oletools
Python tools to analyze security characteristics of MS Office and OLE files (also called Structured Storage, Compound File Binary Format or Compound Document File Format), for Malware Analysis and Incident Response #DFIR
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to analyze Office documents for malware indicators or forensic investigation. The toolkit is mature, widely deployed in security platforms, and has no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (773 days since last release) is a minor concern for new features but does not affect core functionality. Install friction is low and the BSD license poses no restrictions.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution.
- Maintenance status is aging—last release was 773 days ago (v0.60.2 on 2024-07-02)—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2026-02-14 and 3392 stars.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, suitable for integration into security tools and forensic workflows.
last release 2024-07-02 (773 days) · last repo commit 2026-02-14 · 3,392 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 7,684,690 downloads/mo, #1,708 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install oletools
from oletools.olevba import VBA_Parser
vba = VBA_Parser('document.docm')
for (filename, stream_path, vba_filename, vba_code) in vba.extract_macros():
print(vba_code)- Whether optional dependencies (XLMMacroDeobfuscator, xlrd2, pyxlsb2) are required for full macro analysis or are truly optional
- Current state of Python 2.7 support given classifiers list it but v0.60.2 fixed Python 3.12 compatibility
What it is and what it does
oletools is a forensic and malware analysis toolkit for inspecting Microsoft Office and OLE-based file formats. It provides command-line utilities (oleid, olevba, oleobj, rtfobj, msodde, pyxswf, olemeta, oletimes, oledir, olemap) and a Python API for programmatic access. The package specializes in detecting and extracting VBA macros, Excel 4 macros (XLM), DDE links, embedded Flash objects, and other potentially malicious content from Office documents and RTF files.
The toolkit depends on olefile for OLE2 parsing and includes optional integrations with pcodedmp and msoffcrypto-tool. It is widely used by security platforms and malware analysis services. Development is mature but infrequent; the last release (v0.60.2 on 2024-07-02) addressed Python 3.12 compatibility and parsing edge cases.
Use it for
- Extract and analyze VBA macros from suspicious Office documents during incident response
- Detect DDE/DDEAUTO links and embedded Flash objects that may deliver malware
- Identify structural anomalies and risk indicators in OLE files using oleid
- Automate forensic analysis of Office metadata and timestamps in bulk processing
- Integrate macro detection into email security gateways or document sandboxes
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to analyze Office documents for malware indicators or forensic investigation.
The toolkit is mature, widely deployed in security platforms, and has no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (773 days since last release) is a minor concern for new features but does not affect core functionality. Install friction is low and the BSD license poses no restrictions.
Install
oletools on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Maintenance status is aging—last release was 773 days ago (v0.60.2 on 2024-07-02)—but the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2026-02-14 and 3392 stars.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, suitable for integration into security tools and forensic workflows.
Quickstart
pip install oletools
from oletools.olevba import VBA_Parser
vba = VBA_Parser('document.docm')
for (filename, stream_path, vba_filename, vba_code) in vba.extract_macros():
print(vba_code)Verify before relying
- Whether optional dependencies (XLMMacroDeobfuscator, xlrd2, pyxlsb2) are required for full macro analysis or are truly optional
- Current state of Python 2.7 support given classifiers list it but v0.60.2 fixed Python 3.12 compatibility
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 6 packagespyparsingolefileeasyguicolorclasspcodedmpmsoffcrypto-tool |
| Maintenance | Aging 773 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 7,684,690 / month, #1,708 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: SecurityTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: oletools-0.60.2-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also msoffcrypto-tool · olefile · pcodedmp · pdfid · maco-extractor · compoundfiles · types-olefile · docx · textract · ezodf