Northwestern University Library

Government Publications and Maps Department

Social Science Data Services (SSDS)

September 2002

Guide to Importing a table into Excel from

a PDF or HTML document

I. Saving a table from PDF format and Importing into Excel 1

II. Saving a table from an HTML document and Importing into Excel 3

I. Saving a table from PDF format and Importing into Excel

(Adapted from: http://www.library.mcgill.ca/edrs/services/publications/howto/PDFtoXLS/PDFtoExcel.html)
Adobe Acrobat 5.0 full version should be installed in order to save a table from a PDF file. The Adobe
Acrobat Reader does not allow editing and therefore saving a table. The Adobe Acrobat 5.0 full
version is available in either the Government Publications and Maps Department or in most computer labs on
campus.

Saving a table from PDF Format

Step 1: Save the PDF file from the web site by Right Clicking and choosing Save Link As… from the
dropdown menu. Save the file to a location where it can easily be retrieved later.

Step 2: Open the PDF file from the saved location in Adobe Acrobat 5.0 full version.

Step 3: On the toolbar locate and select the Table/Formatted Text Select Tool (as shown below).

Step 4: Use the Text Select Tool to highlight the table by dragging a box around the perimeter (as shown
below). Save the table by Right Clicking in the box and choosing Save As…
IMPORTANT: Make sure that Table from the dropdown menu is checked (as shown below).
Step 5: Save the file as a text file by choosing Save as type: ANSI Text (*.txt). Save the file to a
location where it can be easily retrieved later.

Importing the table into Excel

Step 6: In Excel open the text file that was just saved from Adobe Acrobat 5.0. The Text Import
Wizard will appear. Choose either Delimited (recommended) or Fixed Width. The Start import at row:
should be set to 1 and the File Origin: should be Windows (ANSI). After choosing these settings select
Next >.

Step 7: Check the appropriate delimiter, such as Tab, that works best with the table layout. Scroll through
Data Preview in the bottom portion of the Wizard to look at the layout. Then choose Next >.

Step 8. Adjust the Column data format if appropriate. Select Finish.

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 Step 9: The table will open in Excel. To save as an Excel file simply choose File/Save or Save As… and
choose Save as type: Microsoft Excel Workbook.

II. Saving a table from an HTML document and Importing into Excel
Step 1: Save the HTML file as a text file by choosing File/Save As… from the main toolbar.

Step 2: Save the file as a text file by choosing Save as type: Text File (*.txt) to a location where it can be
easily retrieved later.

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Importing the Table into Excel

Step 3: In Excel open the Text file that was saved from the Web. The Text Import Wizard will appear and
select either Delimited (Recommended) or Fixed width. Start import at row: 1 (if the table begins at the
first row), File origin: Windows (ANSI). Select Next >.

Step 4: Choose the Delimiter that is appropriate for the table layout -checking Other and entering “| “will work

with this table. Preview the Delimiter by scrolling through the Data preview. In this instance “|” separates
each column of data. After choosing the Delimiter select Next >.

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Step 5: Adjust the Column data format if appropriate. Select Finish.

Step 6: The table will open in Excel. To save as an Excel file simply save and choose File/Save As… and
choose Save as type: Microsoft Excel Workbook.