Are you struggling to convert a PDF containing important data into Google Sheets? Don’t worry, we’ve got three methods to help you easily convert a PDF to Google Sheets. Choose the one that suits you best and follow the step-by-step instructions.
Why can’t I simply copy and paste a PDF into Google Sheets?
Unfortunately, the task is not as simple as copy-pasting. PDF files are designed to display sequential data on a screen, making it difficult to transfer them to other systems that do not have a PDF viewer. To convert a PDF to Google Sheets, your computer needs to extract the data from the instructions within the PDF and convert them into a format that Google Sheets can understand.
Method 1: Using Lido’s built-in PDF to Sheets conversion
Lido is a new spreadsheet tool fully compatible with Google Sheets. It offers two built-in features for converting PDFs to Google Sheets. Here’s how to do it:
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Create or log in to a Lido account and create a new file.
- You can sign up for free at Crawlan.com.
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Go to File -> Import from PDF.
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Import your PDF.
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Delimit the section of the PDF you want to convert to Sheets.
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Your PDF data will now be in your spreadsheet.
Using the formula =EXTRACTABLESFROMPDF() is an alternative method. This will only work if your PDFs are already in a Google Drive folder. This method can be very useful if you have multiple PDFs to convert.
Method 2: Convert PDF files to Google Sheets with Google Docs
This method involves first converting your PDF to Google Docs, and then copying and pasting the document into your Google Sheets. Here’s how to do it:
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In your Google Drive, click on New in the top left corner.
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Click on File Upload, then select your PDF file.
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Open the PDF file.
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Click on Open with, then select Google Docs.
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Copy the table from Google Docs and paste it into your Google Sheets.
Method 3: Converting PDF files to Google Sheets with a PDF to CSV converter
Another method is to convert a PDF file to a format that can be directly imported into Google Sheets, such as Comma Separated Values (CSV) format. Here’s how to do it:
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Use an online converter to convert the PDF file to CSV.
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In Google Sheets, click on File, then Import.
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Drag your CSV file into the box or select a file from your device.
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Specify your import settings, then press Import Data.
Once the CSV file is uploaded, you can easily format the data as you wish without having to manually input it.
Now you have three methods to convert a PDF to Google Sheets. Choose the one that best suits your needs and start taking advantage of Google Sheets to analyze and manage your PDF data.
