How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac)

This tutorial shows how to export PDF tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel. We will also look at how to copy and paste tables from Acrobat to Excel.

The export method is best if you want to save the table as a standalone Excel file. The copy and paste method is best if you want to insert the table into an existing Excel file.

Table of Contents

How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac)
How to Copy and Paste PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC Only)

Important Note: Adobe Acrobat doesn’t currently provide a direct way to create tables in PDFs. Instead, you can create tables in another program, such as Microsoft Word, and then convert that file to the PDF format.

Therefore, these steps assume that you are working with a PDF that already has a table created elsewhere.

Watch all the steps shown here in real time!

Explore more than 200 writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Adobe Acrobat Pro. These steps also apply to Adobe Acrobat 2020 and Adobe Acrobat 2017. These steps don’t apply to Adobe’s free PDF display software, Acrobat Reader.

How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac)

Select the Selection tool.

Selection tool in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 1. Selection tool

Click and drag the Selection pointer from one corner of the table to the opposite corner.

Dragging Selection pointer over table in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 2. Dragging Selection pointer over table

Release the pointer when a blue rectangle appears over the entire table.
Right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) the table, and then select Export Selection As from the shortcut menu.

Export Selection As option in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 3. Export Selection As option

Select the location to save the file in the Save As dialog box.

Location menus in the Save As Dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 4. Location menus

Enter a name into the File name text box.

File Name text box in the Save As dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 5. File Name text box

Select Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) from the Save as type menu. (This menu is called Format on Mac.)

Save As Type menu in the Save As dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 6. Save as type menu

Ensure that View Result is selected if you want the table to open in Excel after you complete the export process.

View Result option in the Save As dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 7. View Result option

Select the Save button.

Save button in the Save As dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 8. Save button

A series of information boxes will appear in the bottom, right corner showing the export progress.

Export progress notification in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 9. Export progress notification

If you selected View Results, select the Yes button in the dialog box asking if you want to launch (open) the .xlsx file. (The file will only open if you have Excel installed on your computer.)

Launch file dialog box in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 10. Yes button

The table should open in Excel.

You can now edit the table data in the Excel file as you normally would.

How to Copy and Paste PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC Only)

Select the Selection tool (see figure 1).
Click and drag the Selection pointer from one corner of the table to the opposite corner (see figure 2).
Release the pointer when a blue rectangle appears over the entire table.
Right-click the table, and then select Copy With Formatting from the shortcut menu.

Selection tool shortcut menu Copy With Formatting option in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 12. Copy With Formatting option

Open the Excel file, place your cursor in the spreadsheet cell where you want the table to begin, and then select the Paste button or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V.