Why “scanned PDF to Excel” needs OCR first
Most “PDF to Excel” tools work best when your PDF has selectable text. If your PDF is a scan, it’s basically a picture—OCR is what turns that picture into editable characters.
My PDF is a scan — Excel converter doesn’t pick up tables
Scanned PDFs are images. Without OCR, there’s no real text/table structure to convert. OCR recognizes the characters first, then Excel conversion works much better.
I need the numbers in cells (not a screenshot)
OCR helps convert the scan into real text so Excel can place numbers into editable cells. Complex tables may still need cleanup after conversion.
My file is long and hits the cap
OCR is capped to the first 500 pages for speed. Split the PDF to keep only the pages that contain the tables you need.
Reality check (no fluff)
OCR improves extractability, but Excel output is not always perfect—especially on complex tables, skewed scans, and multi-column statements. Expect to verify and clean up in Excel.
Fastest workflow (500-page OCR cap): split → OCR → Excel
If your PDF is long, don’t waste OCR on irrelevant pages. Extract only the pages containing tables, OCR that smaller file, then convert to Excel.
Split pages first
Use Split PDF to keep only the pages you need under the OCR cap.
Compress huge scans
If upload is slow, run Compress PDF to reduce size before OCR.
How to convert scanned PDF to Excel (OCR) — 2-step method
1) OCR the scanned PDF (create a text layer)
Upload your scanned PDF above. If it’s longer than 500 pages, split it and OCR only the pages with tables.
2) Select the correct language (recommended)
Choosing the right language improves OCR accuracy (especially accents and similar-looking characters).
3) Convert the OCR’d PDF to Excel (XLSX)
Convert the searchable PDF using PDF to Excel, then verify and clean up cells in Excel if needed.
Popular scanned PDF → Excel use cases
Invoices to Excel
Extract line items, totals, and tax amounts into editable spreadsheet cells.
Bank statements
Pull transactions into Excel to categorize, filter, and analyze faster.
Tables & reports
Convert scanned tables into cells for sorting, formulas, and charts.
Need plain text instead? Use PDF to Text. Need a searchable PDF? Use Make PDF Searchable.
Security & privacy
OCR requires processing your document to recognize text. If you’re testing, use sample PDFs or redact sensitive data. Review policies for retention/deletion details.
FAQs
How do I convert a scanned PDF to Excel (OCR)?
Use the OCR-first workflow: (1) OCR the scanned PDF to create a searchable text layer, then (2) convert the OCR’d PDF to Excel (XLSX). This is the fastest way to avoid manual retyping.
Why can’t I convert scanned PDF to Excel directly?
Because scanned PDFs are images. Excel converters need real text to extract tables and numbers. OCR converts the image into text first.
Will the Excel file keep the same table formatting?
Simple tables often extract well, but complex layouts (merged cells, multi-column pages, borders-as-images) may require cleanup in Excel after conversion.
Is there a page limit?
Yes — OCR is capped to the first 500 pages for fast processing. If your PDF is longer, split the PDF and OCR only the pages that matter.
Do I need to choose a language?
It’s optional but recommended. Selecting the correct language improves OCR accuracy—especially for French/Spanish/Portuguese accents and similar-looking letters.
What if I only need the text (not XLSX)?
If you just need plain text, use PDF to Text. If you need a searchable PDF, use OCR PDF or Make PDF Searchable.
Related tools
Build the fastest “scan → editable” workflow using these tools:
Convert scanned PDF tables to Excel now
OCR first (text layer), then convert to Excel (XLSX). If your file is long, split pages first to stay under the OCR cap.
Upload Scanned PDF