Read .xlsx Files on Kali Linux

Of all the great file formats in the world, the best ones are only readable by a single program that only comes with one particular operating system.

The ubiquity of Excel becomes a problem when you’re using Kali Linux. You might come across a spreadsheet on a host or fileshare but not be able to read it because you haven’t got Libre Office or Excel installed! What to do?

Markitdown

markitdown is one my favourite tools released by Microsoft to date. It allows you to take Microsoft Office files (among others) and convert them into pure markdown.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/markitdown

cd markitdown

python3 -m venv venv

source venv/bin/activate

python3 -m pip install -e 'packages/markitdown[all]'

Usage

Once everything is installed, you can convert your file into something much more usable.

markitdown gibberish.xlsx -o clarity.md

cat clarity.md

## Sheet 1
| Name | Office | Salary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bob | Los Angeles | $100,000 |
| Alice | New York | $120,000 |