Python: Convert Excel XLS to XLSX and Vice Versa

Excel has been a widely used tool for data organization and analysis for many years. Over time, Microsoft has introduced different file formats for storing Excel data, the most common being the older XLS format and the more modern XLSX format.

The XLS format, introduced in the late 1990s, had certain limitations, such as a file size limit of 65,536 rows and 256 columns, and a maximum of 65,000 unique styles. The XLSX format, introduced in 2007, addressed these limitations by allowing for larger file sizes, more rows and columns, and expanded style capabilities. While XLSX is now the standard format, there are still many existing XLS files that need to be accessed and used, which makes the ability to convert between these formats an essential skill. In this article, we will explain how to convert Excel XLS to XLSX and vice versa in Python using Spire.XLS for Python.

• Convert XLSX to XLS in Python
• Convert XLS to XLSX in Python

Install Spire.XLS for Python

This scenario requires Spire.XLS for Python and plum-dispatch v1.7.4. They can be easily installed in your Windows through the following pip command.

pip install Spire.XLS

If you are unsure how to install, please refer to this tutorial: How to Install Spire.XLS for Python on Windows

Convert XLSX to XLS in Python

To convert an XLSX file to XLS format, you can use the Workbook.SaveToFile(fileName, ExcelVersion.Version97to2003) method. The ExcelVersion.Version97to2003 parameter specifies that the workbook should be saved in the Excel 97-2003 (XLS) format. The detailed steps are as follows.

• Create an object of the Workbook class.
• Load an XLSX file using the Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
• Save the XLSX file to XLS format using the Workbook.SaveToFile(fileName, ExcelVersion.Version97to2003) method.

from spire.xls import *
from spire.xls.common import *

# Specify the input and output file paths
inputFile = "Sample1.xlsx"
outputFile = "XlsxToXls.xls"

# Create a Workbook object
workbook = Workbook()
# Load the XLSX file
workbook.LoadFromFile(inputFile)

# Save the XLSX file to XLS format
workbook.SaveToFile(outputFile, ExcelVersion.Version97to2003)
workbook.Dispose()

Convert XLS to XLSX in Python

To convert an XLS file to XLSX format, you need to specify the target Excel version to a version higher than 97-2003, such as 2007 (ExcelVersion.Version2007), 2010 (ExcelVersion.Version2010), 2013 (ExcelVersion.Version2013), or 2016 (ExcelVersion.Version2016). The detailed steps are as follows.

• Create an object of the Workbook class.
• Load an XLS file using the Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
• Save the XLS file to an Excel 2016 (XLSX) file using the Workbook.SaveToFile(fileName, ExcelVersion.Version2016) method.

from spire.xls import *
from spire.xls.common import *

# Specify the input and output file paths
inputFile = "Sample2.xls"
outputFile = "XlsToXlsx.xlsx"

# Create a Workbook object
workbook = Workbook()
# Load the XLS file
workbook.LoadFromFile(inputFile)

# Save the XLS file to XLSX format
workbook.SaveToFile(outputFile, ExcelVersion.Version2016)
workbook.Dispose()

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