How to Compress an Excel File Using Python?

To compress an Excel file using Python, you can use the zipfile module to create a compressed ZIP archive containing the Excel file. Here’s an example:

import zipfile

def compress_excel(input_path, output_path):
    with zipfile.ZipFile(output_path, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf:
        zipf.write(input_path, arcname='compressed_excel.xlsx')

# Example usage
input_path = 'input.xlsx'
output_path = 'compressed_excel.zip'

compress_excel(input_path, output_path)

In this example, the compress_excel() function takes two parameters: the input path of the Excel file and the output path for the compressed ZIP archive. It uses the zipfile.ZipFile constructor to create a new ZIP archive file in write mode ('w'). The zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED parameter is passed to enable compression.

Within the context of the with statement, you can add the Excel file to the ZIP archive using the zipf.write() method. The arcname argument specifies the name of the file within the archive.

After executing the code, you will have a compressed ZIP archive (compressed_excel.zip) containing the Excel file (compressed_excel.xlsx). You can change the names and file extensions according to your requirements.

Note that this method compresses the Excel file by creating a ZIP archive, which reduces the overall file size. However, it doesn’t compress the Excel file’s content itself. To achieve further compression on the content, you might consider using specialized libraries or tools that are specifically designed for Excel file compression.