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Convert XLS To XLSX In Python: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

6 min read 11-15- 2024
Convert XLS To XLSX In Python: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Table of Contents :

Converting XLS files to XLSX format using Python is an essential task that many data professionals encounter. The XLS format, while still in use, has largely been replaced by the more robust XLSX format, which offers better compatibility, features, and data storage efficiency. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to converting XLS files to XLSX using Python, making it straightforward even for beginners.

Why Convert XLS to XLSX? 🤔

Before diving into the conversion process, it’s important to understand why one might want to convert XLS to XLSX:

  • File Size: XLSX files are usually smaller than XLS files due to their compression.
  • Features: XLSX supports more features like additional rows and columns, advanced formulas, and better data validation.
  • Compatibility: Many modern tools and libraries prefer XLSX due to its XML-based structure, making it easier to work with in different programming environments.

Requirements 📋

To perform the conversion, you'll need to have Python installed, along with some key libraries. The two main libraries we will use are:

  1. pandas: For handling data manipulation.
  2. openpyxl: For reading and writing XLSX files.

You can install these libraries using pip:

pip install pandas openpyxl xlrd

Step-by-Step Guide to Convert XLS to XLSX

Let’s break down the conversion process into a series of simple steps:

Step 1: Import Libraries 📥

Start by importing the necessary libraries in your Python script.

import pandas as pd

Step 2: Load the XLS File 📂

Use the pandas library to read the XLS file. You can specify the file name or path accordingly. Here’s an example of how to do that:

# Load the XLS file
xls_file_path = 'your_file.xls'  # Replace with your file path
dataframe = pd.read_excel(xls_file_path, sheet_name=None)  # Read all sheets

Important Note: The sheet_name=None argument reads all sheets into a dictionary of DataFrames. You can specify a single sheet by changing it to the sheet name or index.

Step 3: Convert and Save to XLSX 📝

Once you have loaded the data, the next step is to save it in the XLSX format. Here’s how you can do that:

# Specify the output XLSX file path
xlsx_file_path = 'your_file.xlsx'  # Replace with your desired output file path

# Save to XLSX format
with pd.ExcelWriter(xlsx_file_path, engine='openpyxl') as writer:
    for sheet_name, df in dataframe.items():
        df.to_excel(writer, sheet_name=sheet_name, index=False)

Step 4: Verify the Conversion 🔍

To ensure the conversion was successful, you might want to load the XLSX file back into a DataFrame and check its contents.

# Load the newly created XLSX file
verify_df = pd.read_excel(xlsx_file_path, sheet_name=None)

# Check the sheets
print(verify_df.keys())  # List the sheet names

Example Code

Here’s a complete example combining all the steps:

import pandas as pd

# Load the XLS file
xls_file_path = 'your_file.xls'  # Replace with your file path
dataframe = pd.read_excel(xls_file_path, sheet_name=None)  # Read all sheets

# Specify the output XLSX file path
xlsx_file_path = 'your_file.xlsx'  # Replace with your desired output file path

# Save to XLSX format
with pd.ExcelWriter(xlsx_file_path, engine='openpyxl') as writer:
    for sheet_name, df in dataframe.items():
        df.to_excel(writer, sheet_name=sheet_name, index=False)

# Verify the conversion
verify_df = pd.read_excel(xlsx_file_path, sheet_name=None)
print(verify_df.keys())  # List the sheet names

Conclusion 🎉

Converting XLS to XLSX in Python is not only simple but also efficient, thanks to powerful libraries like pandas and openpyxl. With just a few lines of code, you can automate the conversion process, saving time and reducing the likelihood of manual errors.

This step-by-step guide offers a clear and effective method to accomplish this task, ensuring that you can work with modern Excel formats effortlessly. Now, you can take your data manipulation skills to the next level by handling XLSX files with ease!

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