PDF to Excel: step-by-step guide
PDF to Excel copies the text from table pages in a searchable PDF into an Excel workbook. Files are processed in the browser on your device and are not uploaded.
Create a workbook
- Open PDF to Excel, choose the PDF and select Extract table page for the page you need.
- Select Suggest columns. Suggestions are based on gaps between text that repeat down the page, not on image recognition.
- Check the proposed positions, then select Use suggested columns. Suggestions are never applied automatically.
- Compare the column guides with the page. Adjust the Column boundaries in points and the Row tolerance in points if needed, then select Preview table.
- Select Add page to workbook. Repeat for any other pages you need.
- Select Create Excel workbook, then Download Excel workbook.
If you change the boundaries or row tolerance, or accept new suggestions, that page is removed from the workbook selection and any prepared workbook is discarded. Add the page again after the change. Other selected pages stay selected. A workbook can include up to 100 pages.
How column suggestions work
A gap is suggested as a column boundary when at least 60 percent of the grouped rows share it, with a minimum of three rows. Up to 24 boundaries are suggested. No suggestion does not mean the page has no table: set the boundaries by hand instead. Headings or merged cells that cross a boundary are flagged for you to check. Scanned pages need OCR first.
What the workbook contains
Every cell is text, including numbers, dates, identifiers with leading zeros and anything that looks like a formula. Formulas are not run or rebuilt. Images, merged cells, formatting and irregular table layouts are not recreated. Check values before you sort, calculate or import them elsewhere.
The tool reads the source PDF, not your edits in the editor. Text that is hidden or covered in the PDF can still be extracted, so this is not a redacted export.