How to Install `xlwt` in Python

v1.3.0 Web & HTTP BSD

Library to create spreadsheet files compatible with MS Excel 97/2000/XP/2003 XLS files, on any platform, with Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.3+

Install pip install xlwt

What is xlwt?

Library to create spreadsheet files compatible with MS Excel 97/2000/XP/2003 XLS files, on any platform, with Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.3+

This is a library for developers to use to generate spreadsheet files compatible with Microsoft Excel versions 95 to 2003.

The package itself is pure Python with no dependencies on modules or packages outside the standard Python distribution.

Please read this before using this package:

Documentation → PyPI page → Author: John Machin

Quick Start

Minimal example to get started with xlwt:

import xlwt

print(xlwt.__version__)

Installation

pip (standard)

pip install xlwt

Virtual environment (recommended)

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate   # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install xlwt

pip3

pip3 install xlwt

conda

conda install -c conda-forge xlwt

Poetry

poetry add xlwt

Verify the Installation

After installing, confirm the package is available:

python -c "import xlwt; print(xlwt.__version__)"

If this prints a version number, installation succeeded. If you see a ModuleNotFoundError, see the errors section below.

Installation Errors

Common errors when installing xlwt with pip.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'xlwt'

Cause: The package is not installed in the current Python environment.

Fix: Run pip install xlwt. If using a virtual environment, ensure it is activated first.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'xlwt' (installed but still failing)

Cause: pip installed the package into a different Python than the one running your script.

Fix: Use python -m pip install xlwt to install into the interpreter you are running.

ImportError: cannot import name 'X' from 'xlwt'

Cause: The function or class does not exist in the installed version.

Fix: Check the version with pip show xlwt and upgrade with pip install --upgrade xlwt.

pip: command not found

Cause: pip is not in PATH or Python was not added to PATH during installation.

Fix: Try python -m pip install xlwt. On macOS/Linux try pip3.

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

Cause: No write access to the system Python package directory.

Fix: Use a virtual environment, or add --user: pip install --user xlwt

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

Cause: pip cannot verify PyPI's SSL certificate — common behind corporate proxies.

Fix: Try: pip install --trusted-host pypi.org --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org xlwt

ConnectionError: Failed to establish a new connection

Cause: Server unreachable, URL invalid, or firewall/proxy blocking the connection.

Fix: Verify the URL and network access. Set HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY env vars if behind a proxy.

SSLError: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

Cause: The remote server's SSL certificate cannot be verified.

Fix: Update CA certificates on your system. For testing only, disable SSL verification (never in production).

Recent Releases

Version	Released
`1.3.0` latest	2017-08-22
`1.2.0`	2017-01-04
`1.1.2`	2016-06-09
`1.1.1`	2016-06-02
`1.0.0`	2015-04-15

Full release history on PyPI →

Manage xlwt

Upgrade to latest version

pip install --upgrade xlwt

Install a specific version

pip install xlwt==1.3.0

Uninstall

pip uninstall xlwt

Check what is installed

pip show xlwt

Last updated: 2026-04-11 • Data from PyPI

How to Install xlwt in Python