Error using xlsread for csvfile macbook

Why do I keep getting the same error when trying to open csv files: Error using xlsread (line 260). Unable to read XLS file ID106sec.csv. File is not in recognized format. I have read previous questions about this issue and checked the add ins and I do not have any. Readtable does work but I need quite a few headers of the file that are above the data (in strings and numbers) and readtable only gives me the data.

Please help!

Answer 1

[Guillaume]

and checked the add ins and I do not have any

On a mac, xlsread does not use excel to read the file. As explained in the documentation on a mac, xlsread is restricted to basic mode which means it:

• Reads XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLTX, and XLTM files only.
• Does not support an xlRange input when reading XLS files. In this case, use '' in place of xlRange.
• Does not support function handle inputs.
• Imports all dates as Excel serial date numbers. Excel serial date numbers use a different reference date than MATLAB® date numbers.

You cannot use xlsread to read csv files on a mac. You can use textscan to read the header of your file.