How to Convert PDF to Excel: The Complete Guide
PDF files are excellent for sharing documents — but when it comes to working with data, Excel is king. If you’ve ever received a PDF with tables, reports, or lists you need to analyze or edit, you’ve probably wondered: how can I convert this PDF to Excel without retyping everything?
Good news: there are several easy ways to do it!
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the best methods to convert PDF to Excel, whether you prefer free online tools, built-in software features, or specialized apps.
Why Convert PDF to Excel?
PDFs are designed for presentation, not editing. That means you can’t just open a PDF in Excel and start working on the data. By converting the PDF, you can:
✅ Sort and filter data
✅ Run calculations and formulas
✅ Create charts, graphs, or pivot tables
✅ Clean and format the information the way you want
Method 1: Use Free Online Converters
If you only need to convert a few files and don’t want to install anything, free online tools are a fast solution.
Popular tools include:
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Smallpdf (smallpdf.com/pdf-to-excel)
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ILovePDF (ilovepdf.com/pdf_to_excel)
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PDFtoExcel.com
Steps:
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Go to the website.
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Upload your PDF file.
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Wait for the conversion to finish.
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Download the Excel (.xlsx) file.
⚠ Note: Avoid uploading sensitive or confidential documents, as online tools may store files temporarily on their servers.
Method 2: Use Adobe Acrobat Pro
If you have a paid version of Adobe Acrobat, you can convert PDFs directly within the software.
Steps:
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Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
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Click Export PDF (found in the right-hand menu).
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Choose Spreadsheet > Microsoft Excel Workbook.
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Save the new Excel file to your computer.
This method usually preserves formatting and tables well.
Method 3: Use Microsoft Excel’s Built-in Import Feature
Newer versions of Excel (Office 365, Excel 2016 and later) allow you to import PDF data directly.
Steps:
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Open Excel.
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Go to Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF.
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Select your PDF file.
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Choose the table or page you want to import.
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Load the data into your Excel workbook.
This works best with well-structured PDFs.
Method 4: Use Dedicated PDF Converter Software
For advanced needs, such as converting scanned PDFs or handling large batch files, dedicated software can help.
Popular options include:
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Able2Extract
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Nitro PDF
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Wondershare PDF Converter
These tools often come with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which lets you extract data even from image-based PDFs.
Tips for a Smooth Conversion
✅ Check your Excel file after conversion. No tool is perfect, so you may need to clean up formatting.
✅ Use OCR tools if your PDF is a scanned image.
✅ Test different methods — sometimes one tool works better than another, depending on how the PDF was created.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to convert PDF to Excel can save you hours of manual work. Whether you use free online tools, Adobe Acrobat, Excel’s built-in features, or specialized software, you now have multiple ways to get the job done quickly and accurately.
Have you tried converting a PDF to Excel before? Share your experience or favorite tool in the comments!