Most of the data we use in our accounting and finance operations comes to us in some sort of a table. Thankfully, we often receive our input data in a neatly formatted Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel is, after all, designed with finance and accounting professionals in mind and allows for easy and fast data editing and analysis.
However, more often than we would like, we receive our data in tables for further processing and manipulation in a visually appealing and professional-looking PDF. Yes, the PDF is wonderful for presenting information. That is what it is designed for: to make sure that electronic documents look exactly the same on any device running on any operating system. And also to ensure that the information in the documents is not easily tampered with or accidentally revised.
But one thing the PDF is not great for is data manipulation and editing. It is definitely not the most desirable format for sharing numerical and financial information that needs to be processed and reused in financial reports. In spite of this shortcoming, though, many of us too often receive input data in the PDF. And sometimes it is not just an electronically created PDF, but rather its evil twin: a scanned PDF which, in effect, represents the image of tables captured from some hard-copy of a specific report.
The fastest and most professional way to reuse PDF tables and the data within them is to import them into Microsoft Excel. The import of data from PDF to Excel requires a PDF converter to Excel. Reusing information from scanned documents requires either retyping or the use of very advanced technology called OCR (Optical Character Recognition). So, if you handle lots of scanned PDFs, it makes sense to get a PDF converter with OCR.
However, PDF converters can be pricey, especially if they come with OCR. It is generally not the type of tool that a new, just recently founded small business can afford. Thankfully, there are free online PDF to Excel converter tools. However, handling financial information requires a very high level of confidentiality and security. So if you are looking for a free tool to import your PDF tables into Excel, look for the developer that offers maximum safety and security.
How to Convert PDF to Excel Online Free
Taking into account the need to get your PDF tables imported to Excel for free, quickly, accurately and safely as possible, you can make use of PDFtoExcel.com.
This easy to use free PDF to Excel converter online converts all PDFs (regular and scanned) to Excel instantly and offers safe and secure service. Namely, you upload any PDF into the conversion interface and it gets converted to an editable Excel spreadsheet.
All uploaded files and the data within them get deleted from the servers shortly after conversion. The longest the files stay on servers is 6 hours.
The second layer of safety and security is the fact that your uploaded files are only accessed by the tool itself during the conversion process, not humans.
Another advantage is that the tool does not require registration: you will NOT be asked to provide an email address or any other personal information.
The entire process of exporting table information from PDF consists of three simple steps:
- Drag and drop the PDF into the conversion box. You can also upload it from your computer using the UPLOAD button or import the file directly from your go-to to cloud storage: Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.
- Wait until PDFtoExcel.com converts your PDF to Excel.
- Click on the Free Download button to save it on your hard drive.
You can also click on Convert another file to repeat the process and convert one more PDF to Excel. There are no limits to the number of files you can convert for free: you can convert as many as you like by repeating the described process.
PDFtoExcel.com uses advanced OCR and it will automatically recognize and convert your scanned PDF tables as well.
To sum it up, PDFtoExcel.com offers a good deal to a bizz beginner or any bizz with a limited budget for free: a quick and easy way to import your PDF tables to Excel without having to install anything on your computer or provide any contact and other personal information.
