How to Convert PDF to Excel

Why Convert PDF to Excel?

A PDF shows a table, but you cannot easily work with the numbers inside it. Copying and pasting usually mixes up the columns, and typing everything again takes a long time and leads to mistakes.

• Add up totals and create your own calculations.
• Sort and filter long lists such as bank transactions.
• Compare price lists or reports from different months.
• Create charts from the data.
• Import the data into accounting or other software.

How to Convert PDF to Excel with EOConvert

1. Open the PDF to Excel converter.
2. Choose the PDF file that contains your table.
3. Start the conversion and wait a moment.
4. Download the Excel file and open it in Excel, LibreOffice or Google Sheets.

Which PDF Files Convert Best?

The best results come from PDFs that were created by a computer program – for example, a report exported from accounting software or a statement downloaded from online banking. In these files the text and numbers are stored as real text, so they can be placed into cells accurately.

Scanned documents and photos of paper are different: they are only pictures of text. Such pages need text recognition (OCR) first, and the result usually needs more checking.

A quick test: open the PDF and try to select a word with your mouse. If you can select it, the PDF contains real text. If you cannot, it is a scanned image – you can try our Image to Text tool for such pages.

Check and Clean the Result

Every PDF is built a little differently, so take a minute to check the spreadsheet before you use it.

• Make sure each column contains the right type of data.
• Check that numbers are real numbers, not text. Numbers stored as text are usually aligned to the left and cannot be added up.
• Watch the decimal separator. Turkish documents use a comma (1.250,75) while English ones use a point (1,250.75).
• Remove repeated page headers and footers that appear between rows.
• Compare one or two totals with the original PDF.

Tips for Better Results

• Use the original PDF instead of a printed and scanned copy whenever possible.
• If you only need a few pages, first extract them with Split PDF.
• If the PDF is password protected, remove the protection first with Unlock PDF (you need to know the password).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert a bank statement PDF to Excel?

Yes. Statements downloaded from online banking usually contain real text and convert well. Always check the totals after conversion.

Will formulas from the original file be kept?

No. A PDF stores only the results that were shown on the page, not the formulas behind them. You will get the values and can add new formulas in Excel.

Can I convert Excel back to PDF?

Yes. Use our Excel to PDF converter to share a finished spreadsheet as a PDF.