As more and more businesses shift towards digital operations, it’s becoming increasingly important to know how to import PDF to Excel. PDF is a widely used format for documents, but it’s not always easy to extract data from them. Excel, on the other hand, is a powerful tool for analyzing and manipulating data.
By importing PDF to Excel, you can unlock the potential of your data and gain insights that you never knew were possible. In this article, I’ll discuss how to import PDF to Excel and the reasons why you need to know this skill. So if you want to know how to easily extract pdf files to Excel files with no stress, this article is for you.
What is Import PDF to Excel?
Importing PDF to Excel is the process of converting a PDF file into an Excel spreadsheet so that the data contained in the PDF can be easily manipulated and analyzed using Excel’s functions and tools.
This is particularly useful when working with large amounts of data, as PDFs are not easily editable or sortable. By importing PDFs into Excel, users can extract information such as tables, graphs, and charts, and then use Excel’s formatting and calculation features to organize and analyze the data.
There are various software tools and online services available to convert PDF to Excel, and the process typically involves selecting the PDF file, choosing the output format (in this case, Excel), and then allowing the software to convert the data.
Reasons You Need to Know import pdf to Excel
Importing PDFs to Excel has many benefits. Saves time. Manually translating PDF data into Excel takes hours or days. Importing PDF to Excel automates this procedure and takes minutes. Because manually transcribing data is error-prone, it reduces errors.
Importing PDF to Excel eliminates these mistakes and verifies data. Manually transcribing huge datasets are impractical. Importing PDF to Excel lets you work with larger datasets and acquire new insights. More reasons to import pdf data to Excel are below.
The converted data from PDF to Excel can be edited and manipulated easily.
It allows for faster and more accurate analysis of data.
Importing PDF to Excel helps to maintain the formatting and structure of the original document.
It enables the extraction of specific data from a large PDF file.
The process of importing PDF to Excel is user-friendly and does not require any special technical skills.
It can be used for a variety of purposes, including financial analysis, data entry, and research.
It is a cost-effective solution compared to other data conversion services.
Importing PDF to Excel increases productivity and efficiency in data management.
It is a valuable tool for businesses and individuals who deal with large amounts of data on a regular basis.
These reasons make it clear why knowing how to import PDF to Excel is a valuable skill to possess.
Step-by-Step Instructions to import pdf to Excel
When it comes to converting a PDF to Excel, there are important factors to consider based on how the PDF was created. While it may seem that all PDF files are the same, this is not the case. If the PDF was originally sourced from an electronic document, such as a Word or Excel file, it contains text characters that can be easily interpreted by Microsoft Office applications and PDF converters.
In this case, importing the PDF to Excel can be achieved manually or through the use of third-party converters or Adobe software. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the type of PDF you are working with before attempting to import it into Excel.
Import PDF to Excel through Word
When it comes to importing a PDF to Excel, there’s no need to go out of your way to find a specialized tool. In fact, you can accomplish the task with the basic software you already have: a PDF viewer, Microsoft Word, and Excel. However, it’s worth noting that this method only works for electronically created PDFs. Essentially, the conversion process involves exporting the PDF data into a Word document and then transferring it to an Excel workbook. See the detailed steps below.
1. Copy the source table from a PDF file.
Open the PDF file in Adobe Reader, or any other PDF viewer, select the table you want to convert to Excel, and press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard.
2. Paste the table into a Word document.
Open a new Word document and paste the copied data by pressing Ctrl + V. You will get something similar to this:
3. Convert the copied data into a table (optional).
Skip this step if your PDF data was pasted into a Word document in a properly formatted table, as seen in the screenshot above.
If you enter the data into Word as text rather than a table, you can convert it to a table in one of two ways:
Fast way. Press Ctrl + A to select all the data, switch to the Insert tab and click Table > Inset table…
This should convert the pasted data into a poorly formatted but correctly structured Word table.
Longer way. If the fast way did not produce the expected result, select all the data and click Insert > Table >Convert Text to Table… The dialogue box will appear, and you select Other under Separate Text at, click in the little box next to it, delete what is there, type in a space, and press OK.
4. Copy the table from Word to Excel.
Select all of the data in the Microsoft Word document (Ctrl + A), open a new Excel sheet, select any cell (this will be the left-most cell of the table), and press Ctrl + V to paste in the data copied from Word.
Import PDF Document to Excel using Adobe Acrobat XI Pro
The Adobe Acrobat Pro subscription is quite pricey (approximately $25 per month). Nevertheless, the price is likely justifiable given the abundance of features that enable all possible manipulations with PDF files, including importing pdf into Excel.
The conversion process is very quick and straightforward:
Open a PDF file in Acrobat XI.
Click Tools > Content Editing > Export File to… > Microsoft Excel Workbook.
If you prefer working with the main menu, click File > Save as other… > Spreadsheet > Microsoft Excel Workbook. If someone still uses Excel 2003, select XML Spreadsheet 2003 instead.
Give a name to the Excel file and choose the destination folder.
If you have an Adobe account, you can save the converted .xlsx file to it by clicking a little black arrow next to “Save to Online account” at the bottom of the window.
After selecting the folder, either click the Save button to finish the conversion or Settings for more options.
Configure the settings.
In the “Save As XLSX Settings” dialog window, you have the following choices:
Convert the PDF file to a single worksheet or export each page to its own document.
Use the default decimal and thousand separators (as determined by the Regional Settings in Windows) or set unique separators for this Excel file.
If necessary, enable OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Despite the fact that this option is selected by default, it warrants special consideration if you are converting an image (scanned) PDF document. In this case, ensure that the “Run OCR” checkbox is selected and click the Set Language icon next to it to select the appropriate language.
When done, click the OK button.
The converted Excel file is very close to the PDF source document. As illustrated in the below screenshot, the document layout as well as formatting was converted almost flawlessly. The only noticeable deficiency is that some of the numbers were exported as text, which is indicated by a small green triangle in the upper-left corner of the cell. You can rectify this deficiency in seconds – simply select all such cells, right-click, and choose Format Cells > Number.
Advantages: First and foremost – a very quick result and ease of use; for plain tables with a clear structure – neat and accurate conversions with very little further manipulation required.
Drawbacks: High cost, and poor results when converting complex PDF documents.
Import PDF files to Excel with Able2Extract PDF Converter 9
Able2Extract is another prominent industry name that has been on the market for over a decade. Their prices and features are comparable to those of Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Able2Extract is capable of exporting PDF content to a wide range of formats, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and AutoCAD. Optionally, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is available.
To convert your PDF into an editable Excel file, follow these steps:
Open the PDF document to want to export to Excel. The converter will actually give you a hint of where to start.
Select PDF data to convert. This can be the entire document, certain pages, all data on the current page or selected data only. You can make a selection by dragging the mouse pointer, from the Edit menu, or by using the Quick Selection options on the toolbar:
Choose Excel as the conversion format either by clicking the Excel button on the toolbar or select Convert to Excel from the Edit menu. Once you do this, you will be given a choice of Automatic and Custom conversion options.
I choose Automatic since I want a quick result. If you want to designate how your table will look in Excel, you can go with Custom. When you click the Define button under Custom, a new pane will appear from which you can start adjusting your tables and the changes will be immediately reflected in the preview section.
What you see below is the result of automatic conversion, which is far superior to what Adobe Acrobat XI Pro produced!
If you want to give Able2Extract a try, you can download an evaluation version here or probably check their prices first 🙂
Advantages: Quick and accurate PDF to Excel conversions; original colors, formatting, and fonts preserved; ability to customize the document prior to conversion; OCR capabilities for scanned PDFs.
Drawback: Expensive.
Key Considerations For Successfully importing pdf to Excel File
While importing PDF to Excel is a straightforward process, there are some key considerations that you need to keep in mind to ensure success.
First, make sure that the PDF is a structured document. This means that the data is organized into tables or columns. If the data in an Excel document is unstructured, it will be much harder to import into Excel.
Second, use a tool that has intelligent document processing capabilities. This will ensure that the data is accurately extracted and formatted. Finally, consider using Microsoft AI Builder. With AI Builder you can scale and automate PDF extraction and it supports different PDF Layouts!
Taking it to the Next Level: How to go beyond importing pdf to Excel
Importing PDF data to Excel is just the first step in unlocking the potential of your data. Once you have the data in Excel, you can use it to create charts, pivot tables, and other visualizations.
You can also use Excel’s powerful formulas to analyze the data and gain insights. However, if you really want to take it to the next level, consider using machine learning algorithms to analyze the data. This can help you identify patterns and trends that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.
Alternatives to importing pdf to Excel files
One alternative to importing PDF files to Excel is to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. This software can convert scanned or image-based PDF files into editable text, which can then be copied and pasted into an Excel document.
Another option is to use online PDF to Excel converters, which enable you to upload a PDF file and have it automatically converted into an Excel file. However, it’s important to note that the accuracy of these converters can vary, so it’s always a good idea to double-check the converted file for errors.
Lastly, if you have access to the original source document, it may be easier to simply recreate the data in Excel rather than attempting to import it from a PDF file.
Wrapping Up and My Experience With importing pdf to Excel
Importing PDF to Excel is a powerful tool that can help you unlock the potential of your data. By following the step-by-step instructions and keeping the key considerations in mind, you can successfully import PDF documents to Excel and gain insights that you never knew were possible.
Personally, I’ve used this skill to automate the process of extracting data from financial reports and other documents. It’s saved me countless hours and allowed me to focus on more important tasks.
If you’re not already familiar with importing PDFs to Excel, I highly recommend that you learn this skill. It’s a valuable tool that can help you work more efficiently and gain insights that you never knew were possible.
About the author
Patrick Gruber is homeless because
he made his dream of being a digital nomad real.
He started as a developer, ventured into Amazon FBA business, invested in the market, founded a Cardano Stake Pool, and started his blog in 2022.
His blog shares his insight into the LIMITLESS possibilities of life.
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