PDF files are excellent for preserving document formatting and ensuring consistent viewing across devices, but they're notoriously difficult to edit and analyze. When you need to work with tabular data trapped in a PDF—whether it's financial reports, sales data, inventory lists, or survey results—converting to Excel format becomes essential.
This comprehensive guide walks you through multiple methods to convert PDF to Excel, from automated online tools to manual techniques, helping you choose the best approach for your specific needs.
Before diving into conversion methods, let's understand why Excel is the preferred format for data work:
Excel allows you to:
Sort and filter data instantly
Perform calculations with formulas
Create pivot tables for analysis
Apply conditional formatting
Generate charts and graphs
Use advanced functions for complex analysis
Excel files integrate seamlessly with:
Business intelligence tools
Database systems
Accounting software
CRM platforms
Project management tools
Cloud collaboration services
Excel enables:
Statistical analysis
Financial modeling
Forecasting and projections
What-if scenarios
Data visualization
Automated reporting
Not all PDFs are created equal. Understanding your PDF's structure determines which conversion method will work best:
Created directly from spreadsheet software
Contain actual tabular data structures
Convert most accurately
Best candidates for automated conversion
Created by scanning physical documents
Contain only images of text
Require Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
May have lower accuracy rates
Combine text, tables, and images
May need selective extraction
Require more manual cleanup
Need careful method selection
Structured with form fields
Data organized but not in table format
May need restructuring after conversion
Often require manual adjustment
Excel 2019 and later versions include a powerful built-in PDF import feature.
Step 1: Open Excel
Launch Microsoft Excel
Create a new blank workbook
Position your cursor in the cell where you want data to start
Step 2: Access Data Import
Navigate to the "Data" tab in the ribbon
Click "Get Data" (or "From File" in some versions)
Select "From PDF"
Step 3: Select Your PDF
Browse to your PDF file location
Select the file
Click "Import" or "Open"
Step 4: Choose Your Table
Excel will analyze the PDF and display detected tables
Preview each table in the Navigator window
Select the table you want to import
Check the preview to ensure correct detection
Step 5: Load and Transform
Click "Load" to import directly
Or click "Transform Data" to open Power Query Editor for cleaning
Adjust columns, data types, or formatting as needed
Click "Close & Load" when finished
No additional software required
Maintains data relationships
Allows pre-import data transformation
Works well with native PDF tables
Preserves most formatting
Requires Excel 2019 or Microsoft 365
May struggle with complex layouts
Not ideal for scanned PDFs without OCR
Limited to one table at a time
Adobe's premium PDF software offers robust conversion capabilities.
Step 1: Open PDF in Acrobat
Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Open your PDF file
Review the content to identify tables
Step 2: Access Export Tool
Click "Export PDF" in the right pane
Or go to File > Export To > Spreadsheet
Step 3: Select Excel Format
Choose "Microsoft Excel Workbook" as export format
Or select "XML Spreadsheet 2003" for older Excel versions
Step 4: Configure Settings
Click the gear icon for settings
Choose whether to export entire document or selected pages
Select OCR language if needed
Configure table detection sensitivity
Step 5: Export and Save
Click "Export"
Choose save location
Name your file
Wait for conversion to complete
Highly accurate conversion
Excellent OCR capabilities
Batch conversion support
Maintains complex formatting
Professional-grade results
Expensive subscription required
Overkill for occasional use
Requires software installation
Learning curve for advanced features
Numerous free and paid online tools offer quick conversion without software installation.
Free Options:
Smallpdf
iLovePDF
PDF2Go
Zamzar
Online2PDF
Premium Options:
Nitro PDF to Excel
PDFelement Online
Able2Extract Online
Foxit PDF Online
Step 1: Choose a Service
Select a reputable converter
Check file size limits
Review privacy policy
Step 2: Upload PDF
Click "Choose File" or drag-and-drop
Wait for upload to complete
Some services support cloud storage integration
Step 3: Configure Options
Select Excel as output format (.xlsx or .xls)
Choose page range if applicable
Enable OCR if needed
Step 4: Convert
Click "Convert" button
Wait for processing (usually 30 seconds to 2 minutes)
Conversion time depends on file size and complexity
Step 5: Download Result
Download converted Excel file
Save to your device
Delete from server if security is a concern
No software installation required
Works on any device with internet
Often free for basic use
Quick and convenient
No system resource usage
File size restrictions
Privacy concerns with sensitive data
Internet connection required
May have conversion limits
Quality varies between services
Potential watermarks on free versions
When using online converters:
Avoid uploading confidential financial data
Check if service deletes files after conversion
Use encrypted connections (HTTPS)
Read terms of service and privacy policies
Consider premium services with better security for sensitive data
Google Docs can help extract data from PDFs, though it's not purpose-built for this.
Step 1: Upload to Google Drive
Open Google Drive
Click "New" > "File upload"
Select your PDF
Step 2: Open with Google Docs
Right-click the uploaded PDF
Select "Open with" > "Google Docs"
Wait for conversion
Step 3: Copy Data
Google Docs will convert PDF to editable text
Find your table data
Select and copy the table
Step 4: Paste into Google Sheets
Open Google Sheets
Paste the copied data
Adjust formatting as needed
Step 5: Download as Excel
File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)
Save to your device
Completely free
No file size limits (within Drive storage)
Works on any device
Integrates with Google Workspace
Poor table recognition
Significant formatting loss
Requires manual cleanup
Not suitable for complex tables
Multi-step process
Specialized PDF conversion software offers advanced features for frequent converters.
PDFelement
Comprehensive PDF toolkit
Batch conversion
OCR support
Form recognition
Able2Extract Professional
Precise table detection
Custom column selection
Formula preservation
Multi-language support
Nitro Pro
Full PDF suite
Cloud integration
Collaborative features
Document workflow tools
Wondershare PDF to Excel Converter
User-friendly interface
Fast processing
Batch conversion
OCR capabilities
Step 1: Install Software
Download from official website
Install following prompts
Launch application
Step 2: Import PDF
Click "Open" or "Add Files"
Select your PDF
Preview content
Step 3: Configure Conversion
Select output format (Excel)
Choose page range
Set conversion preferences
Enable OCR if needed
Step 4: Convert
Click "Convert" button
Choose save location
Wait for processing
Step 5: Review Results
Open converted Excel file
Check data accuracy
Make necessary adjustments
Offline functionality
Batch processing capabilities
Advanced customization options
Professional results
No privacy concerns
Faster than online tools
Requires purchase (typically $50-$150)
System resources needed
Updates and maintenance
Installation required
For tech-savvy users or frequent batch conversions, programming offers flexibility.
Tabula-py
import tabula
# Read PDF and convert to DataFrame
df = tabula.read_pdf("your_file.pdf", pages="all")
# Export to Excel
df[0].to_excel("output.xlsx", index=False)
pdfplumber
import pdfplumber
import pandas as pd
with pdfplumber.open("your_file.pdf") as pdf:
page = pdf.pages[0]
table = page.extract_table()
df = pd.DataFrame(table[1:], columns=table[0])
df.to_excel("output.xlsx", index=False)
Camelot
import camelot
# Extract tables
tables = camelot.read_pdf("your_file.pdf")
# Export first table
tables[0].to_excel("output.xlsx")
Free and open-source
Highly customizable
Excellent for automation
Batch processing
Can integrate with workflows
No file size limitations
Requires programming knowledge
Setup time needed
Debugging may be necessary
Not user-friendly for beginners
Library-specific limitations
Problem: Tables with merged cells often convert incorrectly.
Solutions:
Use Adobe Acrobat or specialized software with better detection
Manually adjust merged cells in Excel after conversion
Use Power Query to transform data structure
Consider manual data entry for small, complex tables
Problem: Image-based PDFs don't contain extractable text data.
Solutions:
Use tools with OCR capability (Adobe Acrobat, Able2Extract)
Ensure OCR language matches document language
Review and correct OCR errors manually
Consider using specialized OCR software first
Scan originals at higher resolution if possible (300+ DPI)
Problem: Tables spanning multiple pages may convert as separate entities.
Solutions:
Use software with multi-page table recognition
Manually combine tables in Excel using Power Query
Convert pages individually and merge in Excel
Use Python scripts for automated combining
Problem: Colors, fonts, and styling don't transfer.
Solutions:
Accept that formatting must be reapplied
Create Excel templates for consistent formatting
Use conditional formatting to recreate color coding
Focus on data accuracy over appearance during conversion
Problem: PDF tables with calculated values lose formulas.
Solutions:
PDF formulas are typically converted to static values
Identify which cells need formulas in Excel
Recreate formulas manually
Document formulas before PDF conversion if you created the original
Problem: PDF layers or overlapping content cause confusion.
Solutions:
Flatten PDF layers before conversion
Use Adobe Acrobat to adjust layer visibility
Convert with different tools to compare results
Manually extract data if automatic methods fail
Once converted, Excel files often need cleanup for proper analysis.
Verify numbers are formatted as numbers, not text
Ensure dates are recognized as dates
Fix any text-to-number conversion errors
Remove leading/trailing spaces
Delete header/footer rows that repeated on each page
Remove page numbers embedded in data
Eliminate empty rows and columns
Clear merged cells if they're causing issues
Apply consistent number formats
Set appropriate decimal places
Format dates uniformly
Align text consistently
Compare totals to source PDF
Check for missing or duplicate rows
Verify critical data points manually
Use Excel's data validation to find errors
Create named ranges for important data
Add column headers if missing
Convert to Excel Table format (Ctrl+T)
Set up any necessary formulas
Power Query (available in Excel 2016+) is invaluable for post-conversion cleanup.
Select your data range
Go to Data > From Table/Range
Power Query Editor opens
Remove Empty Rows
Home > Remove Rows > Remove Empty Rows
Change Data Types
Select column > Transform > Data Type > Choose appropriate type
Split Columns
Select column > Split Column > By Delimiter
Replace Values
Select column > Transform > Replace Values
Trim and Clean
Select column > Transform > Format > Trim or Clean
Merge Columns
Select multiple columns > Transform > Merge Columns
For processing multiple PDFs efficiently:
Most premium PDF software supports batch conversion:
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Tools > Export PDF
Add multiple files
Select output format
Process all at once
Able2Extract
Batch mode
Add multiple PDFs
Configure settings once
Convert all files
For large-scale automation:
import os
import tabula
# Directory containing PDFs
pdf_directory = "path/to/pdfs"
# Process all PDFs
for filename in os.listdir(pdf_directory):
if filename.endswith(".pdf"):
pdf_path = os.path.join(pdf_directory, filename)
excel_path = pdf_path.replace(".pdf", ".xlsx")
# Convert
df = tabula.read_pdf(pdf_path, pages="all")
df[0].to_excel(excel_path, index=False)
print(f"Converted {filename}")
Some online services support batch processing:
Upload multiple files
Process simultaneously
Download as zip file
May have limits on free accounts
Assess the PDF quality
Check if it's native or scanned
Identify table structures
Note any complex layouts
Choose the right tool
Simple tables: Excel's built-in feature
Scanned documents: OCR-enabled tools
Complex layouts: Adobe Acrobat or specialized software
Batch jobs: Desktop software or Python
Prepare your workspace
Close unnecessary applications
Ensure adequate disk space
Back up original PDFs
Review preview if available
Check table detection accuracy
Verify page selection
Confirm settings
Start with one page
Test conversion on single page
Verify results before converting entire document
Adjust settings if needed
Monitor the process
Watch for errors or warnings
Note any tables that fail to convert
Keep track of processing time
Verify data accuracy
Compare with source PDF
Check critical values
Validate calculations
Clean systematically
Follow consistent cleanup process
Document any manual changes
Save cleaned version separately
Test your data
Run sample calculations
Create test charts
Ensure formulas work
Financial PDFs often need special handling:
Use tools that preserve decimal precision
Verify currency symbols convert correctly
Check that negative numbers are recognized
Maintain alignment for readability
Consider using financial calculators or GST calculators for verification after conversion
Survey results require different considerations:
Maintain response order
Preserve multiple-choice formatting
Keep qualitative comments intact
Use word counter tools to analyze text responses
Product and inventory data needs:
Accurate SKU/product number conversion
Image handling if included
Price and quantity precision
Use scientific calculators for complex inventory calculations
Research and scientific tables require:
Preservation of significant figures
Correct superscript/subscript notation
Accurate special characters
Formula integrity
Sometimes your converted Excel file may contain embedded images from the PDF that need processing. Several image tools can help:
If your Excel file is too large due to embedded images, use an image compressor to reduce file size without significant quality loss.
For images that need adjustment:
For specific image needs:
Pixel Morph image converter for format transformations
Resize image and format tool for combined operations
Causes:
Wrong character encoding
Font embedding issues
OCR errors
Solutions:
Try different conversion tool
Enable OCR with correct language
Check PDF in Acrobat Reader first
Causes:
Table lacks clear borders
Complex layout confuses