processed by databases. Microsoft does not publish a SYLK specification. Variants are supported by Multiplan, Excel, Works, OpenOffice.org and Gnumeric.
SYLK files are found in Mac OS and Windows. They are most often associated with Microsoft Office. SYLK files fall under the Data Files category and can be handled by Microsoft Excel, WordPerfect Office. The SYLK extension can also be found in other 1326 file types not supported by Microsoft Office.
If you cannot open a SYLK file, right-click and choose “Open with” to pick an application. You can also display a SYLK file directly in the browser by dragging and dropping it. SYLK files are compatible with software installable on Mac OS and Windows. Files with SYLK extension are Data Files. Excel supports SYLK files and is most used to handle them, yet 3 other tools can also be used. Software Microsoft Excel was created by Microsoft.
Microsoft Excel
OpenOffice Calc
LibreOffice Calc