Excel

Excel Node

Actions3

Overview

This node allows users to manipulate Excel files within n8n workflows. Specifically, the "List Sheets" operation reads an Excel file from binary input and outputs a list of sheet names contained in that file. It can optionally include or exclude hidden sheets.

Common scenarios for this node include:

Extracting metadata about an Excel file before processing its contents.
Dynamically determining which sheets exist in an uploaded Excel file.
Filtering sheets based on visibility status (hidden or visible).

For example, you might use this node after receiving an Excel file via webhook to list all available sheets and then route the workflow differently depending on the sheet names.

Properties

Name	Meaning
Binary Property Name	The name of the binary property containing the Excel file data. Default is `"data"`.
Include Hidden Sheets	Whether to include hidden sheets in the output list. Options: `true` or `false` (default).

Output

The node outputs JSON data with the following structure:

{
  "sheetNames": ["Sheet1", "Sheet2", "..."]
}

sheetNames: An array of strings representing the names of sheets found in the Excel file.
If Include Hidden Sheets is set to false, hidden sheets are excluded from this list.

No binary output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

Requires the Excel file to be provided as binary data in the specified binary property.
Uses the xlsx library internally to parse Excel files.
No external API keys or services are needed.
Ensure the input binary data is a valid Excel file encoded in base64.

Troubleshooting

Error: Binary property "X" not found.
This means the specified binary property does not exist on the input item. Verify that the binary property name matches the actual property containing the Excel file.
Invalid Excel file or corrupted data.
If the input binary data is not a valid Excel file, the node will fail to parse it. Confirm the file is correctly uploaded and encoded.
Empty sheet list returned.
If no sheets appear, check if the Excel file actually contains sheets and whether hidden sheets are excluded by the current setting.