---
title: Data Import
sidebar_position: 1
pagination_prev: demos/index
---

import current from '/version.js';
import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
import CodeBlock from '@theme/CodeBlock';

:::tip pass

The ["Import Tutorial"](/docs/getting-started/examples/import) is a gentle
introduction to data import and analysis.

:::

## Parsing Workbooks

### API

_Extract data from spreadsheet bytes_

```js
var workbook = XLSX.read(data, opts);
```

The `read` method can extract data from spreadsheet bytes stored in a JS string,
"binary string", NodeJS buffer or typed array (`Uint8Array` or `ArrayBuffer`).


_Read spreadsheet bytes from a local file and extract data_

```js
var workbook = XLSX.readFile(filename, opts);
```

The `readFile` method attempts to read a spreadsheet file at the supplied path.

The second `opts` argument is optional. ["Parsing Options"](/docs/api/parse-options)
covers the supported properties and behaviors.

:::warning pass

Browsers generally do not allow reading files by specifying filename (it is a
security risk), and running `XLSX.readFile` in the browser will throw an error.

Deno scripts must be invoked with `--allow-read` to read from the filesystem.


:::

#### Examples

Here are a few common scenarios (click on each subtitle to see the code).

The [demos](/docs/demos) cover special deployments in more detail.

### Example: Local File

`XLSX.readFile` supports reading local files in platforms like NodeJS. In other
platforms like React Native, `XLSX.read` should be called with file data.

In-browser processing where users drag-and-drop files or use a file element are
covered in [the "User Submissions" example.](#example-user-submissions)

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="nodejs" label="NodeJS">

`readFile` uses `fs.readFileSync` under the hood:

```js
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

var workbook = XLSX.readFile("test.xlsx");
```

For Node ESM, `fs` must be loaded manually:

```js
import * as fs from "fs";
import { readFile, set_fs } from "xlsx";
set_fs(fs);

const workbook = readFile("test.xlsx");
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="electron" label="Electron">

`readFile` can be used in the renderer process:

```js
/* From the renderer process */
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

var workbook = XLSX.readFile(path);
```

Electron APIs have changed over time.  The [`electron` demo](/docs/demos/desktop/electron)
shows a complete example and details the required version-specific settings.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="reactnative" label="React Native">

[The React Native Demo](/docs/demos/mobile/reactnative#rn-file-plugins) covers tested plugins.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="extendscript" label="Photoshop">

`readFile` wraps the `File` logic in Photoshop and other ExtendScript targets.
The specified path should be an absolute path:

```js
#include "xlsx.extendscript.js"

/* Read test.xlsx from the Documents folder */
var workbook = XLSX.readFile(Folder.myDocuments + "/test.xlsx");
```

For user-configurable paths, `openDialog` can show a file picker:

```js
#include "xlsx.extendscript.js"

/* Ask user to select path */
var thisFile = File.openDialog("Select a spreadsheet");
var workbook = XLSX.readFile(thisFile.absoluteURI);
```

The [`extendscript` demo](/docs/demos/extensions/extendscript) includes complete
examples for Photoshop and InDesign.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="deno" label="Deno">

`readFile` uses `Deno.readFileSync` under the hood:

<CodeBlock language="ts">{`\
// @deno-types="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/types/index.d.ts"
import * as XLSX from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/xlsx.mjs';
\n\
const workbook = XLSX.readFile("test.xlsx");`}
</CodeBlock>

:::note pass

Applications reading files must be invoked with the `--allow-read` flag.

:::

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="bun" label="Bun">

Bun `readFileSync` output should be wrapped in a `Buffer`:

```js
import { readFileSync } from 'fs'
import { read } from './xlsx.mjs'

const workbook = read(Buffer.from(readFileSync(path)));
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>


### Example: User Submissions

This example focuses on user-submitted files through a drag-and-drop event, HTML
file input element, or network request.

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="browser" label="Browser">

**For modern websites targeting Chrome 76+**, `File#arrayBuffer` is recommended:

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="dnd" label="Drag and Drop">

Assume `drop_dom_element` is the DOM element that will listen for changes:

```html
<div id="drop_dom_element">Drop files here</div>
```

The event property is `e.dataTransfer`.  The code snippet highlights the
difference between the drag-and-drop example and the file input example:


```js
// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function handleDropAsync(e) {
  e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault();
  // highlight-next-line
  const f = e.dataTransfer.files[0];
  /* f is a File */
  const data = await f.arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
}
drop_dom_element.addEventListener("drop", handleDropAsync, false);
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="file" label="HTML File Input Element">

Starting with an HTML INPUT element with `type="file"`:

```html
<input type="file" id="input_dom_element">
```

The event property is `e.target`.  The code snippet highlights the difference
between the drag-and-drop example and the file input example:

```js
// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function handleFileAsync(e) {
  // highlight-next-line
  const file = e.target.files[0];
  const data = await file.arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
}
input_dom_element.addEventListener("change", handleFileAsync, false);
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

https://oss.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/ demonstrates the FileReader technique.


**For maximal compatibility (IE10+)**, the `FileReader` approach is recommended:

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="dnd" label="Drag and Drop">

Assume `drop_dom_element` is the DOM element that will listen for changes:

```html
<div id="drop_dom_element">Drop files here</div>
```

The event property is `e.dataTransfer`.  The code snippet highlights the
difference between the drag-and-drop example and the file input example:

```js
function handleDrop(e) {
  e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault();
  // highlight-next-line
  var f = e.dataTransfer.files[0];
  /* f is a File */
  var reader = new FileReader();
  reader.onload = function(e) {
    var data = e.target.result;
    /* reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file) -> data will be an ArrayBuffer */
    var workbook = XLSX.read(data);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  };
  reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
}
drop_dom_element.addEventListener("drop", handleDrop, false);
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="file" label="HTML File Input Element">

Starting with an HTML INPUT element with `type="file"`:

```html
<input type="file" id="input_dom_element">
```

The event property is `e.target`.  The code snippet highlights the difference
between the drag-and-drop example and the file input example:

```js
function handleFile(e) {
  // highlight-next-line
  var file = e.target.files[0];
  var reader = new FileReader();
  reader.onload = function(e) {
    var data = e.target.result;
    /* reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file) -> data will be an ArrayBuffer */
    var workbook = XLSX.read(e.target.result);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  };
  reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file);
}
input_dom_element.addEventListener("change", handleFile, false);
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

The [`oldie` demo](/docs/demos/frontend/legacy#internet-explorer) shows an IE-compatible fallback scenario.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="nodejs" label="NodeJS">

`read` can accept a NodeJS buffer.  `readFile` can read files generated by a
HTTP POST request body parser like **`formidable`**:

```js
const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const http = require("http");
const formidable = require("formidable");

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  const form = new formidable.IncomingForm();
  form.parse(req, (err, fields, files) => {
    /* grab the first file */
    const f = Object.entries(files)[0][1];
    const path = f.filepath;
    const workbook = XLSX.readFile(path);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  });
}).listen(process.env.PORT || 7262);
```

The [`server` demo](/docs/demos/net/server) includes more advanced examples.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="deno" label="Deno">

Drash is a HTTP server framework for Deno.  In a `POST` request handler, the
body parser can pull file data into a `Uint8Array`:

<CodeBlock language="ts">{`\
// @deno-types="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/types/index.d.ts"
import * as XLSX from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/xlsx.mjs';
/* load the codepage support library for extended support with older formats  */
import * as cptable from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/cpexcel.full.mjs';
XLSX.set_cptable(cptable);
\n\
import * as Drash from "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/drashland/drash@v2.8.1/mod.ts";
\n\
class SheetResource extends Drash.Resource {
  public paths = ["/"];
\n\
  public POST(request: Drash.Request, response: Drash.Response) {
    // highlight-next-line
    const file = request.bodyParam<Drash.Types.BodyFile>("file");
    if (!file) throw new Error("File is required!");
    // highlight-next-line
    var wb = XLSX.read(file.content);
    var html = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_html(wb.Sheets[wb.SheetNames[0]]);
    return response.html(html);
  }
}
\n\
const server = new Drash.Server({ hostname: "", port: 7262, protocol: "http",
  resources: [
    // highlight-next-line
    SheetResource,
  ],
});
\n\
server.run();`}
</CodeBlock>

:::note pass

Deno must be run with the `--allow-net` flag to enable network requests:

```bash
deno run --allow-net test-server.ts
```

To test, submit a POST request to `http://localhost:7262` with an attachment:

```bash
curl -X POST -F "file=@test.xlsx" http://localhost:7262/
```

:::


  </TabItem>
</Tabs>


### Example: Remote File

This example focuses on fetching files ("Ajax" in browser parlance) using APIs
like `XMLHttpRequest` and `fetch` as well as third-party libraries.

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="browser" label="Browser">

For modern websites targeting Chrome 42+, `fetch` is recommended:

```js
// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

(async() => {
  const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
  const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
})();
```

For broader support, the `XMLHttpRequest` approach is recommended:

```js
var url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";

/* set up async GET request */
var req = new XMLHttpRequest();
req.open("GET", url, true);
req.responseType = "arraybuffer";

req.onload = function(e) {
  var workbook = XLSX.read(req.response);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
};

req.send();
```

The [HTTP Downloads demo](/docs/demos/net/network) includes examples using
browser APIs and wrapper libraries.

https://oss.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/ajax.html shows fallback approaches for IE6+.

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="nodejs" label="NodeJS">

NodeJS releases starting from version 18.0 have native support for fetch:

```js
const XLSX = require("xlsx");

const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
/* data is an ArrayBuffer */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);
```

For broader compatibility, third-party modules are recommended.

**`request`** requires a `null` encoding to yield Buffers:

```js
var XLSX = require("xlsx");
var request = require("request");

var url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
request({url: url, encoding: null}, function(err, resp, body) {
  var workbook = XLSX.read(body);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
});
```

**`axios`** works the same way in browser and in NodeJS:

```js
const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const axios = require("axios");

const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
(async() => {
  const res = await axios.get(url, {responseType: "arraybuffer"});
  /* res.data is a Buffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(res.data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
})();
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="bun" label="Bun">

Bun has native support for `fetch`.  Using the [NodeJS package](/docs/getting-started/installation/nodejs):

```js
import * as XLSX from 'xlsx';
/* load the codepage support library for extended support with older formats  */
import * as cptable from 'xlsx/dist/cpexcel.full.mjs';
XLSX.set_cptable(cptable);

const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
// highlight-next-line
const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
/* data is an ArrayBuffer */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="deno" label="Deno">

Deno has native support for `fetch`.

<CodeBlock language="ts">{`\
// @deno-types="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/types/index.d.ts"
import * as XLSX from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/xlsx.mjs';
/* load the codepage support library for extended support with older formats  */
import * as cptable from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/cpexcel.full.mjs';
XLSX.set_cptable(cptable);
\n\
const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
// highlight-next-line
const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
/* data is an ArrayBuffer */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);`}
</CodeBlock>

:::note pass

Deno must be run with the `--allow-net` flag to enable network requests:

```bash
deno run --allow-net test-fetch.ts
```

:::

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="electron" label="Electron">

The `net` module in the main process can make HTTP/HTTPS requests to external
resources.  Responses should be manually concatenated using `Buffer.concat`:

```js
const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const { net } = require("electron");

const url = "https://sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx";
const req = net.request(url);
req.on("response", (res) => {
  const bufs = []; // this array will collect all of the buffers
  res.on("data", (chunk) => { bufs.push(chunk); });
  res.on("end", () => {
    const workbook = XLSX.read(Buffer.concat(bufs));

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  });
});
req.end();
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

### Example: Readable Streams

:::caution pass

The recommended approach is to buffer streams in memory and process once all of
the data has been collected. A proper streaming parse is technically impossible.

<details>
  <summary><b>Technical details</b> (click to show)</summary>

XLSX, XLSB, NUMBERS, and ODS files are ultimately ZIP files that contain binary
and XML entries.  The ZIP file format stores the table of contents ("end of
central directory" record) at the end of the file, so a proper parse of a ZIP
file requires scanning from the end.  Streams do not provide random access into
the data, so the only correct approach involves buffering the entire stream.

XLS, XLR, QPW, and Works 4 for Mac files use the "Compound File Binary Format".
It is a container format that can hold multiple "files" and "folders".  It also
has a table of contents ("directory sectors") but these can be placed anywhere
in the file!  The only correct approach involves buffering enough of the stream
to find the full table of contents, but the added complexity has little benefit
when testing against real-world files generated by various versions of Excel and
other tools.

</details>

:::


<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="browser" label="Browser">

When dealing with `ReadableStream`, the easiest approach is to buffer the stream
and process the whole thing at the end:

```js
// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function buffer_RS(stream) {
  /* collect data */
  const buffers = [];
  const reader = stream.getReader();
  for(;;) {
    const res = await reader.read();
    if(res.value) buffers.push(res.value);
    if(res.done) break;
  }

  /* concat */
  const out = new Uint8Array(buffers.reduce((acc, v) => acc + v.length, 0));

  let off = 0;
  for(const u8 of buffers) {
    out.set(u8, off);
    off += u8.length;
  }

  return out;
}

const data = await buffer_RS(stream);
/* data is Uint8Array */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="nodejs" label="NodeJS">

When dealing with Readable Streams, the easiest approach is to buffer the stream
and process the whole thing at the end:

```js
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

function process_RS(stream, cb) {
  var buffers = [];
  stream.on("data", function(data) { buffers.push(data); });
  stream.on("end", function() {
    var buffer = Buffer.concat(buffers);
    var workbook = XLSX.read(buffer);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook IN THE CALLBACK */
    cb(workbook);
  });
}
```

In recent versions of NodeJS, Promises are preferred:

```js
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

/* async_RS reads a stream and returns a Promise resolving to a workbook */
const async_RS = (stream) => new Promise((res, rej) => {
  var buffers = [];
  stream.on("data", function(data) { buffers.push(data); });
  stream.on("end", function() {
    const buf = Buffer.concat(buffers);
    const wb = XLSX.read(buf);
    res(wb);
  });
});
```

  </TabItem>
  <TabItem value="deno" label="Deno">

In addition to the browser `ReadableStream` API, Deno has a `Reader` class.

For these streams, `std` provides a `readAll` method to collect data into a
`Uint8Array`.  This example reads from a file using `Deno.open` and prints the
worksheet names array:

<CodeBlock language="ts">{`\
// @deno-types="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/types/index.d.ts"
import * as XLSX from 'https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/xlsx.mjs';
\n\
import { readAll } from "https://deno.land/std/streams/conversion.ts";
\n\
/* Simple Deno.Reader from a file */
const file = await Deno.open("test.xlsx", {read: true});
\n\
/* \`content\` will be a Uint8Array holding the full contents of the stream */
const content = await readAll(file);
\n\
/* Since this is a Uint8Array, \`XLSX.read\` "just works" */
const wb = XLSX.read(content);
console.log(wb.SheetNames);`}
</CodeBlock>

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

More detailed examples are covered in the [included demos](/docs/demos/)

## Processing JSON and JS Data

JSON and JS data tend to represent single worksheets.  This section will use a
few utility functions to generate workbooks.

_Create a new Workbook_

```js
var workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
```

The [`book_new` utility function](/docs/api/utilities/wb) creates an empty
workbook with no worksheets.

#### API

_Create a worksheet from an array of arrays of JS values_

```js
var worksheet = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet(aoa, opts);
```

The `aoa_to_sheet` utility function walks an "array of arrays" in row-major
order, generating a worksheet object.  The following snippet generates a sheet
with cell `A1` set to the string `A1`, cell `B1` set to `B1`, etc:

```js
var worksheet = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet([
  ["A1", "B1", "C1"],
  ["A2", "B2", "C2"],
  ["A3", "B3", "C3"]
]);
```

["Array of Arrays Input"](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-of-arrays-input) describes
the function and the optional `opts` argument in more detail.


_Create a worksheet from an array of JS objects_

```js
var worksheet = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(jsa, opts);
```

The `json_to_sheet` utility function walks an array of JS objects in order,
generating a worksheet object.  By default, it will generate a header row and
one row per object in the array.  The optional `opts` argument has settings to
control the column order and header output.

["Array of Objects Input"](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-of-objects-input) describes
the function and the optional `opts` argument in more detail.

#### Examples

["Export Tutorial"](/docs/getting-started/examples/export) contains a detailed
example of fetching data from a JSON Endpoint and generating a workbook.

[`x-spreadsheet`](/docs/demos/grid/xs) is an interactive data grid for
previewing and modifying structured data in the web browser.

["TensorFlow.js"](/docs/demos/math/tensorflow) covers strategies for
creating worksheets from ML library exports (datasets stored in Typed Arrays).

<details>
  <summary><b>Records from a database query (SQL or no-SQL)</b> (click to show)</summary>

The [`data` demo](/docs/demos/data/) includes examples of working with
databases and query results.

</details>


## Processing HTML Tables

#### API

_Create a worksheet by scraping an HTML TABLE in the page_

```js
var worksheet = XLSX.utils.table_to_sheet(dom_element, opts);
```

The `table_to_sheet` utility function takes a DOM TABLE element and iterates
through the rows to generate a worksheet.  The `opts` argument is optional.
["HTML Table Input"](/docs/api/utilities/html#html-table-input) describes the
function in more detail.



_Create a workbook by scraping an HTML TABLE in the page_

```js
var workbook = XLSX.utils.table_to_book(dom_element, opts);
```

The `table_to_book` utility function follows the same logic as `table_to_sheet`.
After generating a worksheet, it creates a blank workbook and appends the
spreadsheet.

The options argument supports the same options as `table_to_sheet`, with the
addition of a `sheet` property to control the worksheet name.  If the property
is missing or no options are specified, the default name `Sheet1` is used.

#### Examples

The [Headless Demo](/docs/demos/net/headless) includes examples of
server-side spreadsheet generation from HTML TABLE elements using headless
Chromium ("Puppeteer") and other browsers ("Playwright")

Here are a few common scenarios (click on each subtitle to see the code):

<details>
  <summary><b>HTML TABLE element in a webpage</b> (click to show)</summary>

<CodeBlock language="html">{`\
<!-- include the standalone script and shim -->
<script src="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/shim.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js"></script>
\n\
<!-- example table with id attribute -->
<table id="tableau">
  <tr><td>Sheet</td><td>JS</td></tr>
  <tr><td>12345</td><td>67</td></tr>
</table>
\n\
<!-- this block should appear after the table HTML and the standalone script -->
<script type="text/javascript">
  var workbook = XLSX.utils.table_to_book(document.getElementById("tableau"));
\n\
  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  XLSX.writeFile(workbook, "SheetJSHTMLExport.xlsx");
</script>`}
</CodeBlock>

Multiple tables on a web page can be converted to individual worksheets:

```js
/* create new workbook */
var workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();

/* convert table "table1" to worksheet named "Sheet1" */
var sheet1 = XLSX.utils.table_to_sheet(document.getElementById("table1"));
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, sheet1, "Sheet1");

/* convert table "table2" to worksheet named "Sheet2" */
var sheet2 = XLSX.utils.table_to_sheet(document.getElementById("table2"));
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, sheet2, "Sheet2");

/* workbook now has 2 worksheets */
```

Alternatively, the HTML code can be extracted and parsed:

```js
var htmlstr = document.getElementById("tableau").outerHTML;
var workbook = XLSX.read(htmlstr, {type:"string"});
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary><b>Chrome/Chromium Extension</b> (click to show)</summary>

The ["Chrome and Chromium" demo](/docs/demos/extensions/chromium/) includes a
complete example and enumerates the required permissions and other settings.

In an extension, it is recommended to generate the workbook in a content script
and pass the object back to the extension:

```js
/* in the worker script */
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener(function(msg, sender, cb) {
  /* pass a message like { sheetjs: true } from the extension to scrape */
  if(!msg || !msg.sheetjs) return;
  /* create a new workbook */
  var workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
  /* loop through each table element */
  var tables = document.getElementsByTagName("table")
  for(var i = 0; i < tables.length; ++i) {
    var worksheet = XLSX.utils.table_to_sheet(tables[i]);
    XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, "Table" + i);
  }
  /* pass back to the extension */
  return cb(workbook);
});
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary><b>NodeJS HTML Tables without a browser</b> (click to show)</summary>

NodeJS does not include a DOM implementation and Puppeteer requires a hefty
Chromium build.  The ["Synthetic DOM"](/docs/demos/net/dom) demo includes
examples for NodeJS.

</details>