Convert PDF to Excel in Google Sheets: 3 Easy Methods

How to Convert PDF to Excel in Google Sheets

Converting PDF files to Excel spreadsheets within Google Sheets can be a challenging task, given the PDF format's complexity and its design for document presentation rather than data manipulation. However, with the right approach and tools, this conversion can be made possible, enabling users to extract valuable data from PDFs into a more manageable and editable Excel format within Google Sheets. This guide explores various methods to achieve this conversion, catering to different scenarios and data types encountered in PDF documents.

Discover how Bardeen can automate your PDF to Excel conversions and streamline your workflows in Google Sheets.

Method 1: Using Google Docs

This method is suitable for PDF documents containing relatively simple data with few rows and columns.

1. Upload your PDF file to your Google Drive.
2. Click on the PDF file name to see the “Open with” dialog box.
3. Select Google Docs from the list and save.
4. Open the PDF file as a Google document, then copy the table to your clipboard (CTRL+C).
5. Open a new Google Sheets file.
6. Select a cell and paste the PDF data (CTRL+V).

Method 2: Using CSV

Use this method for PDF data appearing in multipage documents that require manual sorting.

1. Upload your PDF document to your Google Drive.
2. Click on the PDF file name to see the “Open with” dialog box.
3. Select “Plain text (.txt)” from the list and save.
4. Click on the saved TXT file name to see the “Open with” dialog box.
5. Select Google Docs from the list and save.
6. Open the Google document to see your plain text PDF data.
7. Use “Find and Replace” to convert all the spaces into commas.
8. Download the document as a TXT file: Go to File > Download > Plain text (.txt).
9. Open the downloaded text file with Notepad.
10. Save the document as a Comma Separated Value File (.csv).
11. Open a new Google Sheets spreadsheet.
12. Go to File > Open (CTRL+O) the CSV file in Google Sheets.
13. Check that all your comma-separated data is contained in the suitable individual cells in your spreadsheet.

Method 3: Using Parserr

Use this method if you receive multiple PDF files in your incoming email every day.

1. Sign up for a Parserr account.
2. Create a Parserr inbox to hold your incoming PDF files.
3. Create parsing rules to extract text and tables from your PDF files.
4. Link the Parserr inbox to your Google Sheets with simple webhook integration.
5. Test the parsing rules with an incoming email containing a PDF document.
6. Open your Google Sheets spreadsheet to verify the extracted data.
7. Modify the parsing rules to capture as many details as you want from your PDF files.
8. Let Parserr automatically extract your data to Google spreadsheets and Excel users.

With Parserr, you can quickly and automatically convert PDF data from multiple PDF files into Google Sheets. Get in touch today to learn more about how Parserr integrates your business operations.

Enhance your Google Sheets experience with addons for Google Sheets, learn how to automate Google Sheets, and explore a collection of Google Sheets automations.

Alternative Solutions

Other platforms like Lido and Nanonets offer built-in PDF to Sheets conversion features or specialized formulas for extracting table data from PDFs directly into Google Sheets. These solutions might include free trials or paid features but can provide a more automated or nuanced approach to PDF data extraction, catering to specific workflow requirements.

While manually converting PDF files to Excel in Google Sheets is a complex task, automating data and document management tasks can significantly streamline your workflow. Bardeen offers powerful solutions that not only assist in managing PDFs but also in handling a variety of automation needs that can save time and reduce manual workloads. Here are some examples of how Bardeen can automate tasks related to managing documents and data within Google Sheets.

1. Save full-page PDF screenshots to Google Drive from website links in a Google Sheet: This playbook automates capturing full-page PDFs from web links listed in a Google Sheet and saving them directly to Google Drive, streamlining content archiving or market research.
2. Download full-page PDF screenshots of websites from links in a Google Sheet: Enables downloading full-page PDF screenshots from a list of URLs in a Google Sheet, facilitating offline access or documentation of web content.
3. Save data from the Google News page to Google Sheets: Automate the collection of news data from Google News into a Google Sheets document, perfect for researchers or marketers tracking specific news topics.

These automations help optimize data handling in Google Sheets, making document management more efficient and productive. Explore these playbooks to enhance your workflow.