---
id: pyxlsb
version: "1.0.10"
license: LGPLv3+
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: abandoned
---

# pyxlsb — Excel 2007-2010 Binary Workbook (xlsb) parser

License: copyleft · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 11.5M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pyxlsb is a parser for Excel Binary Workbook files (xlsb format) that were used in Excel 2007-2010. It provides a simple API to open xlsb files, retrieve sheets by index or name, and iterate over rows as Cell objects containing row, column, and value data. The library handles basic data extraction and includes a utility to convert Excel date floats into Python datetime objects.

The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs cleanly. However, it is no longer actively maintained—the last commit was in August 2023 and the last release in October 2022. While marked as Production/Stable in its classifiers, it will not receive bug fixes or updates for newer Python versions or Excel format changes. It is suitable only for reading legacy xlsb files in stable, well-understood workflows.

Use it for:

- Extract data from older Excel binary workbooks (2007-2010 era) in batch data pipelines
- Migrate legacy xlsb files to modern formats by parsing and re-exporting the data
- Read xlsb files in environments where openpyxl or other modern libraries are unavailable
- Convert Excel date values stored as floats into datetime objects for analysis

## Worth the install?

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

Parses Excel 2007-2010 Binary Workbook (xlsb) files and extracts data as rows of cells with values, dates, and positions.

Yes, if you need to read legacy xlsb files and have no alternative. The package is stable, dependency-free, and has no known vulnerabilities. However, do not rely on it for new projects or expect updates—it is abandoned. If you control the source files, consider converting them to xlsx or csv. The LGPLv3+ license requires derivative works to remain open-source.

## Install

pip install pyxlsb
uv add pyxlsb
poetry add pyxlsb

## Installing pyxlsb

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2023-08-27 and no releases since 2022-10-14. It is marked Production/Stable but receives no active maintenance.

License in practice: Licensed under LGPLv3+, a copyleft license. Any derivative work or modification must be released under the same or compatible license; proprietary use requires careful review.

Quickstart:

pip install pyxlsb

from pyxlsb import open_workbook, convert_date
with open_workbook('Book1.xlsb') as wb:
    with wb.get_sheet(1) as sheet:
        for row in sheet.rows():
            print(row)
# Returns Cell objects with r, c, v attributes; use convert_date() for date floats

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles modern Excel binary formats beyond 2007-2010 versions
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9 given the abandoned status
- Whether edge cases in xlsb parsing (complex formulas, embedded objects, macros) are supported

## Package facts

- License: LGPLv3+ (copyleft)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 11.5M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

xlsb parser python, excel binary workbook reader, read xlsb files, xlsb data extraction, excel 2007 2010 binary format, excel-parsing, legacy-format

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