---
id: agate-excel
version: "0.4.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# agate-excel — agate-excel adds read support for Excel files (xls and xlsx) to agate.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 352.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

agate-excel is a plugin for the agate data analysis library that extends it with the ability to read Excel spreadsheets in both legacy (.xls) and modern (.xlsx) formats. It sits between agate and the underlying Excel readers (openpyxl for .xlsx, xlrd for .xls, and olefile for binary format support), letting you load spreadsheet data directly into agate's table objects for analysis, filtering, and aggregation.

The package is designed for data analysts and researchers who work with Excel files as input sources. It integrates seamlessly with agate's workflow, so once imported, Excel files become just another data source you can load alongside CSV, JSON, or other formats. The four runtime dependencies handle the actual file parsing, while agate-excel bridges them to agate's table interface.

Use it for:

- Load Excel workbooks into agate tables for statistical analysis or data cleaning workflows.
- Batch-convert multiple .xls or .xlsx files to agate tables for downstream processing.
- Integrate Excel data sources into agate-based data pipelines alongside other formats.
- Read legacy .xls files that other modern libraries may not support reliably.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Adds Excel file (xls and xlsx) read support to the agate data analysis library, enabling you to load spreadsheets directly into agate tables for analysis.

Yes, if you are already using agate and need to read Excel files. The package is stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, note the aging maintenance status (242 days since last release)—if you need active development or rapid bug fixes, verify that the underlying dependencies (openpyxl, xlrd) still meet your Excel compatibility needs before committing to this package.

## Install

pip install agate-excel
uv add agate-excel
poetry add agate-excel

## Installing agate-excel

Before you install: Low install friction with four runtime dependencies (agate, olefile, openpyxl, xlrd). Maintenance status is aging—last release was 242 days ago—so expect slower response to issues, though the package remains functional for its core purpose.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive; you can use this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install agate-excel

import agate

table = agate.Table.from_csv('data.xlsx')
# or use agate's built-in Excel support after importing agate_excel

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package actively maintains compatibility with Python 3.14 or if that classifier is aspirational.
- Current state of xlrd support for modern .xlsx files (xlrd dropped xlsx support in recent versions).
- Whether the aging maintenance status reflects planned dormancy or abandonment risk.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 352.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

read excel files python, xlsx xls loader agate, spreadsheet data analysis, excel to table conversion, agate excel support, load xlsx into agate, excel file reader, data-analysis, excel-io

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/agate-excel) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/agate-excel/)