OmniDocHow to put PDF content into Excel: embedding and importing methods
Explain clearly the three goals and corresponding methods of putting PDF into Excel, including embedding the original file, pasting text, and exporting it as real cells. It also provides methods for processing scanned documents and verifying them after importing them.
Key points of this article
- If you only want to attach the original file, use embedded objects; if you want to filter and sum, import the content into real cells. The two cannot be mixed.
- Before you start, first determine whether the PDF is a text version or a scanned copy. Whether you can select the text determines whether to do OCR first.
- Use the OmniDoc desktop client to export PDF to Excel. The content will be entered into the cells, and you can then sort and write formulas.
- After importing, the numbers, headers and cross-page tables must be randomly checked, and the content recognized by OCR must be compared with the original text one by one.
Many people have a PDF version of a quotation, questionnaire or experimental data in their hands, and want to put them into Excel for unified management, so they search for "how to put pdf files into excel sheets". But "put it in" can actually refer to several different results: placing the entire PDF as an attachment in the table, pasting text into cells, or actually turning the table content into cells that can be calculated. If you choose the wrong method, you will have to rework it repeatedly later.
This article is written for office workers, students and researchers who need to organize PDF content in Excel. After reading, you will be able to distinguish between the three goals, know what methods are used for each goal, and be able to use OmniDoc to export the PDF to an Excel file, and then check the results one by one.
How to put PDF into Excel? One sentence conclusion
If you just want others to be able to open the original file, use embedded objects; if you want to search, calculate, and filter in cells, import the content into real cells and use export or manual organization. The table below can help you locate quickly.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| I just want to attach the original PDF to the form so that it can be opened at any time. | Insert PDF as embedded object | The original file is saved completely, but the text cannot be seen in the table and cannot be calculated. |
| Only a few paragraphs of text are needed to make notes | Copy text from PDF and paste as plain text | The operation is simple, but paragraphs and line breaks are easily confused and need to be sorted manually. |
| There are tables in the PDF for statistics or filtering. | Export PDF to Excel with OmniDoc | The content goes into real cells and you can sort and write formulas |
| Scanned document, text cannot be selected | Do OCR recognition first, then export or copy | If it is not recognized, the text in the picture will not enter the form. |
| The entire long document needs to fit into one worksheet | Import in sections and check page by page | One-time import is prone to misalignment and merged cell problems. |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
- Confirm whether the PDF is a text version or a scanned copy. Use the mouse to select a piece of text in the reader and copy it: if you can select it, it is the text version; if you can only select the entire page image, it is the scanned copy. If the scanned document is not OCRed first, the exported table may be empty or have only scattered content.
- Confirm whether you want to keep the original file or the data. For subsequent changes only, embedding objects is enough; if you want to filter, sum, or pivot, you must let the data enter the cells.
- Check whether the table structure is regular. Cross-page tables, merged cells and multi-column layout are easily misaligned after export. By flipping through a few pages before importing, you can judge in advance how much time it will take to check.
- Consider the transfer object of the file. Embedded PDF will make the Excel file larger. When sending it to others, the other party must be able to open the attachment object.
- Check whether it contains sensitive information. The contract amount, ID number, mobile phone number and other contents will be entered into the form file after being exported. It should be blackened out before being sent out, or only necessary fields should be retained.
Steps to export PDF to Excel in OmniDoc
The following process is suitable for organizing tables and text in PDF into cells.
- Open download.omnidoc.top to download the desktop client and install it according to the system. The client supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Open the PDF file to be processed in the client, and first confirm whether the page content is correct.
- If it is a scanned document, first use the OCR function to recognize the text so that the text on the page becomes selectable content.
- Check the pages that need to be exported. If there are irrelevant pages, you can use page operations to delete them, or split the target pages and save them separately.
- Select Export to Excel format and set the save location.
- After the export is complete, open the generated file in Excel.
- Check the content one worksheet at a time to confirm that the data actually falls in the cells and not in the whole page image.
- If you need to merge the results into an existing workbook, just copy the exported worksheet to the target file.
Two common methods when not exporting
If you just want to attach the original file, you can find the option to embed a file or object in Excel's Insert function, select Create from file, and then select PDF. After inserting, the icon or homepage preview is displayed in the table. Double-click it to open it with the default reader, but the content will not enter the cell.
If you only need a small amount of text, you can select the text in the PDF reader and copy it. When you go back to Excel, use the "keep only text" paste method to avoid bringing in formatting. Pasted and then sorted out by separate or manual lines, a common problem is that paragraphs are squeezed into the same cell.
# check item by item after completion
After import, do not use it directly. The following check items can cover most problems.
| Check item | What do you think? | What if there's a problem? |
|---|---|---|
| Whether the text is complete or not | Turn to the last page against the original PDF to see if there are any missing paragraphs or lines | Most of the defects are found in the scanned parts. Do OCR again and then export them. |
| Is the figure accurate? | Spot check more than a dozen numbers and compare decimal points, percentiles and units | Modify it directly in Excel, and the original text shall prevail |
| Table structure | See if the rows are misplaced and whether the headers are merged. | Unmerge cells and split the header into a single row |
| Formula and calculation | Use the calculator to calculate the sum result again. | The derived values are usually numeric, and the formula needs to be rewritten. |
| Number of worksheets | See if the spread table is split into multiple worksheets | Merge adjacent worksheets into one place |
| Identify content | Is the name, number and unit identified correctly? | Please check the important contents item by item manually. Do not use them directly. |
Both OCR and automatic recognition can go wrong, especially numbers and proper nouns. When it comes to the amount, terms of the contract or experimental data, it must be compared with the original document one by one.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Why can't you see the content after inserting PDF into Excel?
The embedded object is displayed as an icon or preview, and the content is saved in the file, but does not enter the cell. If you need to find or calculate, you should export to Excel or import text manually.
2. Copy PDF text and paste it into Excel, why is it all squeezed into one cell?
Line breaks and paragraphs in PDF may be merged when copied. You can choose to keep only the text pasted, and then use the sorting function or manual line sorting.
3. What if the scanned version of PDF extracts the text to Excel?
First do OCR recognition to the scanned part, so that the page text can be selected, and then export or copy. Tables exported from unidentified scans are usually empty.
4. What should I look at when choosing a free PDF to Excel tool?
It focuses on the file size limit, whether the export result is watermarked, whether the file will be uploaded to the server (a matter of privacy), and whether the table typesetting and digital format are retained. Once selected, use a small sample to test before processing the official documents.
# Summary
How to put the pdf file in the excel table, the key is to first determine the goal: only attach the original to use embedded objects, to do calculation and filtering to export the content as real cells. After import, and then check the number and table structure item by item, the result is reliable.
