The .xltx file format is the standard extension for an Excel template in versions of Microsoft Excel 2007 and later. When a user saves a workbook as an .xltx file, it creates a template that can be used as a starting point for new workbooks. Opening a .xltx file creates a new, unsaved workbook (.xlsx) based on the template's layout, formatting, and formulas, leaving the original template file unchanged. This ensures consistency and efficiency when creating similar documents repeatedly.

A. .pdf (Portable Document Format) is a file format used for presenting and exchanging documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating system. It is not an Excel template format.

C. .mdb is a file extension for a Microsoft Access Database, a database management system. It is unrelated to Excel templates.

D. .pot is a file extension for a Microsoft PowerPoint template (specifically for versions prior to 2007). It is used to create presentations, not Excel workbooks.

1. Microsoft Corporation. (n.d.). File formats that are supported in Excel. Microsoft Support. Retrieved from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/file-formats-that-are-supported-in-excel-0943ff2c-6014-4e8d-aaea-b83d51d46247.

Reference Point: In the section "Excel file formats

" the table explicitly lists .xltx with the description

"Excel Template. The default Excel template file format for an Excel workbook."

2. University of Wisconsin-Madison

Division of Information Technology (DoIT). (2020

July 22). Microsoft - File Extensions for Office 2016/2013/2010/2007. UW-Madison KnowledgeBase. Retrieved from https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=9398.

Reference Point: The table under the "Excel" section identifies .xltx as the "Excel Template" file extension.

3. Indiana University

University Information Technology Services (UITS). (2018

April 18). File formats for saving documents in Office 2016. UITS Knowledge Base. Retrieved from https://kb.iu.edu/d/aofp.

Reference Point: The section on "Excel 2016" lists .xltx and describes it as "Excel Template." It also correctly identifies .potx (and by extension

the legacy .pot) as a PowerPoint Template.