For direct Excel-to-CSV conversion on Linux, use csvkit’s in2csv or Gnumeric’s ssconvert. Miller’s mlr is for processing the CSV or other supported text-format records after conversion; its documented formats do not include Excel workbooks. The examples below create a separate output for each workbook and show how to handle multiple sheets deliberately.
Choose the right tool
| Need | Use | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Convert an XLS or XLSX workbook to CSV and select worksheets | in2csv from csvkit |
Its current reference documents XLS/XLSX input and worksheet options. |
| Script conversions across spreadsheet formats supported by Gnumeric | ssconvert |
Gnumeric documents scripted file conversion and options for listing importers and exporters. |
| Filter, reshape, sort, or transform tabular records after conversion | mlr from Miller |
Miller handles documented delimited and JSON-style formats, not Excel workbook input. |
For separate CSV files, run a conversion once per workbook. Miller can instead read multiple CSV files as a single record stream, which is useful for aggregation but does not preserve a one-workbook-to-one-output result.
Install and check the commands
csvkit
csvkit documents installation with pip install csvkit and recommends using a virtual environment. Package names and versions can vary by Linux distribution, so confirm that in2csv is available in your environment. The current csvkit documentation is version 2.2.0: csvkit documentation.
Gnumeric
Install Gnumeric through your distribution’s package manager, then confirm ssconvert is installed. The Gnumeric homepage reports version 1.12.62, released in September 2026: Gnumeric. Availability and command options depend on the installed package.
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Miller
Miller 6.22.0 documents CSV, TSV, JSON, JSON Lines, PPRINT, XTAB, NIDX, and DKVP formats. Check the installed command’s help or manual if its options differ from the examples: Miller documentation.
Batch-convert one workbook per CSV
These shell loops assume the input files are in the current directory. Quoted variable expansions preserve spaces in filenames, and the existence check makes an unmatched glob skip cleanly instead of creating a file from the literal pattern.
With csvkit
for f in ./*.xlsx; do
[ -e "$f" ] || continue
in2csv "$f" > "${f%.xlsx}.csv"
doneFor legacy .xls files, use a separate loop and change the suffix:
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for f in ./*.xls; do
[ -e "$f" ] || continue
in2csv "$f" > "${f%.xls}.csv"
doneThe redirection writes each command’s output to a CSV with the matching basename. For reruns, consider writing outputs to a dedicated directory so later input globs cannot include previous results.
With Gnumeric
for f in ./*.xlsx; do
[ -e "$f" ] || continue
ssconvert "$f" "${f%.xlsx}.csv"
doneUse the equivalent ./*.xls glob and ${f%.xls}.csv suffix for legacy files. Gnumeric documents the ssconvert input output form and scripted conversion, but the opened manual is an archive copy for version 1.12.57 from May 2020. Check the installed options when behavior matters: run ssconvert --list-importers, ssconvert --list-exporters, and consult man ssconvert. The project’s conversion guidance is at Gnumeric: Converting Files.
Handle worksheets deliberately
A workbook may contain several sheets. With csvkit, list sheet names before choosing one:
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in2csv --names "workbook.xlsx"Convert a named worksheet with:
in2csv --sheet 'Sheet Name' "workbook.xlsx" > "workbook.csv"To write all sheets, csvkit documents --write-sheets -; --use-sheet-names lets output filenames use worksheet names. Check the generated filenames and destination directory with a sample workbook before running this across a folder. See the in2csv reference for the available options.
If you use Gnumeric, inspect the installed importer and exporter list and its manual for worksheet-related options. Do not assume that a simple workbook-to-CSV command exports every sheet: test the specific workbook and command behavior.
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Miller is useful once the spreadsheet data is in a supported record format. For example, convert a CSV to TSV with:
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mlr --icsv --otsv cat input.csv > output.tsvTo process several same-schema CSV files as one stream and count records:
mlr --csv stats1 -a count input-*.csvMiller treats the input files as one stream and avoids repeating CSV header lines. That behavior suits a combined analysis or transformation; use the per-file loops above when you need one output for each workbook. Miller’s formats and stream behavior are described in its documentation.
Check the output before converting a whole directory
- Pilot representative files. Convert at least one XLS and one XLSX if both types are present, then inspect the resulting CSV before processing the full batch.
- Verify the worksheet. List sheet names or choose a sheet explicitly; if exporting all sheets, confirm which files the command created.
- Compare important values. Check dates, identifiers with leading zeros, decimals, formulas, blank cells, and non-ASCII text against the workbook. The documentation does not claim that any converter preserves every spreadsheet feature or display choice.
- Inspect CSV quoting and delimiters. Fields containing commas, quotation marks, or newlines need to be represented correctly for the CSV consumer. Miller’s documentation distinguishes RFC-4180-style CSV from CSV-lite and describes their handling of embedded delimiters and line endings: Miller documentation.
- Keep inputs and outputs distinct. A separate output directory helps prevent reruns or broad globs from treating earlier CSVs as new inputs.
- Make failures visible. Check command exit statuses and record which input failed; do not treat a completed loop as proof that every file converted correctly.
Why Excel files that look alike can produce different CSVs
CSV contains tabular values, not the full workbook experience. A conversion can differ in numeric representation or formatting even when two workbooks appear identical in Excel. csvkit warns: “If an XLS looks identical to an XLSX when viewed in Excel, they may not be identical as CSV.” Its example notes that an integer in an XLSX may be emitted without decimals while a visually similar XLS value may be emitted with decimals. See the in2csv reference.
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csvkit also documents CSV dialect sniffing and type inference, with occasional inference errors. If you do not need those features for csvkit’s CSV handling, its documentation recommends --snifflimit 0 and --no-inference. These settings concern csvkit’s CSV handling; they do not make Excel conversion semantics identical.
Gnumeric’s archived manual describes exporter formatting choices including format=raw and format=preserve. Their outcome can affect dates and number formatting, so check your installed version’s exporter options before relying on either. The manual copy is for Gnumeric 1.12.57 from May 2020; use the installed man ssconvert and exporter list for current behavior.
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