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How to turn a PDF table or bank statement into Excel

Copying a table out of a PDF usually gives one long column of mixed text. A converter that understands rows and columns saves hours, but only if the PDF is the right kind and you check the result. Here is how to get a clean spreadsheet.

Updated 2 min read

First, check that the PDF has real text

Try to select a number in the PDF with your cursor. If it highlights, the PDF holds real text and can be converted. If you cannot select anything, the pages are pictures of paper. PDF to Excel can read them with OCR first, but the figures need checking against the original, so download the statement again from net banking if you can.

A statement that asks for a password is still a real PDF. Remove the password first with Unlock PDF.

Convert it

  1. Add the PDF to PDF to Excel.
  2. Choose Excel (.xlsx) for numbers, a bold header and sized columns, or CSV for plain text.
  3. Leave "Join tables that carry on from page to page" selected for a statement. The header that repeats on each page is dropped, so you get one sheet.
  4. Convert, then look at the rows shown under the result.

What happens to the numbers

Amounts such as 1,250.50 and (500.00) become real numbers, so you can sort, filter and total them. Account numbers, phone numbers, PIN codes and anything with a leading zero stay as text, because Excel would otherwise drop digits or leading zeros. Dates stay as text too, since the same date means a different day in different countries.

An amount followed by Cr or Dr stays as text, because the sign is not certain. A formula such as an IF on the last letters can turn those into positive and negative numbers.

Check before you rely on it

  • Compare the first and last rows with the PDF.
  • Add up a column and compare it with the total printed in the statement.
  • Look for a row that has split in two. A line that wrapped inside a cell in the PDF can become two rows.
  • Check that merged cells, such as a heading that spans three columns, landed where you expect.

Privacy

A bank statement is exactly the kind of file you should not upload to a stranger's server. The conversion runs in your browser, so the PDF stays on your device.

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