OS X

How to Convert PDF to Excel files on the Mac

Ever sat there, staring at the list of numbers on the PDF file in front of you and wishing you could interact with them by changing the file type? This is totally possible – in fact, there are several ways to do it.

Using an online converter

Some kind programmer has created a  completely free-to-use converter on the website www.pdftoexcelonline.com. Here are the steps to convert your files:

Click ‘choose file’ and select the PDF file you wish to convert.

Enter your email address in the box indicated (you can opt out of receiving offers, which is always nice).

Hit ‘convert’!

If you dislike converting via your web browser (say, if you want to convert a batch of PDFs), you can pay for the desktop version of this converter.

Using Adobe Reader

If converting PDF files to Excel is something you need to do often, consider paying a small amount for Adobe’s professional service. Their Reader software, available for free download from their site at http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?platform=macintosh&product=10, offers this functionality for users who pay an annual subscription fee of £15.62.

If you’ve decided to take this route, it becomes very simple to carry out the file conversion:

From the menu bar, select ‘file’, then ‘save as’, then ‘Word or Excel online’.

From the bar that appears on the right-hand side of the document, choose the target file type (Excel) and ensure that the correct PDF has been selected.

Make sure you are signed into Adobe’ system, then click ‘convert’.

There you have it – an editable, bona fide Excel file.



About the author

Chris

I've been a passionate evangelist for Apple and the Macintosh throughout my working life, my first love was a Quadra 605 working with a small creative agency in the south of Norfolk UK in the mid 1990's, I later progressed to other roles in other Macintosh dominated industries, first as a Senior graphic designer at a small printing company and then a production manager at Guardian Media Group. As the publishing and printing sector wained I moved into Internet Marketing and in 2006 co-founded blurtit.com which grew to become one the top 200 visited sites in the US (according to Quantcast), at its peak receiving over 15 million visits per month. For the last ten years I have worked as an Affiliate and Consultant to many different business and start ups, my key skill set being online marketing, on page monetisation, landing page optimisation and traffic generation, if you would like to hire me or discuss your current project please reach out to me here.

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