Extract text from XLL files
To convert your XLL file to another format, you need Microsoft Excel or other Plugin software.
To convert other file formats to the "Excel Add-in Library" file type, you need software like Microsoft Excel or a similar tool.
An .XLL file is not a standard spreadsheet; it is a compiled Microsoft Excel Add-in. Technically, it is a standard Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that has been built specifically to interface with Excel's API. These files are typically developed in C or C++ to provide high-performance custom functions (UDFs) that run much faster than VBA macros.
Users commonly have issues with .XLL files because they behave like executable programs rather than documents. You cannot simply double-click an XLL to view data rows and columns. A common source of frustration is the architecture mismatch: a 32-bit XLL will fail to load (often silently or with cryptic errors) in a 64-bit version of Microsoft Excel, and vice versa. Additionally, because they contain compiled code, email filters and Windows security settings (Mark of the Web) often block them aggressively, preventing them from running until manually unblocked.
If you are trying to "convert" an XLL because you cannot open it, you likely need to install it via the Excel Add-ins manager rather than converting it. However, for inspection or recovery purposes, you can rename the file to DLL to analyze its dependencies or extract embedded resources (like icons or dialog strings). There is no direct conversion to XLSX or PDF because the file contains machine code, not printable content.
Convert.Guru analyzes your XLL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XLSX, XLA, XLAM and XLS files.
If you want to convert XLL file to DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ, APPEX, KEXT, SYS or DRV, you can use Microsoft Excel or similar software from the "Excel Functionality Extension" 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 XLL, try Microsoft Excel or another comparable tool in the "Excel Functionality Extension" 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 XLL converter.