xlrd3
Library for developers to extract data from Microsoft Excel (tm) spreadsheet files
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need read-only access to both .xls and .xlsx files and can accept an abandoned package with no further updates. The low install friction and permissive license make it suitable for extract-only workflows. No, if you need write support, active maintenance, or plan to handle edge cases in modern Excel files.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.6 or later; does not support Python 2.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was in April 2021 and the repository shows no recent commits.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects that need only to read Excel files.
last release 2021-04-25 (1937 days) · last repo commit 2022-05-31 · 9 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 220,879 downloads/mo, #9,290 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install xlrd3
import xlrd3 as xlrd
book = xlrd.open_workbook("myfile.xls")
sh = book.sheet_by_index(0)
print(sh.cell_value(rowx=0, colx=0))- Whether the package handles all modern .xlsx file variations and edge cases reliably given its abandoned status.
- Performance characteristics when reading large spreadsheets with the on_demand mode.
What it is and what it does
xlrd3 is a read-only library for extracting data from Excel spreadsheet files in both .xls and .xlsx formats. It is a maintained fork of the archived xlrd project, dropping Python 2 support and fixing specific bugs related to memory handling and cross-platform comment parsing. The library provides programmatic access to workbook structure, sheet names, cell values, and row/column data—it is designed for data extraction, not for editing or writing spreadsheets.
The package has no runtime dependencies and installs with low friction. However, it has been abandoned since its latest release with no recent maintenance. It explicitly does not support formulas (only their calculated results), charts, macros, VBA modules, or password-protected files. For read-write workflows or editing xlsx files, alternative libraries are recommended instead.
Use it for
- Extract tabular data from .xls files for data analysis or migration to other formats.
- Read .xlsx spreadsheets to populate databases or generate reports programmatically.
- Parse legacy .xls workbooks when you need both format support in a single library.
- Batch process multiple Excel files to collect cell values without manual intervention.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need read-only access to both .xls and .xlsx files and can accept an abandoned package with no further updates.
The low install friction and permissive license make it suitable for extract-only workflows. No, if you need write support, active maintenance, or plan to handle edge cases in modern Excel files.
Install
xlrd3 on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last release was in April 2021 and the repository shows no recent commits. Use only if you need read-only access to both .xls and .xlsx files and can accept no further maintenance.
Requires Python 3.6 or later; does not support Python 2.
License in practice
BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects that need only to read Excel files.
Quickstart
pip install xlrd3
import xlrd3 as xlrd
book = xlrd.open_workbook("myfile.xls")
sh = book.sheet_by_index(0)
print(sh.cell_value(rowx=0, colx=0))Verify before relying
- Whether the package handles all modern .xlsx file variations and edge cases reliably given its abandoned status.
- Performance characteristics when reading large spreadsheets with the on_demand mode.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,937 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 220,879 / month, #9,290 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: DatabaseTopic :: Office/BusinessTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: xlrd3-1.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also excelrd · openpyxl · xlrd · xlsx2csv · pylightxl · xlutils · pyxlsb · agate-excel · pyxlsx · pyexcel-xls