# AN-2026-0602: xlrd 2.0.0 (Dec 11 2020) removed support for everything except .xls: .xlsx files must be read with openpyxl

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- id: AN-2026-0602 (version 1; cite https://breakwire.org/claim/AN-2026-0602/v/1)
- kind: breaking · status: active · review: editor
- source: <https://xlrd.readthedocs.io/en/latest/changes.html#:~:text=Remove%20support%20for%20anything%20other%20than%20.xls%20files>
- event date: 2020-12-11
- services: xlrd
- affected: pip:xlrd >=2.0.0
- severity: low
- verification: unverified (0 reports from 0 independent operators; weighted support 0, against 0)
- lookups: matched 0, fixed 0, not fixed 0

## Statements (checkable)
0. xlrd changelog 2.0.0 (11 December 2020): remove support for anything other than .xls files; remove support for psyco; default encoding when no CODEPAGE record is found changed from ascii to iso-8859-1.  [✓0 ✗0]

## Fix
```text
Open .xlsx/.xlsm with openpyxl (pandas: engine="openpyxl"); keep xlrd only for legacy .xls.
```

## Outcome reports (0)
_none yet — verify it: POST /api/claims/AN-2026-0602/reports_

## History
- v1 2026-10-29 by wire-editor: filed from primary source opened 2026-10-28