Create and Write on Excel File using xlsxwriter Module - Python

XlsxWriter The xlsxwriter module in Python is used to create Excel .xlsx files and write data into them. It supports:

• Writing text, numbers, and formulas
• Creating multiple worksheets
• Formatting, charts, images, filters, and conditional formatting

Installation

Before using xlsxwriter, we need to install it using pip:

pip install xlsxwriter

Note:

Rows and columns are zero-indexed. For example:

• Cell A1 - (0, 0)
• Cell B1 - (0, 1)
• Cell A2 - (1, 0)

Examples of xlsxwriter module

Example 1: Writing to Excel Using A1 Notation

In this example, we'll create a new Excel file and write simple text values to specific cells using the familiar A1-style cell notation:

import xlsxwriter

workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('path_to_hello.xlsx')
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet()

worksheet.write('A1', 'Hello..')
worksheet.write('B1', 'Geeks')
worksheet.write('C1', 'For')
worksheet.write('D1', 'Geeks')

workbook.close()

Output:

Explanation:

• Workbook() creates a new Excel file.
• add_worksheet() adds a new worksheet to the workbook.
• write(cell, value) writes values to specific cells like 'A1', 'B1', etc.
• close() saves and closes the file.

This creates a single worksheet with text in the first row from columns A to D.

Example 2: Writing Using Row-Column Indexing

This example shows how to write a list of names to the first column using zero-based indexing (row, column) instead of A1-style cell notation:

import xlsxwriter

workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('example2.xlsx')
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet()

content = ["ankit", "rahul", "priya", "harshita", "sumit", "neeraj", "shivam"]

for row, name in enumerate(content):
    worksheet.write(row, 0, name)

workbook.close()

Output: 

Explanation:

• We loop through a list of names using enumerate() to get the row index.
• Each name is written to column 0 (i.e., column A), starting from row 0.
• Result: Each name appears in a new row under the first column. 

Example 3: Creating a Named Worksheet and Writing Rows

Here, we create a custom-named worksheet and write a 2D list of names and scores into it row-by-row:

import xlsxwriter

workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('example3.xlsx')
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet("My Sheet")

scores = [
    ['ankit', 1000],
    ['rahul', 100],
    ['priya', 300],
    ['harshita', 50],
]

for row, (name, score) in enumerate(scores):
    worksheet.write(row, 0, name)
    worksheet.write(row, 1, score)

workbook.close()

Output:

Explanation:

1. The worksheet is named "My Sheet" instead of the default "Sheet1".
2. We write both names and their corresponding scores into two columns.
   • Column A - Names
   • Column B - Scores
3. The data is written row-by-row using enumerate().

Advantages of xlsxwriter

• Supports more Excel features than most other Python libraries.
• Produces files nearly identical to those created by Excel itself.
• Offers detailed documentation, examples, and testing support.
• Fast and memory-efficient, even for large files. 

Limitations

• Cannot read or modify existing Excel files.
• It is strictly a write-only library for .xlsx format.