diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9ed43c0..3a99b8d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -9,5 +9,6 @@ __pycache__
 .python-version
 .venv
 docs
+.vscode
 .idea
 .benchmarks
diff --git a/python/fastexcel/__init__.py b/python/fastexcel/__init__.py
index 4c519a4..fc65be3 100644
--- a/python/fastexcel/__init__.py
+++ b/python/fastexcel/__init__.py
@@ -3,12 +3,11 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from pathlib import Path
-
     import pandas as pd
     import polars as pl
 
 from os.path import expanduser
+from pathlib import Path
 
 import pyarrow as pa
 
@@ -238,12 +237,14 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return self._reader.__repr__()
 
 
-def read_excel(path: Path | str) -> ExcelReader:
+def read_excel(source: Path | str | bytes) -> ExcelReader:
     """Opens and loads an excel file.
 
-    :param path: The path to the file
+    :param source: The path to a file or its content as bytes
     """
-    return ExcelReader(_read_excel(expanduser(path)))
+    if isinstance(source, (str, Path)):
+        source = expanduser(source)
+    return ExcelReader(_read_excel(source))
 
 
 __all__ = (
diff --git a/python/fastexcel/_fastexcel.pyi b/python/fastexcel/_fastexcel.pyi
index 01fd90d..0e27e59 100644
--- a/python/fastexcel/_fastexcel.pyi
+++ b/python/fastexcel/_fastexcel.pyi
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class _ExcelReader:
     @property
     def sheet_names(self) -> list[str]: ...
 
-def read_excel(path: str) -> _ExcelReader:
+def read_excel(source: str | bytes) -> _ExcelReader:
     """Reads an excel file and returns an ExcelReader"""
 
 __version__: str
diff --git a/python/tests/test_errors.py b/python/tests/test_errors.py
index 4897158..fffb4db 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_errors.py
+++ b/python/tests/test_errors.py
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@
 from utils import path_for_fixture
 
 
+def test_read_excel_bad_type() -> None:
+    expected_message = "source must be a string or bytes"
+    with pytest.raises(fastexcel.InvalidParametersError, match=expected_message):
+        fastexcel.read_excel(42)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+
+
 def test_does_not_exist() -> None:
     expected_message = """calamine error: Cannot detect file format
 Context:
diff --git a/python/tests/test_fastexcel.py b/python/tests/test_fastexcel.py
index f59caaf..4c1a9a1 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_fastexcel.py
+++ b/python/tests/test_fastexcel.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 from utils import path_for_fixture
 
 
-def test_single_sheet_to_pandas():
+def test_single_sheet():
     excel_reader = fastexcel.read_excel(path_for_fixture("fixture-single-sheet.xlsx"))
     assert excel_reader.sheet_names == ["January"]
     sheet_by_name = excel_reader.load_sheet("January")
@@ -31,7 +31,30 @@ def test_single_sheet_to_pandas():
     pl_assert_frame_equal(sheet_by_idx.to_polars(), pl_expected)
 
 
-def test_single_sheet_with_types_to_pandas():
+def test_single_sheet_bytes():
+    with open(path_for_fixture("fixture-single-sheet.xlsx"), "rb") as f:
+        excel_reader = fastexcel.read_excel(f.read())
+    assert excel_reader.sheet_names == ["January"]
+    sheet_by_name = excel_reader.load_sheet("January")
+    sheet_by_idx = excel_reader.load_sheet(0)
+
+    # Metadata
+    assert sheet_by_name.name == sheet_by_idx.name == "January"
+    assert sheet_by_name.height == sheet_by_idx.height == 2
+    assert sheet_by_name.width == sheet_by_idx.width == 2
+
+    expected = {"Month": [1.0, 2.0], "Year": [2019.0, 2020.0]}
+
+    pd_expected = pd.DataFrame(expected)
+    pd_assert_frame_equal(sheet_by_name.to_pandas(), pd_expected)
+    pd_assert_frame_equal(sheet_by_idx.to_pandas(), pd_expected)
+
+    pl_expected = pl.DataFrame(expected)
+    pl_assert_frame_equal(sheet_by_name.to_polars(), pl_expected)
+    pl_assert_frame_equal(sheet_by_idx.to_polars(), pl_expected)
+
+
+def test_single_sheet_with_types():
     excel_reader = fastexcel.read_excel(path_for_fixture("fixture-single-sheet-with-types.xlsx"))
     assert excel_reader.sheet_names == ["Sheet1"]
 
@@ -67,7 +90,7 @@ def test_single_sheet_with_types_to_pandas():
     )
 
 
-def test_multiple_sheets_to_pandas():
+def test_multiple_sheets():
     excel_reader = fastexcel.read_excel(path_for_fixture("fixture-multi-sheet.xlsx"))
     assert excel_reader.sheet_names == ["January", "February", "With unnamed columns"]
 
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 1537816..a6b3686 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -8,12 +8,22 @@ use types::{ExcelReader, ExcelSheet};
 
 /// Reads an excel file and returns an object allowing to access its sheets and a bit of metadata
 #[pyfunction]
-fn read_excel(path: &str) -> PyResult<ExcelReader> {
+fn read_excel(source: &PyAny) -> PyResult<ExcelReader> {
     use py_errors::IntoPyResult;
 
-    ExcelReader::try_from_path(path)
-        .with_context(|| format!("could not load excel file at {path}"))
-        .into_pyresult()
+    if let Ok(path) = source.extract::<&str>() {
+        ExcelReader::try_from_path(path)
+            .with_context(|| format!("could not load excel file at {path}"))
+            .into_pyresult()
+    } else if let Ok(bytes) = source.extract::<&[u8]>() {
+        ExcelReader::try_from(bytes)
+            .with_context(|| "could not load excel file for those bytes")
+            .into_pyresult()
+    } else {
+        Err(py_errors::InvalidParametersError::new_err(
+            "source must be a string or bytes",
+        ))
+    }
 }
 
 // Taken from pydantic-core:
diff --git a/src/types/excelreader.rs b/src/types/excelreader.rs
index 6a15ce5..d1c6f20 100644
--- a/src/types/excelreader.rs
+++ b/src/types/excelreader.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
-use std::{fs::File, io::BufReader};
+use std::{
+    fs::File,
+    io::{BufReader, Cursor},
+};
 
-use calamine::{open_workbook_auto, Reader, Sheets};
+use calamine::{
+    open_workbook_auto, open_workbook_auto_from_rs, Data, Error, Range, Reader, Sheets,
+};
 use pyo3::{pyclass, pymethods, PyAny, PyResult};
 
 use crate::error::{
-    py_errors::IntoPyResult, ErrorContext, FastExcelErrorKind, FastExcelResult, IdxOrName,
+    py_errors::IntoPyResult, ErrorContext, FastExcelError, FastExcelErrorKind, FastExcelResult,
+    IdxOrName,
 };
 
 use super::{
@@ -12,12 +18,41 @@ use super::{
     ExcelSheet,
 };
 
+enum ExcelSheets {
+    File(Sheets<BufReader<File>>),
+    Bytes(Sheets<Cursor<Vec<u8>>>),
+}
+
+impl ExcelSheets {
+    fn worksheet_range(&mut self, name: &str) -> Result<Range<Data>, Error> {
+        match self {
+            Self::File(sheets) => sheets.worksheet_range(name),
+            Self::Bytes(sheets) => sheets.worksheet_range(name),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn worksheet_range_at(&mut self, idx: usize) -> Option<Result<Range<Data>, Error>> {
+        match self {
+            Self::File(sheets) => sheets.worksheet_range_at(idx),
+            Self::Bytes(sheets) => sheets.worksheet_range_at(idx),
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    fn sheet_names(&self) -> Vec<String> {
+        match self {
+            Self::File(sheets) => sheets.sheet_names(),
+            Self::Bytes(sheets) => sheets.sheet_names(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[pyclass(name = "_ExcelReader")]
 pub(crate) struct ExcelReader {
-    sheets: Sheets<BufReader<File>>,
+    sheets: ExcelSheets,
     #[pyo3(get)]
     sheet_names: Vec<String>,
-    path: String,
+    source: String,
 }
 
 impl ExcelReader {
@@ -29,9 +64,26 @@ impl ExcelReader {
             .with_context(|| format!("Could not open workbook at {path}"))?;
         let sheet_names = sheets.sheet_names().to_owned();
         Ok(Self {
-            sheets,
+            sheets: ExcelSheets::File(sheets),
+            sheet_names,
+            source: path.to_owned(),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl TryFrom<&[u8]> for ExcelReader {
+    type Error = FastExcelError;
+
+    fn try_from(bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        let cursor = Cursor::new(bytes.to_vec());
+        let sheets = open_workbook_auto_from_rs(cursor)
+            .map_err(|err| FastExcelErrorKind::CalamineError(err).into())
+            .with_context(|| "Could not open workbook from bytes")?;
+        let sheet_names = sheets.sheet_names().to_owned();
+        Ok(Self {
+            sheets: ExcelSheets::Bytes(sheets),
             sheet_names,
-            path: path.to_owned(),
+            source: "bytes".to_owned(),
         })
     }
 }
@@ -39,7 +91,7 @@ impl ExcelReader {
 #[pymethods]
 impl ExcelReader {
     pub fn __repr__(&self) -> String {
-        format!("ExcelReader<{}>", &self.path)
+        format!("ExcelReader<{}>", &self.source)
     }
 
     #[pyo3(signature = (