How to convert a fillable PDF form into Excel?

[Guest]

Hello,

I use a fillable PDF application form a grants program at work, and would like to convert the answers into an excel spreadsheet for easier comparison across applications. Is there a way for me to do this quickly without copying and pasting the information manually?

Please note that the application form has places for long paragraph answers, so not sure if the same approach as converting a PDF data table into excel can be used.

Thank you,

Sarah

[try67]

Do you have Adobe Acrobat, or just the free Reader? It's easily done in the former, not so much in the latter.

[Meenakshi Negi]

Hi Sarah,

As you need to convert the fillable PDF into the Excel file, you can use the Adobe Export PDF service for this.

Refer this help link for more information on this service FAQ | Adobe Export PDF, Document Cloud

You may also check if Export PDF tool works for you or not by using the trial version of Adobe Acrobat DC.

You can install the trial version from here Download Adobe Acrobat free trial | Acrobat Pro DC.

If that suits you, you can purchase the Export PDF subscription.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Meenakshi

[Guest]

Thank you for your response!

I was able to convert a PDF document to Excel using Acrobat Standard 2017, but is there anyway to have it automatically format so that  each field appeared in a separate column?

[jane-e]

Here are the directions if you have Acrobat Pro. As stated, you can't do it with the free Reader where this is posted.

Exporting data from multiple PDFs into one Excel file is not the same thing as exporting PDFs to individual Excel files as per the directions above. Which are you trying to do?

Collecting and managing PDF form data, Adobe Acrobat

For the long paragraph, select the column in Excel and format it to wrap. Also make the column wider.

Acrobat will give the file a default name and will save it in .csv, which does not store formatting, so save it in Excel (with a different name) so you can keep the formatting.

[Guest]

Thank you for your response!

Ideally I would like to take the information from multiple PDFs and put the information all into 1 Excel sheet. I was able to convert a PDF document to Excel using Acrobat Standard 2017, but the format wasn't what I was hoping for. It would be more useful if each field appeared in a separate column. I looked the instructions page you provided, and I don't see an "Add Completed Form" option, so I assume I don't have the right version of Acrobat to do what I want?

[jane-e · Accepted solution]

1. In Acrobat Pro, you go to Prepare Forms, and then it's a little hidden. You click "More" in the right hand panel to expand it, then you can select "Merge Data Files into Spreadsheet".
   
2. In Edit > Form Options, the command is here:
   
3. This is the next step:
   
4. That's the command you need. If you don't see it in Standard, then you need Pro, and you can get a 7-day trial as mentioned earlier by Meena.
5. If you convert each file to Excel separately, you will have to use Excel's capabilities to combine the information. It will not be as easy or as pleasant as:
   • Merge Data Files into Spreadsheet
   • Select the files to combine
   • Export
   • Save the .csv file in Excel format
   So if you can do in within Acrobat, you will be happier—I promise!

[Guest]

I managed to do it as you suggested and it worked! Thank you very much!

[jane-e]

sarahr13952004  wrote

I looked the instructions page you provided, and I don't see an "Add Completed Form" option, so I assume I don't have the right version of Acrobat to do what I want?

The screen shot was "Merge Exported Files to Spreadsheet". That's the heading you meant to look for!   I apologize that I wasn't clear. Hopefully my new message with screenshots helps.

If the command exists in Standard 2017, it should be the same as I showed. It was in a slightly different place in XI.

[Jacob28109926kndp]

When I follow the steps below with some fillable pdf forms, Adobe says it's exporting the file but then doesn't give a "Done" message. When I try to open the newly created excel file, excel says that another user already has it open. Sometimes resaving the file with a new file name fixes the problem, other times it doesn't. Importantly, if I'm trying to export a batch of pdf forms and a single one of them has this problem, then the export doesn't work and I have to go through and export file by file to find out which one is making the process not work. 

Any advice on how to avoid/troubleshoot this issue?

Thank you!

[Shivam303991621n8r]

We are using this software https://www.pdf-forms-to-excel.com/ which converts multiple pdf forms to excel, it saves a lot of time and converts hundreds of pdf forms to excel at once.

This software for example extracts the filled data like name, mobile no from multiple pdfs and adds it in a column in excel, like the column name and mobile no will contain the name and number from all the pdfs.

It saves a lot of manual work for our team.