Convert pdf to excel online. How to convert an Excel document to PDF and vice versa - ways why you need it

How to convert a picture or PDF to Excel and Word online for free? This is a pressing question that constantly arises among colleagues. I have, of course I have FineReader— a program for converting pictures and scans into text documents of any format. I have been using it since my student days, when theory from books had to be transferred to abstracts or a diploma without reprinting them. I remember this was a great time saver for me to learn Excel more deeply and use it in my thesis! But I don’t always have my laptop with me, so below I’ve reviewed free online text recognition services (and no pirated downloads).

Often, I am asked how to quickly replace FineReader, and even online and for free. I had to deal with this problem;) 5-7 years ago, web services seemed like some kind of distant future in Russia, so every time I discover free cloud services for familiar offline programs. Therefore, I will give a small list of the most popular image converter programs - for this we will convert text against the background of an Excel table in not the best quality (to check the quality of text recognition):

and a photo of the table in standard quality (to see how tables are recognized):

Let's see what's on the Internet

1. ABBYY FineReader Online

finereaderonline.com

As it probably should be, the “native” ABBYY FineReader comes first. The service was fully launched in mid-2011, and has undergone positive changes over the years.

Registered. Uploaded a photo or PDF, selected a language, and selected the format of the output document. Can be saved in Excel. Recognizes tables and displays them in xlsx documents. Everything is great, everything works 5+

Recognition (text) 9.5 out of 10.

But it wouldn’t be ABBYY if the service were completely free.

After registration gives you only 10 free pages, ideal for one-time use. But if you need to recognize it every day or if you have 100 pages, the service is not suitable. We will look for an alternative.

2. FRee OCR, convertio.co and more

All fairly well-known recognition services. There are quite a lot of them on the Internet. Unfortunately for PDF it only recognizes the first page in most cases, or claims to recognize but doesn't

Everything is simple here. In all converters, we load the document from the computer, select the language (not everywhere), click Start. Recognized, downloaded, saved.

Recognition quality 7 out of 10.

Recognizes regular text quite well. Doesn't recognize tables (doesn't save their form, even less so). You cannot save text in Excel - or any spreadsheet editor.

I looked at about 15 services like these and at first I was sad because... I think the PDF to Excel Online translation service for free is very necessary.

But then, I found:

3.

There is still an excellent free service. Here you can select a language - which immediately increases the quality of text recognition. The resulting data can be saved in both Word and Excel. You can copy the result directly from the browser. By downloading the xlsx file, you will even save the table structure - believe me, this is a huge rarity for free services! You can recognize a PDF or a picture, also without any apparent complications.

Works fast.

Recognition quality 7 out of 10 (if viewed using PNG or JPEG).

Clarification: It recognizes a table in PDF quite well, but I recommend converting a scan of the table into jpeg before starting work and then recognizing it as a picture. This will make the quality of the identified text even better!

A good service for PDF recognition in Excel Online, as well as image to text recognition.

What's the result?

You can’t hold water in a sieve, as they say, and for a good paid product there will always be a free analogue of comparable quality - be it Excel or FineReader.

I am sure that the free online recognition service for images and protected texts will be useful to you. PDF to Excel and Word online for free can help for diploma or laboratory students, and maybe also company employees who need to use a document that is preserved only on paper.

Microsoft Office Excel allows users to work with spreadsheets. They are a grid of cells that contain information. In addition to being able to populate an Excel workbook, you can perform various mathematical operations, create visual charts, and insert other elements. The program also works with data from other sources and databases, and the user can save the result in one of several popular formats.

We consider various options for converting files

Saving an Excel file to PDF is most often used in two cases - when a document needs to be transferred:

• To the printing house for printing;
• For another user, the information should be provided in a simpler form, and the file should not be editable.

In addition, documents in PDF format can be opened on any computer, even if one version of Excel is not installed on it. Converting a document to another format can be done in several ways. These include the use of Excel capabilities - this feature first appeared in the 2010 version.

There are also opposite situations - when PDF needs to be converted to an Excel file. For example, when a colleague sends you data from a recent report or project, or you downloaded a file whose author wanted to make it easier to read or hide Excel formulas. In any case, if you need to work with the document and make changes, it will have to be converted from PDF to XLS.

The table structure in Excel is quite complex. Editable cells contain not only regular information, but also formulas, external links and graphic elements. This factor complicates the circulation of documents in the program.

To increase the likelihood that another user will be able to open and read your document, you can convert it to PDF. This is also convenient when you need to hide from outsiders the formulas by which certain indicators in the cells of the book were calculated. Before sending a file by mail or sharing it publicly, convert to PDF using one of the following methods:

1. Using functions built into Excel;
2. Through the official add-on from Microsoft;
3. Using online services;
4. In the downloaded program.

The document in PDF format that you receive using any of the methods will have a consistent structure. It can be opened on any device, including mobile, and cannot be edited by the reader. This file does not contain links to third-party resources and calculation formulas.

How to convert Excel to PDF in the editor itself

To use this method, you do not have to look for third-party services - online or downloaded. Everything is done in Excel:

1. Select the table cells you want to convert to PDF, or proceed to the next steps if you want to convert the entire sheet (note that you can change the document back - it's not that easy, but the entire structure will be preserved);
2. Click "File";
3. Select "Export";
4. In Excel 2010, click “Save As”; in newer versions, first specify the location and name;
5. Select PDF from the list of formats;
6. In order to customize the future document, click “Options” - you can set the range of pages that will be converted, select only specific cells, the active sheet or the entire workbook;
7. Choose an optimization method - “Standard” is suitable for small files, while for large files you will have to change the parameters;
8. Name the file and save it - it will immediately open by default;
9. If the document does not open, it is possible that your computer does not support reading PDF - install a suitable program and check if everything loaded correctly;
10. If you need to make changes, make them in the source Excel document, and then convert it again.

When saving, you can set additional parameters

How to convert Excel to PDF using the official editor add-in

This method is suitable for cases where Excel does not allow conversion, since the installed version does not have such an option. You can bypass the limitation by installing a special add-on (plugin) called “Save as PDF and XPS”. You can download the functionality from the official Microsoft website - it's free.

For the translation itself you need:

1. After installing the plugin, the “Create PDF/XPS” field will appear in the Excel main menu in the “Save” section - select the PDF format and name the document;
2. Save this file to the desired directory on your computer.

To make it more convenient to work with the function, use the options for selecting cells or saving an entire page or sheet, which are described in the previous method.

Depending on the version of Office, menu items may differ slightly

How to convert Excel to PDF using online services

There are a large number of converters on the Internet that allow you to convert XLS to PDF in a few clicks. Most of them do it for free or offer the user a demo mode. To convert you usually need:

1. Upload the document to the service system;
2. Select the format into which the document will be translated, if several are available;
3. Start conversion;
4. Download the PDF file to your computer.

All services have similar functionality, but it is recommended to choose trusted ones so that viruses do not get onto your computer. However, this method is not recommended if it is possible to convert directly to Excel. It's more difficult and time-consuming, and some services offer limited options or ask you to pay for the conversion.

One of many examples of online tools

How to convert Excel to PDF using third-party, downloadable programs

Like online services, such programs allow you to make conversions without using Excel functionality. This is necessary in cases where the editor version does not allow you to perform the process in it. The programs work on the principle of a virtual printer - they accept your file “for printing”, but instead of issuing a paper document, they save it in another directory. However, during the process you can change the format, including from XLS to PDF.

One of the best programs for transformation outside of Excel is the Universal Document Converter. It adds several functions in the form of hot keys to the editor's main menu to make it easier to save a file in a different format. By installing the Universal Converter, you can convert an Excel document to PDF in a couple of clicks:

1. Go to the Converter toolbar:
2. Select “Convert to PDF”;
3. Specify the name and location of the file, save.

This method, as in the case of online services, is recommended for those versions of Excel in which it is impossible to perform conversion using the built-in functions.

Universal Document Converter is built into the program

How to fit an entire Excel sheet onto one PDF page

If you need to make one sheet of an Excel book occupy one page in PDF and still be displayed correctly:

1. Open “Page Layout” in Excel, click on the arrow that opens additional options (the icon in the lower right corner of the “Page Options” area);
2. Activate the “Place no more than on” item and specify the number of pages equal to one;
3. Click “OK”, print the file to PDF using the functions of Excel, an additional plugin or the Universal Document Converter.

Fitting a document to the sheet format is very easy

How to Bulk Convert Excel Files to PDF

If you regularly create a large number of XLS documents that need to be converted to PDF, this can be done using the automatic function. It will do the job faster, and you won't have to do all the steps manually.

This feature is available in the Universal Document Converter. To activate it you need to make the following settings:

1. When saving a document, select a program from among the printers;
2. Click “Change settings”;
3. In the parameters of the final document, specify the PDF format;
4. To start batch conversion, click “Start”;
5. The current and subsequent documents will be saved in the desired form - this can be canceled in the same settings.

You can also use the downloadable program Folder Mill, which can handle a large number of files of various formats coming from external sources. It was created in order to simplify the work of company employees who had to convert everything manually. Use Folder Mill - in the settings, specify that the files are converted to PDF, after which the automatic conversion will begin.

The application is relevant for a large number of converted documents

How to protect the received PDF file with a password

Protection against access without the appropriate code is needed to prevent third parties from reading the file. The easiest way to do this is to also use the Universal Document Converter. To activate protection you need:

1. Open the required document in XLS format in Excel;
2. Click “Print”, select Universal Converter as a printer and select “Properties”;
3. Configure the function so that the output document is in PDF - this is done in “File format”;
4. In the “PDF Standard” area, select “Password protection” and enter the secret code;
5. If you later need to add pages to a password-protected document, do not change the secret code itself (if the file did not initially have protection, do not install it on new pages);
6. Click “OK” and print the Excel document as PDF using the Converter.

How to convert PDF to Excel

The opposite situations when you need to convert PDF to Excel happen if you were sent a file whose author did not take into account that you would want to edit it. In addition, PDF documents are often the only available format when downloading various company pricing tables. They are designed to ensure that the file will be available on any system, even if Excel is not on the device.

Unlike the initial conversion of an Excel table into a PDF document, the reverse procedure is more complex. However, it can also be done in the editor - for this you will have to use one of two options:

1. The "Text by Columns" function in Microsoft Office Excel (Acrobat Reader is also required);
2. Online converter;
3. Downloadable conversion program.

How to Convert PDF to Excel Using Text by Columns Option

The popular Adobe viewer provides this opportunity.

This method does not require downloading special programs or using online services - Acrobat Reader, which is available on almost every computer, is sufficient. To convert you need:

1. Open PDF in Acrobat Reader;
2. Save as plain text using “File” - “Save to others” - “Text” (or “File” - “Save as” - “File type” - “Text file”);
3. Specify the name and save directory, click “Save”;
4. Next, open a text document and transfer the files from it to a new Excel file - paste it into cell A1;
5. Use the function for automatic distribution - “Data” - “Working with data” - “Text by columns”;
6. The “Text Wizard” window will open, where in the “Source Data Format” section you need to select “Delimited”, then “Next”;
7. Set a space as a separator character, remove the remaining marks;
8. Specify any column in the “Data Parsing Sample”, select “Text” in the “Column Data Format”;
9. Repeat the previous steps for each column in the samples;
10. Click “Finish” to complete the procedure - the data from the PDF will be organized in Excel into columns.

The sequence of operations consists of several stages

How to convert PDF to Excel using online services

There are many programs on the Internet for converting XLS to PDF. Unlike the reverse action, with such a conversion it is usually easier to use the service. Typically the procedure goes like this:

1. Upload the PDF to the conversion system (to get the best results, use files that preserve the table structure);
2. Select the required format and start converting;
3. When the process is complete, download the resulting document.

Many programs have a limit on the amount of data or the number of files that they offer to remove after receiving paid access. Some services require you to enter an email address in order to send the file to it. Most likely, you will have to bring the table to the desired form, since services rarely cope with formatting - especially complex documents. However, they do the bulk of the work and only require a few clicks to initiate the conversion.

Example of an online conversion service

How to convert PDF to Excel using a downloadable program

There are a large number of converters that you can download for use. Usually the most effective ones are paid ones. They are worth buying if you have to work with a large number of documents. Typically the process goes something like this:

1. You open the required PDF file or call the context menu for it at its location;
2. Select the conversion function, final format, name and directory;
3. Performing the conversion.

Bottom line

PDF documents are very popular because they can be opened on any computer. Converting XLS to PDF is needed in order to make it easier to run on different devices, make it easier to read, and prevent editing and viewing the properties of table cells. The reverse conversion is needed to work with table data in the Excel interface.

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