In this article I will explain with an example, how to download Excel file (.xls and .xlsx) from URL in Windows Forms (WinForms) Application using C# and VB.Net.
In this Windows Forms application, the Excel file will be downloaded from the URL using WebClient class and then will be saved in a Folder (Directory) using C# and VB.Net.
 
 

Excel File URL

The following Excel file will be used in this article.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aspsnippets/test/master/Sample.xlsx
Download Excel File from URL in C# and VB.Net
 
 

Form Design

Following is the Form.
Download Excel File from URL in C# and VB.Net
 
 

Namespaces

You will need to import the following namespace.
C#
using System.Net;
 
VB.Net
Imports System.Net
 
 

Downloading Excel File from URL

Inside the Form Load event handler, the Excel file is downloaded from the URL using DownloadFile method of the WebClient class.

DownloadFile method

It accepts the following two parameters:
address – The URL of the file to be downloaded.
fileName – Path of the Folder (Directory) where the file will be downloaded.
C#
protected void Form_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    ServicePointManager.Expect100Continue = true;
    ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = (SecurityProtocolType)3072;
    WebClient webClient = new WebClient();
    webClient.DownloadFile("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aspsnippets/test/master/Sample.xlsx", @"D:\Files\Customers.xlsx");
}
 
VB.Net
Protected Sub Form_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    ServicePointManager.Expect100Continue = True
    ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = CType(3072, SecurityProtocolType)
    Dim webClient As WebClient = New WebClient()
    webClient.DownloadFile("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aspsnippets/test/master/Sample.xlsx", "D:\Files\Customers.xlsx")
End Sub
 
 

Screenshot

The downloaded Excel file

Download Excel File from URL in C# and VB.Net
 
 

Downloads

Download Code