How to Convert a PDF to Excel

Key Takeaways

• Excel 365's Get & Transform tools let you import single or multiple tables from a PDF directly into a workbook, with lasting query connections for easy refreshes.
• For complex or "chopped up" PDF imports, the Power Query Editor gives advanced users control to merge columns, stitch split tables and clean data before loading.
• Alternative methods like copy/paste through Word, Adobe Acrobat export and free online converters can help you convert PDF to Excel when built-in tools fall short.
• Expect some cleanup after any PDF-to-Excel conversion. Tips like using well-structured source PDFs and removing headers before import help preserve formatting.

Why Convert PDF to Excel?

PDF files lock data in a visual, graphic format that cannot be sorted, filtered or analyzed. When you need to work with that data in a spreadsheet, you need to convert PDF to Excel. This guide walks through multiple methods to extract data from a PDF into Excel, from Excel 365's built-in import tools to free online converters, so you can choose the approach that fits your situation.

In Excel 365, you will use the Get & Transform tools to convert PDF data into a worksheet. Before you begin, it helps to understand the trade-offs:

• Lasting connections: Get & Transform creates queries and connections to your source file so that, if you wish, you can update your workbook data simply by updating the original file. Since PDFs are not dynamic, this means saving a new file with updated information in the same place with the same name.
• Cleanup required: Excel doesn't do a great job of interpreting PDF content. Plan to spend time cleaning up data formatting or stitching together tables that get split.

Which Method Should You Use?

The guide below covers six ways to convert PDF to Excel. Use this comparison table to jump to the method that fits your situation. Keep in mind that all methods may require some post-conversion cleanup.

Import a Single Table from a PDF File

1) Open the workbook where you want the data to live, then click the Data tab.

2) Click the Get Data dropdown menu in the Get & Transform group.

3) Hover over From File in the dropdown and select PDF from the flyout menu. [A]

4) Browse to and select the PDF that you want to convert, then click Import.

5) The Navigator window opens. Excel parses the file and prepares a list of tables and pages in the Display Options pane. Select any item to see a preview of the table.

6) When the table you want is selected, click Load [B] to create a new tab with the data imported as a table, or open the dropdown and select Load To [C].

• Load To opens the Import Data dialog. Select how you want the data to appear in the workbook – as a plain table or a PivotTable for example. Then, select where you want the data imported. We want to import to a plain table [D] into an Existing worksheet [E] at a specific cell address [F].
• Click OK.

The data will be added to your workbook at the location you specified.

Import Multiple Tables from a PDF File

If there are multiple tables that you want imported within the same PDF document, begin by following the same steps as above (steps 1-4) from the Get Data command on the Data tab.

1. In the Navigator window, put a check in the Select multiple items checkbox [G], and then a checkmark by each item you want to include.
2. Select Load To to open the Import Data dialog window.
3. Select the Table radio button and click OK. You cannot place multiple tables at a location using the Existing worksheet option, it will be greyed out. When you click OK, a new tab will be created for each table you imported.

Import and Place Multiple PDF Tables into Excel Worksheets from the Queries & Connections Pane

Each time you import data using the Get Data command on the Data tab, Excel creates a connection back to the original file. If your PDF is complicated and Excel splits the information up into multiple tables – a common problem when tables cross page borders – then you may need to stitch your tables back together into a single worksheet. One easy, though tedious, way to do this is to place each table, one at a time, like a puzzle.

Here is an example:

1) Begin as you did above from the Get Data command on the Data tab. Select your tables, then choose the Load To option.

2) In the Import Data dialog, leave on the Only Create Connection radio button [H] and click OK. Each table or page you selected appears in the Queries & Connections pane but no data is loaded into a worksheet, yet.

3) Hover over an item in the pane to see a preview of the table. You will probably select the top-leftmost table to begin. In the preview pane, click the More button [I] and select Load To [J] from the menu.

4) Click the Table radio button [D] in the Import Data dialog, then select Existing worksheet [E] and the A1 [F] cell. Click OK.

5) Excel imports that table, then you are ready to stitch in the next one. Select the first cell in the first empty row under your imported data, then find the next table in the Queries & Connections pane, most likely the table that begins on page 2 of your PDF but it will depend upon how Excel broke up the pages.

6) Repeat 3-4 steps above. In the Import Data dialog, the selected cell should be pre-filled in the field under Existing worksheet. If not, type or select the cell and click OK.

Repeat for each table you need to stitch, either to the bottom or to the right of your worksheet. You will also likely need to do some cleanup to remove repeated row headings and so on. This is not an elegant solution to complex PDF conversions, but simple in terms of steps.

Convert PDF Data to Excel Using Power Query Editor

If you are an advanced Excel user, or are familiar with Power Query, the Power Query Editor can be a big help in importing data from a PDF that has been "chopped up" or formatted badly by the Get Data command.

1. To open the Power Query Editor, begin as you did above from the Get Data command on the Data tab.
2. Select your tables, then choose the Load To option.
3. In the Import Data dialog, leave on the Only Create Connection radio button and click OK. Each table or page you selected appears in the Queries & Connections pane but no data is loaded into a worksheet, yet.
4. Double-click on any table in the pane, or hover and select Edit [K] from the preview to open the Power Query Editor [L]. In the editor you can edit data, merge or split columns that Excel imported incorrectly, or even stitch tables back together before adding them to the worksheet.

More Ways to Convert PDF Files into Excel Data

Excel's built-in tools, while powerful, can also be cumbersome or not-especially good at some kinds of conversions. Here are several other ways, then, to convert PDF data into Excel data using different methods and external tools to help you.

Copy/Paste Using Word

It might seem counter-intuitive, but sometimes good old fashioned copy/paste is the right answer in the right circumstances. Copying individual cells, however, is not fun or efficient when there are many rows and columns. When you'd rather copy an entire table at once, first open your PDF in Word, then copy the whole table. Adding this one extra step can open up copy/paste as a viable option and still keeps things very simple. 

Use this method when your data is in a table with consistent rows and columns that don't extend beyond one Word page width. You'll be able to easily copy/paste long tables, but wide tables will be more difficult to work with. Complex table structures, such as merged cells and wrapped text will also be difficult to copy/paste.

Export PDFs to Excel Using Adobe Acrobat

If you have access to the pro versions of Adobe Acrobat software (not Acrobat Reader which is free but limited), then you can take advantage of the tools provided by the creator of PDF itself. Open the PDF in Acrobat and then use the Export To option in the File menu.

Choose Spreadsheet, then select Microsoft Excel Workbook. Browse to the folder where the new workbook will go, then click Save. The newly exported file will open in Excel for you to review and clean up.

Original PDF Viewed in Adobe Acrobat:

Data after being exported to Excel:

If you don't have an Adobe Acrobat license, you can use Adobe's free web-based converter for one-file-at-a-time conversions. You will not be able to edit your pdf files, but the results are very similar to starting from the software, and Adobe does not ask for personal information to perform the conversion. Open the link in your browser, then upload your PDF file using Select files or drag and drop. Select to Microsoft Excel, then click Convert to Xlsx. Wait for the progress bar to complete, then click the Download button on the Your file is ready page.

Tips for Converting PDF to Excel without Losing Formatting

Getting clean results when you convert PDF to Excel depends as much on preparation as it does on the tool you choose. These tips will help you minimize formatting issues and reduce cleanup time:

• Start with well-structured source PDFs: PDFs with clear table borders, consistent column widths and minimal decorative formatting convert more reliably than those with complex layouts.
• Remove unnecessary headers and footers: Repeating page headers, footers and page numbers often get pulled into your data as extra rows. Delete or hide them in the source file before converting when possible.
• Run OCR on scanned PDFs first: If your PDF is a scanned image rather than a text-based document, Excel's Get & Transform tools cannot read it. Use Adobe Acrobat Pro or a free online OCR tool to convert the scan to searchable text before importing.
• Check for merged cells and split them: Merged cells in the original PDF frequently cause columns to misalign after import. Review your converted data and split any merged cells in Excel to restore a clean tabular structure.
• Use Power Query to clean column data types: After import, open the Power Query Editor to set correct data types (text, number, date) for each column. This prevents calculation errors and formatting inconsistencies downstream.
• Save a backup of the original PDF: Always keep an unmodified copy of your source PDF before making any changes. This gives you a clean starting point if you need to re-run the conversion with different settings.

Strengthen Your Excel Skills with Pryor Learning

If you regularly need to convert PDFs into Excel workbooks for your business, start with Excel's built-in Power Query tools for importing PDF data. If that does not meet your needs, try some of the additional methods above or consider a dedicated conversion service or software solution. Once your workflow is as efficient as possible, you can spend less time converting and more time using Excel's powerful analysis tools.

Pryor Learning offers live and on-demand Excel courses that go beyond PDF conversion to cover data analysis, PivotTables, Power Query and more. Whether you are building foundational skills or advancing into complex data workflows, Pryor's training helps you work smarter and faster.

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