How to scan a document in Excel

Microsoft Excel is, without a doubt, 1 of nan astir powerful and influential pieces of package ever released, crossed a immense scope of industries and professions. But really do you scan successful a archive and input that data?

While we would emotion nan expertise to upload a PDF straight into Excel and person nan package break down captious information to input, that sadly is not nan lawsuit correct now – though pinch Microsoft's AI Copilots, possibly it will hap successful nan future.

Today we'll spell done a mates of methods to scan a archive into Excel and get to activity connected nan information contained wrong it, including utilizing Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft OneDrive, and Microsoft Lens.

Tools and requirements

• A scanner
• Microsoft Excel
• Adobe Scan aliases Microsoft Lens
• A PDF aliases different document

Steps for really to scan a archive successful Excel

• Scan your beingness archive OR unfastened nan archive
• Use an OCR app for illustration Adobe Scan aliases Lens to get nan data
• Convert nan archive into an Excel file
• Open nan archive successful Excel

Step by measurement guide

1. Scan your document

First, you request to scan your document.

If nan archive is beingness (ie, a expanse of paper), past get your scanner and scan nan image into your PC utilizing an app for illustration Windows Scan.

Alternatively, you tin usage 1 of nan best archive scanning apps to scan nan archive via a smartphone camera. After testing, we urge nan free app Adobe Scan (available connected iOS and Android), which has bully export options to PDF. You mightiness suffer a spot of value compared to a beingness scanner, but it's a batch much convenient.

Even much simply, if your archive is already digital, for illustration a PDF, past you tin conscionable skip this step.

2. Use OCR to get nan archive information

Now that you person your archive successful a integer format, you'll request to usage optical characteristic recognition, aliases OCR, to extract nan words and numbers. This measurement fundamentally intends that your machine tin understand nan contents of nan archive without you having to manually re-paste everything.

Adobe Acrobat is simply a bully assets for this. Open your archive successful Acrobat (available connected macOS and Windows), spell to Tools > Scan & OCR > Recognize Text. Once nan matter has been catalogued, spell to Tools > Export PDF and export arsenic an Excel file.

If you for illustration to debar Adobe, Microsoft OneDrive tin besides scan documents and export them arsenic PDFs aliases straight into Excel files.

3. Open successful Excel

Once you person utilized OCR to get nan specifications from your archive and saved nan resulting retired to an Excel-readable format, simply unfastened nan archive successful Excel and get to work.

The package should beryllium smart capable to support your formatting successful tact if you were moving pinch a archive that was already formatted arsenic a spreadsheet, which is beautiful handy.

BONUS: Another measurement utilizing Excel

Microsoft Excel besides has a adjuvant Data from Picture tool, included successful caller updates. While nan results mightiness not beryllium arsenic fluid arsenic utilizing nan supra methods, it's surely a batch quicker.

Open Excel, past unfastened nan image file, usage Windows+Shift+S to prime nan Snipping tool, seizure nan applicable table, minimise nan Photos app, click Data > From Picture and prime nan image, and Excel will past analyse nan image. Click Insert Data doubly and your floor plan will appear.

It's a beautiful useful workaround, though your record needs to beryllium successful an already-readable format, ideally a chart, to activity nan best.

FAQs for scanning documents successful Excel

What is OCR?

OCR stands for optical characteristic recognition, and fundamentally useful to construe matter from a integer record into a machine-ready format. File format for illustration JPEG incorporate text, which is clear to spot pinch nan naked eye, but PCs struggle to construe it.

Saving a archive produced via OCR intends your PC tin easy publication and understand nan numbers, letters, and symbols, and location are plentifulness of apps to thief you, for illustration Adobe Scan and Microsoft Lens.

Which documents activity best?

PDFs activity nan best, arsenic these already incorporate machine-readable information that Excel tin past activity with. There are moreover easy tools to person a PDF to an Excel record for free. JPEG and different image files will request to beryllium made readable utilizing OCR apps for illustration Adobe Scan earlier being imported to Excel.

Does this activity connected macOS, too?

Yes, nan macOS type of Excel has each of nan aforesaid capabilities arsenic nan Windows version, meaning you tin import PDFs and different integer files.

Final thoughts

Being capable to activity pinch different record types and pinch scanned documents is really useful for galore different reasons erstwhile utilizing Excel connected Windows aliases Mac. In this guide, we've suggested immoderate speedy and elemental ways to grip nan astir communal types of files, and we dream they person helped amended your workflow and prevention time.