Call to undefined method Maatwebsite\Excel\Excel::load()
Stefan Izdrail
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: How To Fix The "Call to Undefined Method Maatwebsite\Excel\Excel::load()" Error When Importing Excel Files With Laravel 5.7
When working with Laravel and importing your data from an Excel file, you may encounter the error message "Call to undefined method Maatwebsite\Excel\Excel::load()". In this blog post, we will explore various reasons for this error and its possible solutions. The code given below is a sample controller code that could cause this issue in Laravel 5.7.
The Problem and Its Cause
The issue is primarily due to the version mismatch between the Maatwebsite/Excel package you are using and your Laravel application. Here, we see that the latest version (Maatwebsite\Excel\Excel::load()) is called in the controller, but it appears undefined since the actual method name may differ across different package versions.Steps to Resolve This Issue
Step 1: Check your Laravel and Maatwebsite/Excel Package Versions Firstly, you need to identify which version of the Laravel framework and the Maatwebsite/Excel package you are currently using. You can run the following commands in your terminal to find out: Laravel Version: `php artisan --version` Maatwebsite/Excel Package Version: `composer show | grep 'maatwebsite'` Step 2: Update Laravel and Maatwebsite/Excel Packages to the Latest Stable Versions (If Needed) Before proceeding, ensure that you're using the latest stable versions of both packages. You can update them using Composer as follows: Update Laravel Framework: `composer update` Update Maatwebsite/Excel Package: `composer require maatwebsite/excel:~3.1` (This command will install the latest version available in the 3.x branch, ensuring compatibility with your Laravel framework installation.) Step 3: Adjust Your Controller Code to Reflect Package Method Names Once you have installed the latest packages, make sure that the method names used in your code match those of the current Maatwebsite/Excel package. You may need to adjust your controller as follows:public function importsave(Request $request)
{
if($request->hasFile('excel'))
{
$path = $request->file('excel')->getRealPath();
$data= Excel::load($path, function(Reader $reader) {})->getData();
if(!empty($data) && $data->count())
{
foreach($data as $key => $value)
{
if(!empty($value))
{
Employee::insert($value);
}
}
}
}
}