October 27, 2026 — Withdata Software announces ExcelDataTransformer 2.1, a desktop tool that merges and splits Excel workbooks without Microsoft Excel installed. Version 2.1 is the release where it stops being a Windows-only program and stops failing quietly: there are now Linux (GTK3) and macOS (Cocoa) builds, a failed conversion exits with a non-zero code, and the errors that used to surface as a raw access violation now name the sheet, the folder or the file that caused them.
What’s New in ExcelDataTransformer 2.1
1. Linux and macOS Builds
ExcelDataTransformer now ships for Linux (GTK3) and macOS (Cocoa) alongside Windows, with the same merge and split features on all three — and the same promise that the workbook is read locally, with no Excel or Office installation and no upload. A command-line build is included for servers, so a scheduled merge on a Linux box no longer needs a Windows machine in the middle.
2. A Failed Task Exits Non-Zero
Until now a conversion could fail and still return exit code 0, which makes a task look successful to cron, Task Scheduler or a CI step. In 2.1 a failure exits non-zero, so the scheduler sees it and the next step does not run on top of half-written output.
ExcelDataTransformer --scenario=merge-workbook --session=merge.sbt --out=D:\out
echo %ERRORLEVEL% :: 0 only when the merge really happened3. Errors That Name the Thing That Failed
The three most common mistakes in a batch now say what is wrong instead of what crashed:
- A sheet name that the workbook does not contain is reported by name —
Sheet "Q3" not found in sales-2026.xlsx— rather than as an access violation from the code that received an empty sheet. - A destination that cannot be written is reported with the reason, so a read-only folder or a locked file is obvious from the log.
- A file that is not valid JSON is reported by file name.
4. Small Things That Used to Stop a Batch
Two fixes remove interruptions that had nothing to do with the conversion itself: the output folder is created when it does not exist yet, and absolute session paths work on Linux and macOS (a session saved as /data/jobs/merge.sbt is no longer read as a command-line option).
5. The Trial Limit Now Covers What It Says
The trial limit is meant to cap files and sheets, but it was only being applied to rows. Version 2.1 applies it as intended, so what you see in the trial is what the licence unlocks.
About ExcelDataTransformer
ExcelDataTransformer merges and splits Excel workbooks and worksheets on Windows, Linux and macOS — locally, with no Excel installation and no subscription.
- Merge workbooks — combine XLS/XLSX files into one, preserving formatting and formulas, batch-merging up to 100 files
- Merge worksheets — combine worksheets from one or more workbooks into a single sheet, with headers preserved
- Split a workbook by sheets — every worksheet written to its own file in one pass
- Split a worksheet by rows, columns or value, with the option to keep or remove duplicate rows
- Own built-in Excel file parser: Microsoft Excel and Office are not required, which is also what makes it usable on a server
- GUI and command line, for one-off jobs and scheduled runs
Download ExcelDataTransformer 2.1 (free trial, $45 one-time licence). Existing customers can upgrade in place; saved sessions keep working.
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