How to convert PDF to Excel: steps and common operations

Key points of this article

First determine whether the text can be selected in the PDF. If it can be selected, it is the text version. If it cannot be selected, it is mostly a scanned copy, and OCR needs to be done first.
The text version of the table should be exported to Excel first. The steps are at least and the structure is better preserved.
When there are only a few lines of simple data, it is faster to copy and paste with special, but be careful whether the numbers turn into text.
After conversion, focus on checking the alignment of rows and columns, total figures, names, dates, and multi-page headers. The OCR results must be checked word for word.

If you have a financial report, transcript or experimental data in PDF format and want to continue filtering and calculating, you have to move the table into Excel. PDF was originally designed for reading and printing. When copied directly, columns are often misaligned and numbers are turned into text, so it takes a little effort before and after conversion.

This article is written for people who need to convert PDF tables into Excel files. The article will explain the standard operation path: first determine the PDF type, then select the conversion method, and finally check the results. It also demonstrates how the OmniDoc desktop client can export PDF to Excel, and provides a common method that can be used when switching to other tools.

After reading this, you should be able to judge which method is suitable for your file, and know where to check after the transfer.

How to convert PDF to Excel? One sentence conclusion

Direct answer: Use the export function to convert the text PDF to save trouble. The scanned document needs to be text recognized first. Manual copying is enough when there are only a few lines of data.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
Text can be selected in PDF, and table rows and rows are clear	Use the desktop client’s export to Excel function	Directly read text and table structures, the steps are at least
The PDF is a scanned copy or a photo taken with a mobile phone. Chinese characters cannot be selected.	Do OCR recognition first, then export to Excel	If no text is recognized, there is no exportable content.
Only a few lines of data, simple layout	Select and copy, then use Excel’s Paste Special	The amount of data is small and manual verification is faster
The table is complex, with merged cells or cross-page headers	After conversion, compare page by page and make manual corrections if necessary.	Any automatic conversion may disrupt complex structures
The document contains sensitive content such as contracts and medical records.	Read the service's privacy statement before deciding whether to upload	Understand how files will be processed and reduce the risk of external transmission

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Confirm whether the PDF is a text version or a scan. Open the file and drag a section of text with the mouse. If it can be highlighted, it is the text version; if it cannot be selected, it is mostly a picture. If the scanned document is not recognized first, the exported form will often be empty or garbled.
Confirm whether you want data or layout. If you only need numbers to do calculations, just focus on the alignment of rows and columns. If you want to retain the original fonts, colors, and borders, Excel often cannot achieve complete consistency and you need to accept some differences.
Take a look at the table structure in advance. Merging cells, cross-page headers, and multi-layer headers are prone to errors. Once you know what is complicated, you will know where to focus on checking after conversion.
Plan the save location and file name. The conversion result is an Excel file with a common extension of .xlsx. Come up with a name in advance to avoid overwriting the original.
Pay attention to file restrictions and privacy terms. If you use an online conversion website, it depends on the file size limit, whether the output is watermarked, whether the typesetting is retained, and how long the file is saved and how it is processed.

Steps to export PDF to Excel in OmniDoc desktop client

Open download.omnidoc.top, download the desktop client, and follow the system prompts to complete the installation. The client supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Open the client and import the PDF file to be converted.
Flip through a few pages to confirm that the table contents can be read normally. If it is a scan, use the OCR function to recognize the text before proceeding to the next step.
If you only need a few pages, use page operations to separate these pages first to reduce the interference of irrelevant content.
Select export to Excel format, and the client will generate the corresponding Excel file.
Select a save location and give the file an easily identifiable name.
Open the results in Excel and go through the checklist in the next section.

Check each item after completion

After getting the Excel file, do not use it directly. It is recommended to check it in the following order.

Check items	How to see	What to do if there is a problem
Are the rows and columns aligned?	Randomly look at 3 to 5 lines and compare the columns of the original PDF to see if there are any misalignments.	Use Excel's column sorting function to reorganize, or return to the original for confirmation
Are the numbers complete?	Check totals and subtotals, and check whether decimal points, negative signs, and thousandths are missing	Correct it manually and re-sum it with the formula
Whether the text is accurate or not	Focus on checking the person's name, number, date and unit	With the revision of the original text, the results of OCR should be checked word by word, and machine recognition will inevitably make mistakes.
Headers and merged cells	See if the header of the multi-page table is repeated or broken	Manually merge or fill the header in Excel
The number of pages and content are complete	Make sure there are no missing or duplicate pages against the original page number	Go back to the conversion step and only make up for the missing pages

# Core comparison

There are several common ways to convert PDF to Excel, each of which has its own applicable scenarios.

Method	What situation is suitable for?	Need to pay attention to
Desktop client export to Excel	You need to process the file repeatedly, and you want the steps to be fixed and repeatable.	You need to install the client first, and the scanned parts need to do OCR first.
Online conversion website	Occasionally convert one or two files, do not want to install software	Pay attention to file size restrictions, watermarks and privacy policies
Copy and paste into Excel	The amount of data is small and the layout is simple.	The column is easily misplaced, and the number may become text.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. What are the ways to convert PDF to Excel free of charge?

Common ones are online conversion websites, export functions of desktop software, and copy and paste when there is a small amount of data. When choosing free tools, it is recommended that you first look at the file size limit, whether the output is watermarked, and whether the typesetting is retained, and then look at the privacy instructions.

2. Can the scanned version of PDF be directly converted to Excel?

You can first do OCR identification, and then export to Excel. Identification results must be checked item by item, especially the amount, number and other figures, identify a wrong bit, the following calculations will all be wrong.

3. After the conversion, the table becomes a column of text, what should I do?

This usually means that there is no clear table structure in PDF, and the text is arranged by row. The sorting function can be used in Excel, which can be separated by spaces, commas or tabs; where the structure is complex, it can be sorted out manually against the original.

4. The converted numbers cannot be summed up. Why?

Numbers are likely to be saved as text, often shown as left-aligned numbers and small green triangles in the upper-left corner of the cell. Reformatting to a numeric value with the sorting function, or checking to see if there are extra spaces in the cell, can usually be solved.

# Summary

The key to converting PDF to Excel is to first determine whether the document is a text version or a scanned copy, then choose the appropriate export method, and finally check the rows, numbers and headers item by item. The export to Excel function of the OmniDoc desktop client can be used as a part of this standard path, and other tools can apply the same judgment and verification ideas.

Open OmniDoc, convert and organize your documents