How to Convert PDF to Excel for Free (2026 Guide)

📅 March 29, 2026 ⏱ 6 min read 📂 How-To

Extracting data from a PDF into an Excel spreadsheet used to mean retyping everything manually. Today, free online tools can do this in seconds. Here's how to convert PDF to Excel without losing your tables, numbers, or formatting.

Why Convert PDF to Excel?

Bank statements you need to analyze in a pivot table
Invoices or purchase orders with item lists
Government data reports published as PDFs
Research data you need to manipulate or chart
Price lists or inventory tables from suppliers

Method 1: Use an Online PDF to Excel Converter (Best for Most)

Go to Quick Do PDF's free PDF to Excel tool
Click "Select PDF File" or drag your document onto the page
The tool extracts all tables and data from the PDF
Download the resulting .xlsx file
Open in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc

💡 Best Results: This works best on PDFs created digitally (not scanned). If your PDF is a scan, use our PDF OCR tool first to make the text machine-readable.

Method 2: Use Microsoft Word (Office 365 Users)

If you have Microsoft Office 365, Word can open a PDF and convert it. Then copy the table into Excel:

Right-click the PDF → Open with → Microsoft Word
Word converts the PDF to an editable document
Select the table → Copy (Ctrl+C)
Open Excel → Paste (Ctrl+V)

This works well for simple tables but complex multi-column layouts may shift.

Method 3: Copy-Paste (Simple Tables Only)

For text-based PDFs with simple tables:

Open the PDF in Chrome or Adobe Reader
Select the table text (Ctrl+A or click and drag)
Copy (Ctrl+C)
In Excel, use Paste Special → Text
Use "Text to Columns" (Data tab) to split by delimiter

⚠ Limitation: Copy-pasting from scanned PDFs won't work — you'll get nothing or garbled text. Use the online converter instead.

Tips for Better Conversion Results

Remove page headers/footers beforehand using our Delete Pages tool if they interfere with table detection
Scanned PDFs — always run OCR first before converting
Multi-page tables — the online converter handles these automatically
After conversion — always verify totals match the original PDF

What Types of PDFs Convert Best?

PDF Type	Conversion Quality	Notes
Digitally created PDF	Excellent ✅	Tables extract perfectly
Scanned PDF (with OCR)	Good 🟡	Run OCR first for best results
Scanned PDF (no OCR)	Poor ❌	Must do OCR conversion first
Password-protected PDF	❌ Won't work	Unlock first, then convert

Convert PDF to Excel — Free

No sign-up. No file size limits. Your data never leaves your device.

Convert PDF to Excel →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert a multi-page PDF to one Excel sheet?

Yes — all pages are extracted into a single Excel file. Each page's tables are placed in order.

Will formulas be preserved?

No. PDFs don't store Excel formulas — only the final calculated values. You'll need to recreate any formulas manually after conversion.

Is the converter free for large files?

Yes, completely free with no file size limits. Large files may take a few extra seconds to process.