Did you know? By automating tasks and improving data management, Excel tips and tricks can streamline overall workflows. (Source)
Converting tables from PDF to Excel is still a story many people face when doing data analysis and reporting. As we head quickly into 2025, there are a multitude of ways to make this process easier for you while maintaining the integrity of your data.
The most successful methods nowadays are hybrid ones that fuse advanced OCR features with intelligent formatting approaches to properly reproduce complex tables.
Regardless of whether you are dealing with financial review reports, research projects, or inventory lists, knowing about these modern conversion methods is extremely time-saving and reduces human error.
This article outlines the five most reliable solutions to facilitate PDF to Excel table conversion, providing numerous insights to the readers.
Let’s begin!
Key Takeaways
Understanding the manual approach
Exploring the methods of Google Docs
Discovering ways used by pro editors
Taking a look at the AI tools approaches
The end note
Variant #1. Manual
The first method is pretty straightforward, but it comes with a catch. Basically, you just open your PDF, grab the info you need by highlighting and copying, then paste it into a fresh Excel sheet. Just a heads-up, though—you might not be thrilled with how it turns out! Some numbers and even the general format may be lost. So, just import the PDF table to Excel and correct the existing data or add missing details.
Intriguing Insights
This infographic shows numerous tips for automating tasks in Excel.
Variant #2. Google Docs
Yes, you have read it right. Perhaps, you thought that this tool is only for Word files, but here is good news for you. How to convert a table in PDF to Excel? You will need to take several simple steps.
Upload your PDF file to your Google Drive.
Find the uploaded file and click “Open as”.
Choose Google Docs.
Find your table and correct information if needed.
Highlight and copy it.
Paste the table into your Excel document.
Sometimes, you will need to correct the table in Excel, like unmerging or merging cells. If you have MS Word, you will need to take the same steps.
Variant #3. PDF Convertors and Editors
One of the easiest methods to prevent data loss is to use specialized editors. For example, you can use an online tool like a PDF converter from PDF Guru to transform PDF to XLSX. No worries, converting a PDF to an Excel table is a breeze with this tool! Just follow these simple steps:
Launch PDF Guru on your device.
Pick the converter you want.
Hit the “PDF to Excel” button.
Click “+” to upload the required file.
Wait a bit and click ‘Download Excel’.
After that, you will have your Excel document that you will be able to adjust to your needs.
Interesting Facts Features like conditional formatting and pivot charts allow for effective data visualization and communication. (Source)
Variant #4. Excel Data
Using the Data section of the Excel document is another efficient way to drag a PDF table into Excel. This process is not as challenging as you think:
Open a new Excel file where you will need your table.
Click “Data,” which is located between “Formulas” and “Review.”
Find “Get Data”.
Please proceed to the “From File” section and click the adjacent dropdown arrow.
Select the “from PDF” option, allowing the system to identify all tables contained in the available PDFs.
Choose the specific table required and click “load.”
Lastly, utilize “Ctrl+C” to copy the selected cells and “Ctrl+V” to paste them into your document.
Sometimes, you might get the whole table in one cell. To avoid this, paste with the option “text to columns,” and it will separate the information. Such a function is available in Data Tools.
Variant #5. AI Tools
Today, you can also find various tools that use artificial intelligence to perform different functions. AI can scan through lots of details, grab them for you, and share them easily. Just use these tools to drop your table in and keep all the info you need.
What to Do with Printed PDF Documents?
Sometimes, you just get a PDF document that someone has printed and brought to you. Alternately, you might look up a topic and discover a journal or magazine with printed tables. If you want to extract some tables from them quickly, you will need to:
Scan the document.
Save it as a picture.
Convert to a readable file with the help of a PDF converter.
After that, you can extract your table using one of the five methods. You can also find the information online. You can download the PDF version of your document from the internet and copy the information in the most convenient and understandable way possible. After that, you can change information by correcting mistakes, deleting details, and adding elements, columns, and data.
Takeaways
PDFs and Excel documents are the two most widely used formats of documents in the world. While PDFs can contain all the required data, including tables, they are designed for mere preview. Excel files are great for putting together organized data that suits your needs. So, grab some converters, hop onto Google Docs, do a bit of manual tweaking, and use those Excel files to handle your tables like a champ.
FAQ
How to use VLookup in Excel?
In its simplest form, the VLOOKUP function says: =VLOOKUP(What you want to look up, where you want to look for it, the column number in the range containing the value to return, return an Approximate or Exact match – indicated as 1/TRUE, or 0/FALSE).
How do I remove duplicates in Excel?
To remove duplicate rows in Excel, select the data range, navigate to the “Data” tab, click “Remove Duplicates,” choose the relevant columns, and then click “OK.”
What is hlookup?
HLOOKUP is a function in spreadsheet programs like Excel that searches for a specific value in the first row of a table and then returns a corresponding value from a row you specify within the same column.
