https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=169577
Bug ID: 169577
Summary: IMporting xls export
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 25.8.0.4 release
Hardware: x86 (IA32)
OS: Linux (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: LibreOffice
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
Trade show exports leads in latest strict ooxml format (ecma-376). LibreOffice
(and also Google Drives) chokes on it and fails on the desktop. I have 25.8 LO
on linux.
Oddly enought LibreViewer on my Android phone can view the xls just fine.
Actual Results:
LO sees as corrupt, tries to repair and then generates I/O error
Expected Results:
see the xls file
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
🔥 1. The new file uses “Strict OOXML” format (Excel 2013+ XML)
Most lead-scanner systems export using:
ECMA-376 Strict Open XML format
LibreOffice and Google Sheets struggle with “Strict” because:
LibreOffice still relies heavily on the Transitional OOXML standard
Google Sheets cannot reliably parse shared strings tables and extended
properties
Older files (like your 2015 Excel export) used Excel 97–2003-compatible XML,
which all platforms read easily.
🔥 2. The new file probably contains a very large sharedStrings.xml
Your 2025 sheet has 36 columns Ă— ~1000 rows.
That can generate:
A huge shared string table
Long XML nodes
Repeated rich-text cell styling
Google Sheets is notorious for choking on XLSX files with large
sharedStrings.xml maps.
The 2015 file is tiny, so it loads instantly.
🔥 3. The 2025 file contains “relationships” files that Sheets/LibreOffice
ignore
Modern Excel exports include:
/xl/printerSettings/
/xl/drawings/vmlDrawing1.vml
/xl/styles.xml with extended fonts
/docProps/app.xml with custom properties
/xl/_rels/workbook.xml.rels
Google Sheets simply discards these and often errors.
Old file?
It had none of these.
🔥 4. The new file uses features not supported in LibreOffice or Google Sheets
Even if they aren’t visible to YOU, the exporting system may embed:
Custom cell formatting rules
“Hidden” metadata worksheets
Rich text XML within cells
Boolean flags for scanning devices
Date/Time stamps in OADate format
Unicode metadata from badges
These silently break non-Excel parsers.
Your 2015 file is simple text — no formatting, no metadata.
🔥 5. Google Sheets has a 10 MB internal processing limit for XLSX import
Even if the file is physically smaller than 10 MB, the XML expansion may exceed
Google’s internal threshold.
A 1 MB XLSX can expand to >40 MB XML internally.
Your 2025 file has:
Many text fields
High repetition
XML-heavy lead system metadata
Your 2015 file is extremely lightweight.
🔥 6. EventLead / ExpoPass / Cvent / Aventri-style scanners export Excel using
Microsoft's API
Their XLSX output expects Microsoft Excel, not compatibility tools.
LibreOffice reverse-engineers XLSX but does not fully support all XML rules
(especially strict SAX-based parsing).
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