xlrd

Library for developers to extract data from Microsoft Excel (tm) .xls spreadsheet files

xlrd Permissive license BSD AGING v2.0.2 released 2025-06-14

Install

xlrd on PyPI

pip

pip install xlrd

uv

uv add xlrd

poetry

poetry add xlrd

Package facts

License	BSD (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (!=3.0.,!=3.1.,!=3.2.,!=3.3.,!=3.4.,!=3.5.,>=2.7)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	aging — 425 days since the last release
First released	2006-03-17
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: xlrd-2.0.2-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: xls, excel, spreadsheet, workbook

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: DatabaseTopic :: Office/BusinessTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules

About xlrd

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

xlrd

|Build Status| |Coverage Status| |Documentation| |PyPI version|

.. |Build Status| image:: https://circleci.com/gh/python-excel/xlrd/tree/master.svg?style=shield .. _Build Status: https://circleci.com/gh/python-excel/xlrd/tree/master

.. |Coverage Status| image:: https://codecov.io/gh/python-excel/xlrd/branch/master/graph/badge.svg?token=lNSqwBBbvk .. _Coverage Status: https://codecov.io/gh/python-excel/xlrd

.. |Documentation| image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/xlrd/badge/?version=latest .. _Documentation: http://xlrd.readthedocs.io/en/latest/?badge=latest

.. |PyPI version| image:: https://badge.fury.io/py/xlrd.svg .. _PyPI version: https://badge.fury.io/py/xlrd

xlrd is a library for reading data and formatting information from Excel files in the historical .xls format.

.. warning::

This library will no longer read anything other than .xls files. For alternatives that read newer file formats, please see http://www.python-excel.org/.

The following are also not supported but will safely and reliably be ignored:

Charts, Macros, Pictures, any other embedded object, including embedded worksheets.
VBA modules
Formulas, but...

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AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

xlrd extracts data and formatting information from legacy Excel .xls files. It reads cell values, sheet metadata, and formula results but does not support newer Excel formats.

Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. The package is aging (425 days since last release) but marked Production/Stable and supports Python 2.7 through 3.9.

BSD license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects that need legacy .xls reading.

Usage

pip install xlrd

import xlrd
book = xlrd.open_workbook("myfile.xls")
sheet = book.sheet_by_index(0)
print(sheet.cell_value(rowx=0, colx=0))

Only reads .xls format; newer Excel formats (.xlsx, .xlsm) are not supported.

Verdict: xlrd is a stable, dependency-free library for reading legacy .xls files with no known vulnerabilities. Its age and format limitation are intentional—it is purpose-built for historical Excel data extraction and not a general-purpose spreadsheet tool. Suitable for maintenance of existing systems or one-off .xls parsing tasks.

Needs verification

Whether the 425-day gap reflects active maintenance or dormancy—repo details unavailable
Performance characteristics with large .xls files or complex workbooks
Compatibility with Python 3.10+ despite classifiers listing only through 3.9

read excel xls filesparse legacy spreadsheetsextract xls data pythonxls file readerexcel spreadsheet parserhistorical excel formatworkbook cell extraction