Best Ways to Convert PDF to Excel Without Losing Data

Why Do We Need to Export PDF Data to Spreadsheet

As you know that, PDF files are good for reading and sharing information, but they’re not useful when you need to work with the data inside. You can’t sort, filter, or do any calculations in a PDF, which becomes a problem if you want to edit or analyze the data. That’s why it’s better to export PDF data to a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets. If you are doing this, it can provide the following:

• You can edit and organize rows and columns very easily.
• Apart from that, you will get the option to apply formulas and functions for calculations.
• Along with these pros, Excel can sort, filter, and visualize data in charts or graphs.
• According to the requirement, it provides clean and reformat data for reports or presentations.

How to Convert PDF to Excel

After going through the proficient pointers to use the Excel Format, it becomes very essential for the users to find the best method to convert scanned PDF to Excel. So that they can save the important data, like financial statements, customer lists, and scanned documents with proper accuracy. Below are three commonly used methods for converting PDF to Excel, along with their steps.

Method 01: Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to Export PDF to Excel

If you have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, you can convert PDFs to Excel using its built-in Export feature. With this approach, you can convert only digitally created PDFs, not scanned ones.

1. Simply, open Adobe Acrobat Pro DC on your system.
2. After that, pick the PDF file you want to convert.
3. In the right-hand panel, click on “Export PDF.”
4. Choose the format Spreadsheet >> Microsoft Excel Workbook.
5. In the next panel, click on the Export button.
6. Now, an individual can save the file in their desired location.

Limitations:

• You need a paid subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• It doesn’t perform well with scanned or image-based PDFs.
• Along with that, large files may take longer to convert.

Method 02: Open PDF Directly in Microsoft Excel (2016 and Later)

Newer versions of Microsoft Excel, like 2016 and above, provide the basic support to import the PDF content. Although, keep in mind that it can able to work with simple tables only.

1. To initiate the process, navigate to the Microsoft Excel.
2. In Microsoft Excel, go to File, click Open, and tap on the Browse button.
3. Now, you can select the PDF file you want to open.
4. Excel will attempt to extract the data and convert it into a table format.
5. At last, you can review the output and adjust formatting as needed.

Limitations:

• It often loses formatting, like merged cells or column headers.
• Moreover, image-based PDFs or scanned documents won’t convert properly.
• Also, there is no control over OCR or table detection.

Method 03: Procedure to Copy-Paste from PDF to Excel to Convert PDF to XLSX

In case you have only a small portion of the PDF, a quick copy-paste might be helpful to convert the PDF to Excel. However, this procedure is often used for quick tasks or single-page documents.

1. Open the PDF in any viewer, like Adobe Reader or a browser.
2. After that, proceed with the table or data area you want to export.
3. In the next step, right-click and choose Copy, or you can press Ctrl+C.
4. Now, it’s time to open Excel and Paste (Ctrl+V) the content.
5. Along with that, you can use Excel tools to clean up formatting according to need.

Limitations:

• This method doesn’t work well with large or complex tables.
  Apart from that, it can cause misalignment and merged cell issues.

Method 04: All-in-One Solution to Batch Convert PDF to Excel

When manual methods don’t work well, like with scanned PDFs, complex tables, or too many files, you need something more dependable. In that case, use Aryson PDF to Excel Converter to convert all types of PDF files in Excel with ease. Moreover, it works with both regular and scanned PDFs to keep the original structure, like tables, rows, columns, and fonts. This utility supports both XLS and XLSX formats and includes an OCR feature to extract data from image-based PDFs. Also, it can convert multiple files at once using its batch conversion option. Along with that, both professionals and beginners with the need quick and accurate PDF to Excel conversions can easily operate this utility. Additionally, it will help you to convert PDF to PPT and other format as well.

Follow these Simple Steps to Export PDF Data to Excel

• First, download the Aryson PDF to Excel Converter and install it on your system.
• Tap on the “Add Files” or “Add Folder” button to upload the PDF you want to convert.
• In the next panel, you can select the desired Excel format, XLS or XLSX.
• If your file contains scanned images or text, enable feature to extract data accurately.

When you complete the process, go to the selected folder. Now, you can open your Excel file. And see the content properly structured and editable. For more, you can go through the guide on how to print a secured PDF file without password.

Conclusion

Above, we mentioned all the available methods to convert PDF to Excel. Either you can go the native solution or take help from the automated one. Which process is to pick, its all up to you. So, that if you want a fast and accurate way to move data from PDF to Excel, this utility gives you everything you need.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

About The Author:

Rohan Wiese

Rohan Wiese is a Technical Writer at Aryson Technologies. He is an expert Email Forensic, Cloud Computing, and a passionate nerd with over 10 years of experience in technical content writing. He writes about Cloud Migration, Database Recovery, Email Backup, Windows, Mac, and Tech.

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