| Alternative | Pros | Cons | |-------------|------|------| | (by Microsoft) | No Excel installation required, fast, reliable | Cannot execute macros or formulas, no real-time rendering | | EPPlus (commercial for non-open use) | High performance, formula support | License cost for commercial use (v5+) | | ClosedXML | Open source, simpler API than Open XML | Limited to basic features, slower for huge files | | NPOI | Free, supports .xls and .xlsx | Less documentation, occasional bugs | | Excel Data Reader | Fast read-only access | No write support |
This assembly acts as a managed wrapper around Excel’s unmanaged COM interfaces, enabling developers to create, read, modify, and automate Excel workbooks programmatically without directly dealing with COM pointers, VARIANT types, or memory management complexities. microsoft.office.interop.excel version 15.0.0.0
try
Use Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel only for desktop automation where Excel is already installed and user interaction is acceptable. For server-side (ASP.NET, Windows Service) or bulk processing, use Open XML SDK or EPPlus . 9. Summary Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel version 15.0.0.0 is the official managed bridge to Excel 2013 . While powerful for desktop automation, it requires careful COM resource management, proper Excel installation, and attention to version compatibility. For new projects, consider embedding interop types or moving to lightweight libraries unless full Excel fidelity and macro execution are mandatory. | Alternative | Pros | Cons | |-------------|------|------|
// Auto-fit columns Excel.Range usedRange = worksheet.UsedRange; usedRange.EntireColumn.AutoFit(); For new projects, consider embedding interop types or
catch (Exception ex)
| Aspect | Verdict | |--------|---------| | | Moderate (COM complexity) | | Performance | Slow for large data | | Reliability | High if coded carefully | | Deployment | Heavy (requires Office) | | Best suited for | Desktop reporting, user-driven automation, legacy integrations | Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2025 Applicable to: .NET Framework 4.0 – 4.8, .NET Core (via interop compatibility pack with limitations)