# python-excel/xlrd

Please use openpyxl where you can...

Repository: https://github.com/python-excel/xlrd
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/xlrd
Homepage: http://www.python-excel.org/
Language: Python
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-07-15T08:50:47+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 74/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 92, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5292, "days_push": 49, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2206, forks 436 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:26.023263+00:00)

## What it is
xlrd is a Python library for reading data and formatting information from legacy Excel .xls files. It no longer supports .xlsx or other newer formats, for which openpyxl is recommended.

## Use cases
- read data from old .xls files in python
- extract cell values from legacy excel spreadsheets
- parse xls worksheet names and dimensions
- read formatting information from excel 97-2003 files
- migrate data out of legacy xls spreadsheets

## When to choose
- you need to read historical .xls (Excel 97-2003) files
- you only need cell data and basic formatting, not charts or macros
- you want a lightweight, pure-python reader without Excel installed

## When to avoid
- you need to read or write .xlsx files - use openpyxl instead
- you need charts, macros, comments, hyperlinks, or formulas
- files are password-protected
- you need to write .xls files - xlwt is unmaintained

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: parser, file-system
- domain: spreadsheets, files
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: excel, xls, spreadsheet-reading, legacy-formats, data-engineering

## Member repositories
- python-excel/xlrd (main) score 74

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:26.023263+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:46:30.097141+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/python-excel/xlrd (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:26.023263+00:00, sha 4ec075eb3a9b)
  - homepage: http://www.python-excel.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:26:51.554475+00:00, sha 804b4d9abbab)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.