Hi I put this message on database forum but no reply up to now. Many times I have converted PDF file to Excel table with saving as text and opening in Excel. I have a table with 7 columns on paper now that got somebody to scan and put it in PDF format. But when I paste the selected text in Notepad it appears in one column and the same in Excel. Any thoughts? Many thanks Megan

A .pdf file is an image file so it is a single item and that is why it appears in an Excel spreadsheet in a single cell. Use a scanner in conjunction with an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) application and then you will have text. WOCAR is free and is pretty good. However, it will only handle text and will not handle frames or columns as in newsprint. To get those items an OCR program runs ~$600 US. HTH Bryan

Thanks Bryan I should add that however it apears in one column but in indivicula cells, instead of 7 columns. I can select the text. Do you still think that OCR can resolve it? Cheers Megan

A PDF is not an image file as you can copy text and individual images from it if the creator of the PDF allows it. The problem is you need to export the text from the PDF as tab deliminated so it can put it into separate columns.

Thanks Kurt As I mentioned in first message I have done what you kindly mentioend for converting PDF to Excel before. But there should be something else I don't know about this one. All the text apears in one column: text in column 2 under column 1,........ Can I put them in 7 columns in Excel if so, would you pelase let me know which command should I use. I found some pdf to excel converter softewares but for this I can't pay and I am loking for a free softewarre or method. Thanks Megan

Not sure if I understand correctly or not. If the data is in 7 cells all in column A and you just want it in Row 1 but in 7 columns then you can select all the data, go to Edit, Copy, click in A1, go to Edit, Paste Special, Transpose and it will do that. Bryan

Hi Bryan The data in original papaers and the PDF file are in 7 columns and 100s rows. The data in converted text are only in one clumn, and 7*100s of single cell rows. Thanks Megan