Standard converters sometimes struggle with "messy" PDFs that lack clear table borders. In 2026, AI-driven tools have become the preferred choice for complex data extraction.
As the creator of the PDF format, Adobe Acrobat provides arguably the most accurate conversion, especially for multi-page documents.
For users with Microsoft 365, the most reliable "no-software" method is built directly into Excel. This method uses Power Query to identify and extract tables automatically. Open Excel and navigate to the Data tab. Step 2: Click Get Data > From File > From PDF . Step 3: Select your PDF file and click Import .