Create an Excel Spreadsheet from a PDF File

You ask your coworker for some data from a recent project. Your coworker is a well-meaning person, and so the data is placed into a PDF file so that it can be easily transferred to you. What your coworker didn’t realize however, is that you need to manipulate the data, and PDF files are static images. Instead of bugging your coworker for a new copy, you can convert that PDF into a workable Excel spreadsheet yourself in just a few minutes.

Steps

Online Services

  1. Find an online converter. There are a variety of sites online that offer to convert your PDFs to Excel files for free. Search for “pdf to excel” in your search engine of choice and choose from one of the results. Popular sites include:
    • Cometdocs
    • Nitro Cloud
    • FreePDFConvert
  2. Upload your file. Use the upload feature on the website you choose to upload your PDF file. Most sites have a file limit for the free programs.
    • For best results, the PDF file should already be formatted as a table.
    • You will need to enter a valid email address that the file can be sent to once the conversion is complete.
    • Some services have a limit to the number of files that you can convert through the website. You can usually remove this limit by signing up for the paid version of the service.
  3. Wait for the converted file. Depending on the service, converting the file may take up to 30 minutes. Once the file has been finished, it will be delivered to your email address. You can then download it to your computer.
  4. Open the file in Excel. Once you’ve got the converted file, you can open it in Excel to make sure that everything processed correctly. You may need to move values around to fit in the correct cells, as not every cell will be filled out how you want it.

Conversion Software

  1. Download a conversion program. There are a large number of different programs available to download. Some are free and some require a purchase. Generally, you will get better results from a purchased program. Many of the services that offer free conversion online have programs available for purchase as well, which can be useful if you have a lot of documents to convert.
  2. Convert your document. Once you have installed the program of your choice, you can begin converting your PDF files. Some programs will send the file to their server for conversion, while others will perform the conversion process on your own machine.
    • Some programs, such as Cometdocs, will allow you to right-click on the file you want to convert, and then select the format that you want to convert it to.
    • Many programs can convert to formats other than Excel as well.
  3. Open your converted document in Excel. After you’ve converted the PDF, open the resulting converted Excel file and check that all of data ended up in the right spot. You will most likely need to move a few things around, as no conversion program will work perfectly every time.

Text to Columns

  1. Save the PDF file as a text file. Depending on the type of data being imported, it may be possible to import the data contained in the PDF into an Excel workbook as text using the Text to Columns feature.
    • Open the PDF file in Adobe Reader and click the File menu. Select “Save As Other” and then click “Text”. You can also use the “Save As” menu and select “Text file” as the file format.[1]
    • Give the file a name you will recognize and then click Save. It will be saved as a text file.
  2. Copy the text. Once the file has been converted, open it and select all of the text. You can press Ctrl + A to select everything, or click and drag the cursor to highlight the whole document.
    • Copy the highlighted text to the clipboard. You can use Ctrl + C to copy, or click Edit and select Copy.
  3. Open a blank Excel spreadsheet. Highlight the first cell in the spreadsheet (A1) and then paste the copied text. You can press Ctrl + V or right-click in the cell and select Paste.
  4. Use the Text to Column Wizard in Excel to reorganize the data into table form. If your data is not still selected after pasting, select the data to be converted.
    • Click the Data tab and then click the Text to Columns button located in the Data Tools group. The Text to Columns Wizard will open.
    • Select "Delimited" under "Original data type". Click Next to move on to Step 2 of the Text to Columns Wizard.
    • Check the box labeled "Space" and clear all other checkboxes under the Delimiters heading. Click Next to continue.
    • Click to select any column in the Data preview display and then select the Text option located under the Column data format heading.
    • Repeat the previous step for all columns visible in the Data preview display.
    • Click Finish to complete the process and exit the wizard. The data from the original PDF file will be separated into columns and organized into a table.[2]

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://wagda.lib.washington.edu/gishelp/tutorial/excel.html#pdf
  2. ↑ http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/split-names-by-using-the-convert-text-to-columns-wizard-HA010102340.aspx
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