Command Line Client (CLI)

xlwings comes with a command line client. On Windows, type the commands into a Command Prompt or Anaconda Prompt, on Mac, type them into a Terminal. To get an overview of all commands, simply type xlwings and hit Enter:

addin               Run "xlwings addin install" to install the Excel add-
                    in (will be copied to the user's XLSTART folder).
                    Instead of "install" you can also use "update",
                    "remove" or "status". Note that this command may take
                    a while. You can install your custom add-in by
                    providing the name or path via the --file/-f flag,
                    e.g. "xlwings add-in install -f custom.xlam or copy
                    all Excel files in a directory to the XLSTART folder
                    by providing the path via the --dir flag." To install
                    the add-in for every user globally, use the --glob/-g
                    flag and run this command from an Elevated Command
                    Prompt.
                    (New in 0.6.0, the --dir flag was added in 0.24.8 and the
                    --glob flag in 0.28.4)
quickstart          Run "xlwings quickstart myproject" to create a folder
                    called "myproject" in the current directory with an
                    Excel file and a Python file, ready to be used. Use
                    the "--standalone" flag to embed all VBA code in the
                    Excel file and make it work without the xlwings add-
                    in. Use "--server" to create a project for xlwings
                    Server. Use "--addin --ribbon" to create a template for
                    a custom ribbon addin. Leave away the "--ribbon" if you
                    don't want a ribbon tab.
runpython           macOS only: run "xlwings runpython install" if you
                    want to enable the RunPython calls without installing
                    the add-in. This will create the following file:
                    ~/Library/Application
                    Scripts/com.microsoft.Excel/xlwings.applescript
                    (new in 0.7.0)
restapi             Use "xlwings restapi run" to run the xlwings REST API
                    via Flask dev server. Accepts "--host" and "--port" as
                    optional arguments.
license             xlwings PRO: Use "xlwings license update -k KEY" where
                    "KEY" is your personal (trial) license key. This will
                    update ~/.xlwings/xlwings.conf with the LICENSE_KEY
                    entry. If you have a paid license, you can run
                    "xlwings license deploy" to create a deploy key. This
                    is not available for trial keys.
config              Run "xlwings config create" to create the user config
                    file (~/.xlwings/xlwings.conf) which is where the
                    settings from the Ribbon add-in are stored. It will
                    configure the Python interpreter that you are running
                    this command with. To reset your configuration, run
                    this with the "--force" flag which will overwrite your
                    current configuration.
                    (New in 0.19.5)
code                Run "xlwings code embed" to embed all Python modules
                    of the workbook's dir in your active Excel file. Use
                    the "--file" flag to only import a single file by
                    providing its path. Requires xlwings PRO.
                    (Changed in 0.23.4)
release             Run "xlwings release" to configure your active
                    workbook to work with a one-click installer for easy
                    deployment. Requires xlwings PRO.
                    (New in 0.23.4)
copy                Run "xlwings copy os" to copy the xlwings Office
                    Scripts module. Run "xlwings copy gs" to copy the
                    xlwings Google Apps Script module. Run "xlwings copy
                    vba" to copy the standalone xlwings VBA module. Run
                    "xlwings copy vba --addin" to copy the xlwings VBA
                    module for custom add-ins.
                    (New in 0.26.0, 'vba' added in 0.28.7)
auth                Microsoft Azure AD: "xlwings auth azuread", see
                    https://docs.xlwings.org/en/stable/server_authentication.html
                    (New in 0.28.6)
vba                 This functionality allows you to easily write VBA code
                    in an external editor: run "xlwings vba edit" to
                    update the VBA modules of the active workbook from
                    their local exports everytime you hit save. If you run
                    this the first time, the modules will be exported from
                    Excel into your current working directory. To
                    overwrite the local version of the modules with those
                    from Excel, run "xlwings vba export". To overwrite the
                    VBA modules in Excel with their local versions, run
                    "xlwings vba import". The "--file/-f" flag allows you
                    to specify a file path instead of using the active
                    Workbook. Requires "Trust access to the VBA project
                    object model" enabled. NOTE: Whenever you change
                    something in the VBA editor (such as the layout of a
                    form or the properties of a module), you have to run
                    "xlwings vba export".
                    (New in 0.26.3, changed in 0.27.0)
py                  This functionality allows you to easily write Python code for
                    Microsoft's Python in Excel cells (=PY) via a local editor:
                    run "xlwings py edit" to export the code of the selected cell
                    into a local file. Whenever you save the file, the code will be
                    synced back to the cell.
                    (New in 0.30.12)