Pandas · Module

df.to_excel

Writes a DataFrame to an Excel worksheet. It supports direct file output or coordinated multi-sheet workbooks through ExcelWriter.

How it works

Call this DataFrame method with a file path or ExcelWriter to serialize tabular data into an Excel worksheet. Optional arguments control the sheet name, missing-value text, selected columns, headers, index output, placement, formatting, engine, frozen panes, and storage-related options.

Syntax

DataFrame.to_excel(excel_writer, *, sheet_name='Sheet1', na_rep='', float_format=None, columns=None, header=True, index=True, index_label=None, startrow=0, startcol=0, engine=None, merge_cells=True, inf_rep='inf', freeze_panes=None, storage_options=None, engine_kwargs=None, autofilter=False)

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`excel_writer`	`path-like, file-like, or ExcelWriter`	Path-like, file-like, or ExcelWriter object receiving the workbook.
`sheet_name`	`str`	Worksheet name; defaults to 'Sheet1'.
`na_rep`	`str`	Text used for missing values; defaults to ''.
`float_format`	`str, optional`	Format string for floating-point values.
`columns`	`sequence or list of str, optional`	Columns to export.
`header`	`bool or list of str`	Whether to write column labels; defaults to True.
`index`	`bool`	Whether to write row names; defaults to True.
`index_label`	`str or sequence, optional`	Label for the index column or columns.
`startrow`	`int, default 0`	Starting row offset; defaults to 0.
`startcol`	`int, default 0`	Starting column offset; defaults to 0.
`engine`	`str, optional`	Excel writing engine.
`merge_cells`	`bool, default True`	Whether to merge MultiIndex cells; defaults to True.

Returns

None

Key points

Exports the DataFrame as an Excel worksheet.
A target .xlsx filename is sufficient for a basic single-sheet export.
sheet_name chooses the worksheet that receives the DataFrame.
columns restricts the export to selected DataFrame columns.
When header and index remain enabled, unnamed index labels can derive from the index names.

Common mistakes

Use ExcelWriter when the output must contain multiple worksheets.
Give each worksheet a distinct sheet_name when writing several sheets.
The index is included by default; pass index=False when it is not part of the exported table.
The destination can be a path, a file-like object, or an existing ExcelWriter.

Example: Export a DataFrame to Excel

import pandas as pd

sales = pd.DataFrame({"product": ["A", "B"], "units": [3, 5]})
sales.to_excel("sales.xlsx", sheet_name="Sales", index=False)

Creates an Excel workbook containing the DataFrame on a named sheet without writing the DataFrame index.

When to use it

Create an Excel deliverable

Save a prepared table for spreadsheet users or downstream office workflows.

Build a multi-sheet workbook

Produce a workbook containing separate worksheets for different reports or datasets.

Format a report export

Place a DataFrame into a specified worksheet region with optional frozen panes and filters.

Interview questions

QWhat does DataFrame.to_excel do, and what is the minimum typical call?

It writes a DataFrame to an Excel sheet. A simple .xlsx export only needs a destination filename; sheet_name selects the worksheet and defaults to Sheet1.

Follow-up: How would you export several worksheets? Create an ExcelWriter for the target file and call to_excel with a unique sheet_name for each DataFrame.

QHow do you prevent the index from being exported?

By default, the DataFrame index is written because index defaults to True. Set index=False when the index should not appear as an extra Excel column.

Follow-up: How can selected data be exported? Use columns to specify the sequence or list of column names to write.

QWhich arguments control output placement and worksheet handling?

The method accepts a path-like destination, a file-like object, or an ExcelWriter. Parameters such as startrow and startcol control the starting position, while freeze_panes identifies the pane boundary to freeze.

Follow-up: How would you place a report below existing worksheet content? Supply an appropriate startrow, and use startcol if horizontal offset is also required.

pandas.DataFrame.to_csv
pandas.read_excel
pandas.ExcelWriter

Source: pandas.DataFrame.to_excel. Checked 2026-10-15.