How to Convert a PDF to Excel THE RIGHT WAY (Office 365)

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Want to learn more about converting a PDF to Excel? Check out my Part 2 Q&A video here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpKciKSjib-Kr7s

[@Birtingar]

Very helpful and clearly explained. You might though skip the background music, it ruins ones concentration👍.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your stopping by and leaving your feedback! I’ll keep the volume of the background music to a minimum in future videos.

[@rgoins82]

I am using Office 365 and not on a Mac but I do not see the .pdf option. There are 2 options: data from pictures and Data from Power BI. Any suggestions?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! Unfortunately, this feature is only available on the Windows version for now. Hopefully it gets added to Mac soon.

[@esthermays8813]

This is a "work smarter, not harder" solution. Thank you.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your kind comment! Cheers!

[@dojindochi]

duuuuuuude! This blew my mind. I was walking through the process myself as you went and I'm telling you. Absolute genius! I appreciate you and this video so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Wow, those are very kind words. I am glad that you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching!

[@MellowMelodiesGoa]

Oh God I was struggling whole day and finally at midnight your video came up in search, I thank you dearly.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Glad I could help! Thank you for your kind comment!

[@GideonBlustein]

Excellent video! I had no idea it was this easy to convert PDF to excel. Thank you for the great tutorial!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for the kind words! Cheers!

[@CalRichieRich]

Good vid. Unfortunately, the version of Excel does not have the same options. No PDF source available.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

That’s too bad. Which version of Excel are you using? I am using Excel 365. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!

[@alisons.thompsoncpa2694]

Awesome, thanks so much for the clear and concise help with this! I've been copying, pasting and crossing my fingers for years trying to do this.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Im glad that it helped! Thank you for your kind comment!

[@MrRamanMalhotra]

Unfortunately, despite having an uptodate Excel for Mac (Office 365), My Get Data drop-down menu options are only From HTML, From text, From SQL Server ODBC, From Datbase. Getting data from Picture doesn't help as many of the characters or jargon. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! It looks like this feature is not available on Excel for Mac. Hopefully it’s something that Mac users can enjoy in the future!

[@KristinaSuhGCR]

Great video, How do I select multiple table to be imported into an excel sheet. I have 75 pages, I selected them all , but only pages 67-75 came across. I am having to do each page individually, which is taking a long time. Thank for your help

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I’ve received a couple of questions that I’ll address in a followup video and this will be one of them 😁

[@aquayum72]

Hi there, great video and really appreciate the step-by-step process. Do you have the file that you for downloading, that would really help when trying to go over the video.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your kind words! I don’t have a way to share the files (yet!) but it’s something I am working on getting setup in the future.

[@nancyjackson1977]

Darryl - Please Help! I loved your video. Very well done. I was rewatching your video and following it step by step to import a PDF with lots of tables in it - and MS just changed their Data options. I don’t see an option for PDF anywhere! Can you help me figure out how to do this same operation with the new changes? I don’t see a video on it from you. Thanks!

[@nancyjackson1977]

FYI - I do have the MS 365 Subscription plan.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Hey! I’m happy to know that you enjoyed the video 😁 Are you using Excel for Mac by any chance? I don’t believe that they have this functionality available yet unfortunately.

[@nancyjackson1977]

@@ExcelUpNorth Thank you so much for responding so quickly. Yes, I do have Excel for Mac. But I also have Excel for iPad Pro, and of course the web versions. But none of my versions have the layout that you outlined so well for us. When I opened up one of the versions (I can't remember which one), I received an announcement that MS had improved upon the data import process, and then it went on to explain what I am seeing now - minus the PDF option. There are quite a few options available, but I can't seem to find the PDF one. Have you seen the new version? Do you want me to attach some SS of what I am seeing? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. You're such a blessing! Nancy

[@ExcelUpNorth]

@@nancyjackson1977 That seems to be the reason why... Excel for Mac and iPad do not have this feature available at this time. It's too bad. I wish they had the same functions!

[@dtnt2000]

This was VERY helpful!!!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for leaving a comment! 😁

[@missClaudiaNYC]

Thanks for sharing this. But, I have a 356 Subscription and on a MacBook. I don't see the FROM FILE option. any idea why this may be?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Appreciate the comment! Unfortuntely, this method only works on the Windows version. Excel on Mac doesn't have all of the same capabilities but maybe it will in the future!

[@GavinPatterson-c9n]

Absolutely a lifesaver, thank you. I do have a question about changing the columns from text to numbers. I have a few columns I need to convert into numbers, $ currency & decimal points, but when I try to change them I get an error message in the header box. How do I make the changes? Cheers

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! Usually changing data types in PowerQuery is pretty solid. It could be a number of things though. The first thing I'd check is to see if there are any leading spaces in the text or letters. If those exist then you'll need to remove those first before converting.

[@ug1166]

Hi thanks for your video I cannot add numbers after I convert PDF to Excel ie I am not getting the total using the sum function, unless I manually change the figures in each cell which defeats the reason for converting- any suggestion on what I can do-Many Thanks

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! I would suggest changing the data type of the columns to be a number so that they can be used in the sum function.

[@VincenzaGenovese-n3u]

How do you fix the issue of getting "This table is empty" in the Navigator screen? The document has data but it won't convert. Thanks.

[@TrueUnnamedHero]

i get the same thing

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! That's an interesting problem. Is the data in the PDF document an image? The issue "This table is empty" indicated that Excel can't recognize the data. The ideal scenario would be for the PDF to have been created from Word or Excel.

[@12Weeks4Life]

Wonderful post and very helfpul. However, this is a really clean table. I am dealing with a "Project Profile" that is more like a form structure with data all over the place, no column headers, but rather field headers scattered throughout. Any ideas on how to apporach this, or a resource you can point me to? Thank you!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for you comment! Ya, the example in this video is an ideal scenario where the data is contained in tables. @GoodlyChandeep is one of my favorite channels and he has videos on how to handle unstructed data in Power Query!

[@soonphengsim5380]

Wow thanks for the very clear explanation. I am trying to convert my credit card statement which is password protected into excel using your method but it gives me an error because of the password. Is there anyway I can by pass the password or enter the password?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I’m afraid I don’t know of a way to bypass the password to connect to PDF.

[@MitchMuenster]

Looking for something like this. get a manager coming to me in a panic because something was sent over in a PDF for some reason. I never used the feature before but this helped me learn. thanks for doing this.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

That’s amazing news! Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment and sharing your story.

[@rseeram]

Thanks alot Darryl. I was downloading a credit card statement in pdf and converted to excel worked well.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

You’re welcome! I appreciate you leaving a comment!

[@vinodhkumar4878]

I tried it doesn't worked after conversation getting error like symbols

[@maureenmuller6190]

helpful video thanks but background music is distracting

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment and for your feedback about the background music!

[@nelsonkalkreuth6533]

great presentation thanks

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I am glad you enjoyed the video! 😄

[@alexisferentinos7827]

Hello! Everything was working great for me until I got to the “Pivot Column” part. When I pivoted my data back, it rearranged my first column in alphabetical order, but I need it to stay in the order as it appears (I’m referencing a company’s balance sheet). Any solutions to this?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! That’s an interesting situation! Usually the order of the columns remains intact when unpivoting then pivoting back. I have seen that the order of the columns can change if one sorts the unpivoted column right before pivoting. All that said, I would love to explore this in a future video!

[@KHollow4444]

Hey thanks man, saved me a lot of time. Could you pls let me know if there is a way to combine all the tables together. during the load it split them into separate tabs:/

[@ExcelUpNorth]

There’s a way to combine the tables by using the ‘Append’ command in PowerQuery. It can be tricky as you’ll need to have the same column headers in each of the tables for it to work properly.

[@yourvoice7674]

Thank you for the video. But my dropdown does not have the pdf option

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for leaving a comment and I’m glad you enjoyed it! It depends on the version of Excel you are using. The version in this video was using Microsoft Office 365.

[@jacquelinecales330]

What version of Excel are you using because mine doesn't have this option.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Appreciate the comment! This is the Windows Office 365 version of Excel.

[@PBpab]

What happends if you have a File that has 300 rows. I see that it only works with the first lets say 50 lines. Is there a way to download them all together at once? or do we need to do individually

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! That is interesting as it should work no matter how many rows are in the table.

[@MustafaHaider2000]

Hi, How can convert a PDF Bank statement or a credit card statement to Excel? Please advise. Thanks

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment. The steps in this video will likely be applicable to other PDFs as well.

[@mrsclau817]

Amazing video thank you !

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I'm happy that you found this video useful!

[@KwanTao69]

WOW, that was impressive, thank you very much.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I really appreciate the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@nathiphandliwe3171]

Extremely helpful!! Thank you

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’m happy that you found it helpful!

[@jand1833]

this requires the newest version of excel, what about older versions ?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Yes, this requires Microsoft 365. It doesn’t look like older versions of Excel will be supported at the moment unfortunately.

[@StephanieSelig]

Does this work on excel on a mac? I only see get data (power query) and can't find the pdf

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! Unfortunately this feature is not available on Mac. Hopefully it gets added one day!

[@bijoyvarughese8208]

Hi - I don't have an option to bring data from PDF. How can I get it under data tab? Even " Get Data" icon is not even available. A help will be much appreciated.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! This feature is available in Office 365.

[@zeeshantabasum427]

Sir which Microsoft version are you using to import PDF Because in 2016 version it is not available

[@ExcelUpNorth]

This is the Office 365 version of Excel. Thank you for your comment!

[@DaneNakamura]

I am having trouble with importing the PDF file. It shows no data. The PDF file is a scanned image of a report. Does the format of the scanned PDF a factor?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for the comment! When a PDF is of a scanned image it doesn't contain the same data that exporting a Word or Excel file to PDF would. This is why you are seeing no data when using this method.

[@shreevisakan688]

this option have Office 365 Professional plus or not

[@ExcelUpNorth]

The example in this video uses Office 365.

[@jakeiswayblack3377]

Thank you so much! I appreciate videos with lots of info with no BS. I hate having to download 3rd party apps too lol

[@ExcelUpNorth]

You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for your comment!

[@ubaidillahmuhammad20]

nice job. seribu sayang tdk diberikan file praktiknya

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your feedback! I’ll consider it for future videos!

[@Ydnis.nedsma]

Hi thanks for the tutorial. I have a report that when I transfer to excel in one of the columns all the cells merged into one cell. How can I get each line to stay into a cell each? For example: Let's say in your report Operating expenses, income from operations, operating margin adjusted EBITDA transferred to one cell but you want each to be in its own cell so they match their numbers per each column quarter. How can we do that?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I’ll try to make a follow up video on how to handle a situation like this.

[@felipeoliva5254]

tks so much! you helped me to save a lot of time ;)

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Glad I could help! Thank you for your wonderful comment! 😁

[@TheDhuko]

I need help with a difficult situation. Trying to convert a pdf that is structured odd. It is in table format but does not have lines. When I convert it to excel, the data is not converting correctly because some rows have multiple lines. It is hard to describe haha.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

No worries, I understood what you meant. I’ll try to make a follow up video on how to handle an oddly structured PDF file. Thank you for leaving a comment!

[@isaiahwily2018]

when I click on get data, I do not have the option to upload from a file and then a PDF. Any solution to this?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for leaving a comment! This video was created using the Office 365 version of Excel. Perhaps the version of Excel you are using doesn't have the feature yet?

[@CoryArmer]

I follow the steps Data>Get Data dropdown but I don't have .pdf as an option. Is there a setting I need to change?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! This is the Microsoft Office 365 version of Excel. Are you using a different version?

[@anujaaggarwal8814]

If PDf file created by scan then how we converting ?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

It might work if you use the scanned document used an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanner. I haven’t tried it though.

[@nokwandantshona9690]

Hallow, From where i get data i do not have PDF option, what do i Do?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! It depends on what version of Excel you are using. The version used in this video is Office 365.

[@davidav8orpflanz561]

I don't have the from file "from pdf" option in the drop-down menu - now what? Excel 2019

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! The feature is currently available only in the windows version of Office 365.

[@bulenteskitutuncu9722]

@@ExcelUpNorth I have Offive 365 I lust bougt but I got inlt from picture no from pdf why

[@wendyf2082]

I have a PDF that I'd like to convert to EXCEL, The columns headers are dates and the numbered lines are text categories. I'd like to reverse that. I'd like the numbered lines to be chronological dates and the heading of the columns to be the text, Is this possible?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! Yes, that sounds possible using the Unpivot commands in Power Query. That sounds like a good topic to cover in a future video!

[@levon9]

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

And thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! 😁

[@jannecuizon131]

hello,do i have to have subscription from office 365?tia

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! Yes, this is only available on Office 365.

[@beatricetomasello7939]

SO helpful and clear! Thank you :)

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I’m happy that you found it helpful! Thank you for comment!

[@frederickwrighthypnotherap240]

Very Helpful thankyou but so so painful trying to listen to what you are saying with that "music" in the backround. I couldn't get to the end.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for the feedback! I totally understand how distracting the background music can be, and I really appreciate you pointing that out. The good news is that I’ve stopped using it in my more recent videos, so hopefully you’ll find those much easier to follow. Thanks for watching!

[@leebrendalee]

Thank you very much. easy peasy

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! Reading this makes me so happy!

[@3asha821]

I don't have pdf option, why? (macbook)

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on the MacBook version of Excel. Hopefully it gets added soon!

[@ginnygabriel260]

Hah! This is what am trying to do.. very helpful, made my life easier!!! Smart approach you got here.. thank you so much!👏🏻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Glad to make your life easier! Thank you!

[@metaflame113]

thank you

[@ExcelUpNorth]

You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

[@AUSSIESPANIARD]

Extremely helpful, but My excel does not include that button :(

[@ExcelUpNorth]

That’s unfortunate! Which version of Excel are you using?

[@AUSSIESPANIARD]

OFFICE 16

[@ajayverma9087]

Please merge all tables in singles then do this....

[@fjay3643]

Ahhhh i need this ...ty

[@ExcelUpNorth]

You're welcome! Thank you for your comment! 😄

[@sachimak]

WHAT TO DO IN MACBOOK? THERE IS NO OPTION OF PDF

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on MacBooks at this time.

[@bestthingsforless]

thank you!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

You’re most welcome! 😁

[@michaelhead3949]

Did not work on a scanned PDF.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I believe it depends on how the information was scanned. I’ve tried using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) with moderate success but the information can still come through distorted.

[@TyleseYouman]

I've tried on the web version and the desktop version and don't see the "Get Data - From File" option. Advice?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thanks for your comment! The feature is available in Excel 2016 or later as well as Microsoft 365 subscription plans. You may have an earlier version.

[@ShaneSeiber]

Not all heros wear capes!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Your comment is very much appreciated!

[@susanhopkins3068]

T H A N K Y O U !!!!!!!

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Thank you for your comment! I’m glad that you found it helpful! 😁

[@ebenezeresenoghophd8808]

Very copl

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Veronica-wu6uo]

100K VIEWS!! 🎉

[@Dennis07-yl3cf]

well if your pdf file is that simple you’ll have no problem

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Very true! I’ve seen some terribly formatted PDFs before because of the way they were saved.

[@Dennis07-yl3cf]

@@ExcelUpNorth is there any other way for those?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I imagine there would be additional transformations to make in PowerQuery depending on how the PDF data is structured.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

Did you find this video helpful? Let me know what topic you want me to cover in a future video!

[@Veronica-wu6uo]

Hey! Could you cover how to use sparklines? 😁

[@LAinWLA16]

Can I hire you for a conversion project that I am having trouble with?

[@ExcelUpNorth]

@@LAinWLA16 I’m not for hire at the moment but if you could describe to me what is troubling you I could make a video on how to solve it using similar data.

[@matthewlozano4557]

Wizard

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I appreciate the comment! 🙏🙏🙏

[@bennyboy5374]

Nope just came out empty

[@SD-co9xe]

It is giving me gibberish text.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

It’s possible that the data within the PDF isn’t in the best format. These can be a bit finicky.

[@johnsmith100]

The background music is redundant and annoying. You are doing videos about IT. Remove the music.

[@ExcelUpNorth]

I appreciate the comment and I agree. The music has been removed from my most recent videos.