How to Convert PDF to Excel (Quick and Easy Guide)
Have you ever received a PDF file full of tables or data and wished you could edit it in Excel? Good news — you can!
In this post, we’ll show you how to convert PDF to Excel so you can extract data, edit numbers, and work with spreadsheets — without manually retyping everything.
Let’s dive in.
Why Convert PDF to Excel?
Here’s why you might want to convert a PDF file into Excel:
✅ Edit data easily — Change numbers, formulas, or text.
✅ Reuse information — Avoid copying and pasting row by row.
✅ Save time — Automate what would take hours by hand.
✅ Analyze data — Use Excel’s powerful tools like filters, pivot tables, or charts.
Method 1: Use Adobe Acrobat
If you have Adobe Acrobat (paid version), it offers a built-in Export to Excel feature.
Here’s how:
1️⃣ Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
2️⃣ Click Export PDF on the right-hand panel.
3️⃣ Select Spreadsheet > Microsoft Excel Workbook.
4️⃣ Click Export and save the file.
Adobe does a pretty good job keeping the table structure intact.
Method 2: Use Microsoft Excel (Newer Versions)
Recent versions of Excel can import data directly from PDF.
1️⃣ Open Excel.
2️⃣ Go to Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF.
3️⃣ Select your PDF file.
4️⃣ Excel will show a Navigator window — choose the table or page you want.
5️⃣ Click Load to bring the data into Excel.
This is especially useful if you only need part of the PDF.
Method 3: Use Online PDF to Excel Converters
If you don’t have Acrobat or the latest Excel, try an online tool like:
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Smallpdf
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ILovePDF
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Adobe Acrobat Online
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PDF2Go
Steps:
1️⃣ Go to the website.
2️⃣ Upload your PDF file.
3️⃣ Click Convert to Excel.
4️⃣ Download your Excel (.xlsx) file.
⚠ Caution: Be careful when uploading sensitive or confidential files — make sure the website is secure (look for https).
Bonus Tips for Better Conversion
✅ Check the PDF quality — Scanned PDFs may need OCR (optical character recognition) to extract text.
✅ Clean up after converting — Check for merged cells, extra spaces, or formatting issues.
✅ Break large PDFs — If the file is huge, convert sections separately for better accuracy.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to convert PDF to Excel can save you a ton of time, especially if you work with data-heavy documents. Whether you use Adobe Acrobat, Excel’s import feature, or an online converter, you can turn static PDF tables into editable, flexible Excel sheets in just a few clicks.
Want more Excel or PDF tips? Leave a comment below or check out our other how-to guides!