diff --git a/packages/markitdown/src/markitdown/converters/_xlsx_converter.py b/packages/markitdown/src/markitdown/converters/_xlsx_converter.py
index 9f794a3b77..e7157fb4bb 100644
--- a/packages/markitdown/src/markitdown/converters/_xlsx_converter.py
+++ b/packages/markitdown/src/markitdown/converters/_xlsx_converter.py
@@ -149,23 +149,35 @@ def convert(
                 images = _XlsxImages(workbook_stream)
 
             for s in sheets:
-                md_content += f"## {s}\n"
-                html_content = sheets[s].to_html(index=False)
-                md_content += (
-                    self._html_converter.convert_string(
-                        html_content, **kwargs
-                    ).markdown.strip()
-                    + "\n\n"
+                image_content = (
+                    images.to_html(s, self._image_to_html, kwargs)
+                    if images is not None
+                    else None
                 )
-                if images is not None:
-                    image_content = images.to_html(s, self._image_to_html, kwargs)
-                    if image_content:
-                        md_content += (
-                            self._html_converter.convert_string(
-                                image_content, **kwargs
-                            ).markdown.strip()
-                            + "\n\n"
-                        )
+                # A completely empty sheet has no columns. pandas then emits a
+                # column-less HTML table that markdownify turns into broken syntax
+                # ("|\n|  |"). Skip the table, and the sheet when it has no images
+                # either. A header-only sheet still has columns and already renders
+                # as a well-formed empty table.
+                has_table = not sheets[s].columns.empty
+                if not has_table and not image_content:
+                    continue
+                md_content += f"## {s}\n"
+                if has_table:
+                    html_content = sheets[s].to_html(index=False)
+                    md_content += (
+                        self._html_converter.convert_string(
+                            html_content, **kwargs
+                        ).markdown.strip()
+                        + "\n\n"
+                    )
+                if image_content:
+                    md_content += (
+                        self._html_converter.convert_string(
+                            image_content, **kwargs
+                        ).markdown.strip()
+                        + "\n\n"
+                    )
 
         return DocumentConverterResult(markdown=md_content.strip())
 
@@ -240,6 +252,10 @@ def convert(
         sheets = pd.read_excel(file_stream, sheet_name=None, engine="xlrd")
         md_content = ""
         for s in sheets:
+            # Same empty-sheet guard as XlsxConverter: no columns means pandas
+            # would emit a column-less table that is not valid Markdown.
+            if sheets[s].columns.empty:
+                continue
             md_content += f"## {s}\n"
             html_content = sheets[s].to_html(index=False)
             md_content += (
diff --git a/packages/markitdown/tests/test_xlsx_empty_sheet.py b/packages/markitdown/tests/test_xlsx_empty_sheet.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..70df82c56d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/markitdown/tests/test_xlsx_empty_sheet.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+import io
+
+from openpyxl import Workbook
+
+from markitdown import MarkItDown, StreamInfo
+
+
+def _xlsx_bytes(workbook: Workbook) -> bytes:
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
+    workbook.save(buf)
+    return buf.getvalue()
+
+
+def test_completely_empty_sheet_is_skipped() -> None:
+    """A sheet with no columns must not emit malformed table syntax."""
+    workbook = Workbook()
+    workbook.active.title = "HasData"
+    workbook.active["A1"] = "col"
+    workbook.active["A2"] = "v"
+    workbook.create_sheet("CompletelyEmpty")
+
+    result = MarkItDown().convert_stream(
+        io.BytesIO(_xlsx_bytes(workbook)),
+        stream_info=StreamInfo(extension=".xlsx"),
+    )
+
+    assert "## HasData" in result.markdown
+    assert "| col |" in result.markdown
+    assert "| v |" in result.markdown
+    assert "CompletelyEmpty" not in result.markdown
+    assert "|\n|  |" not in result.markdown
+
+
+def test_header_only_sheet_keeps_empty_table() -> None:
+    """A sheet with a header row but no data already produces a valid table."""
+    workbook = Workbook()
+    workbook.active.title = "HeaderOnly"
+    workbook.active["A1"] = "col"
+
+    result = MarkItDown().convert_stream(
+        io.BytesIO(_xlsx_bytes(workbook)),
+        stream_info=StreamInfo(extension=".xlsx"),
+    )
+
+    assert "## HeaderOnly" in result.markdown
+    assert "| col |" in result.markdown
+    assert "| --- |" in result.markdown
+
+
+def test_single_completely_empty_workbook_emits_nothing() -> None:
+    workbook = Workbook()
+    workbook.active.title = "Empty"
+
+    result = MarkItDown().convert_stream(
+        io.BytesIO(_xlsx_bytes(workbook)),
+        stream_info=StreamInfo(extension=".xlsx"),
+    )
+
+    assert result.markdown.strip() == ""
+    assert "|" not in result.markdown
+
+
+def test_empty_sheet_with_image_keeps_the_image() -> None:
+    """Skipping an empty sheet's table must not drop images anchored on it."""
+    from typing import Any, BinaryIO, Optional
+
+    from openpyxl.drawing.image import Image as SheetImage
+    from PIL import Image
+
+    from markitdown.converters import XlsxConverter
+
+    class ImageConverter(XlsxConverter):
+        def _image_to_html(
+            self, image_stream: BinaryIO, stream_info: StreamInfo, **kwargs: Any
+        ) -> Optional[str]:
+            return "<p>sheet image</p>"
+
+    png = io.BytesIO()
+    Image.new("RGB", (2, 2), "red").save(png, "PNG")
+    workbook = Workbook()
+    workbook.active.title = "HasData"
+    workbook.active["A1"] = "col"
+    workbook.create_sheet("OnlyAnImage").add_image(
+        SheetImage(io.BytesIO(png.getvalue())), "B2"
+    )
+    workbook.create_sheet("CompletelyEmpty")
+
+    markdown = (
+        ImageConverter()
+        .convert(io.BytesIO(_xlsx_bytes(workbook)), StreamInfo(extension=".xlsx"))
+        .markdown
+    )
+
+    assert "## OnlyAnImage" in markdown
+    assert "sheet image" in markdown.split("## OnlyAnImage", 1)[1]
+    assert "## CompletelyEmpty" not in markdown
+    assert "|  |" not in markdown