Extract text from Excel macro add-ins (XLAM)
To convert XLAM add-ins to another format, you need Microsoft Excel or other Plugin software.
To convert other file formats to the "Excel Add-in" file type, you need software like Microsoft Excel or a similar tool.
The .XLAM format is an Excel Macro-Enabled Add-In. Users install these files to add custom VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) macros, custom ribbon buttons, and new functions to their spreadsheets. You typically open and manage them using Microsoft Excel.
However, .XLAM files come with severe real-world disadvantages. They require a paid Microsoft 365 subscription to execute. They are completely unsupported by web browsers or mobile spreadsheet applications. Because they contain executable VBA code, they are a major security risk and are frequently blocked by corporate firewalls to prevent malware. Furthermore, the format is designed to run silently in the background, making it frustrating to view or edit the internal data directly.
When you need to inspect or share the logic safely, conversion is necessary. The most pragmatic approach is to treat the file as an archive and convert it to a ZIP file to extract the raw XML documents and the binary vbaProject.bin file. If you want to keep the macros but need a visible, editable workbook, converting it to an XLSM file is the standard solution. Alternatively, converting to XLSX will permanently strip all VBA code, which removes the security risks but destroys the add-in's core functionality.
Because .XLAM is a proprietary extension of the OpenXML standard tied directly to Excel's VBA execution engine, standard online converters fail to process it. Often only the original software can properly read or export the functional data. Our analysis engine can detect the underlying ZIP or Microsoft Compound structure, allowing you to inspect the file, extract embedded XML, and view the internal content safely.
Convert.Guru analyzes your XLAM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XLA, JPG, XLSX, ASPX, TXT, CRDOWNLOAD, PMD, RPT, APK, SDOCX, XLS, XLSB and XLSM files.
If you want to convert XLAM file to XLSX, XLSM, XLA, DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ or APPEX, you can use Microsoft Excel or similar software from the "Excel VBA Macro Add-in" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to XLAM, try Microsoft Excel or another comparable tool in the "Excel VBA Macro Add-in" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our XLAM converter.