PDF files are convenient to view and share but not so convenient if you want to deal with them on your Mac.
Although the Preview app allows you to do basic edits such as create signature and sign, fill forms, annotate, etc. But if those PDF files contain tables and numbers that you want to copy and use, Preview isn’t that useful.
One solution is: convert those PDFs files into Excel spreadsheets!
That is why many people feel the need to convert PDF files, and are seeking the best PDF converter for Mac. In this article, we review, research, and list the top 15 PDF converters for Mac. 10 Best PDF Converter Tools for macOS (including Mojave) 1. PDFelement One of the best alternatives to Adobe Acrobat is PDFelement. It helps you maximize. Mar 18, 2019 For frequent PDF users, you might know of WPS. With the wide array of tools available, WPS has been able to formulate one of the best PDF to Word converters. With the converter, you get to enjoy the drag and drop simplicity. Similar to some PDF converters, the drag and drop is the best way of converting PDF to docx formats.
In this article, we are going to show you four different methods to convert a PDF into an Excel spreadsheet on Mac. Even if your PDF files are scanned versions that won’t allow direct copy and paste, you can still use some of the methods below to handle the files.
Let’s get started.
Method 1: Online PDF to Excel Converter
Best to use when: you only need to convert a few PDFs, and the files do not contain sensitive business data.
Website: https://www.pdftoexcelonline.com/
Limitations:
How to use: first specify the file types (in this case, it’s “PDF” to “Excel”), then click the “Select your file” button to upload the PDF you want to convert, enter your email address, and hit the “Convert” button. Wait for a few minutes before the file reaches your email inbox.
Method 2: Convert Scanned PDF to Excel with OnlineOCR
Best to use when: your PDF is a scanned image, and it does not contain any sensitive data.
Website: http://www.onlineocr.net/
Limitations:
How to use: upload your scanned PDF file, specify the language and output format, in this case, choose “Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)”. Click the “Convert” button to continue. Soon the converted Excel file will be available to download.
Method 3: Desktop Mac PDF to Excel Converter App
Our team uses PDFelement and recommends this app because it’s more than just a PDF converter, but an all-in-one PDF editing solution that allows you to edit pretty much any attribute of the file such as text, graphics, digital signatures, and many more.
This app is not free, but it offers a trial that you can evaluate its features.
Best to use when: you need to convert PDF files with many pages. Also, the content of your PDFs contains business confidential or private data.
How to use:
Method 4: Adobe Acrobat Pro
Best to use when: you not only need to convert PDF to Excel but also have many other needs such as editing, creating and securing PDFs.
How to use: After installing Acrobat on your Mac. Open it, set the option to be “Export PDF”, click “Add Files to Export”, specify the output format to be “Microsoft Excel Document (.xlsx)”, then click the blue “Export to Excel” button. Next, you’ll be forwarded to the Adobe price/plan page.
These are the four ways to convert PDF to Excel on Mac. Are there any other alternatives? Sure. But these are the ones that we have used personally and they work well. If you happen to discover another good solution, feel free to let us know in the comment.
Chris is a lifelong tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests including coding, data analysis, traveling, and more. He used to work as a software programmer immersing himself in the world of codes, now he finds it more interesting talking to real people.
If you are looking for the best PDF converter for Mac, here’s the place for you. We’re going to have a quick roundup review of the free and paid options available in the market that are actually worth your time trying.
The best PDF converters are not free, they shouldn’t! Hundreds of hours are spent by a team of computer developers to make the products available, they deserve to get paid for their work.
If your goal is not only to convert a PDF file but to make it editable, you might be interested in this Mac PDF editor review we recently put together.
Online vs. Desktop PDF Converters
PDF files are easy and convenient to share and view across almost any computers and mobile devices; they are however not so easy to deal with when it comes to adding a header, splitting pages, editing the texts, or extracting graphs, etc. Because they are basically images and do not offer much flexibility for making changes. That’s why you need a PDF converter tool that comes in handy when you need to make sophisticated tweaks.
If you use a Mac computer and need to handle PDFs on a regular basis, there are usually two ways to convert a “stubborn” PDF file to another type of document that’s edit-friendly.
Online Conversion Services: a quick search on Google returns a lot of results. Most of those services basically do the same thing: you upload your PDF files to a cloud server, they’ll automatically convert the files for you and return your desired output file formats available to be downloaded. You then download them and make the changes as you want.
This option is fast and convenient, but it’s without drawbacks. First, this method tends to be less secure if your PDFs contain sensitive or confidential information; Second, the quality of output documents are less accurate (sometimes the formatting just gets messed up). Moreover, most services don’t support batch conversion. That means, be prepared to wait longer if you have dozens of PDFs to be converted.
Mac PDF Converter Software: If you only need to make small tweaks to a PDF file such as additional pages, merge PDFs, etc., the built-in Preview app in macOS should be enough to handle that.
If you need to convert PDFs to other formats such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint for a broader range of reuses. Then professional desktop software like Adobe Acrobat Pro and the ones we recommend below are a better option. We don’t have much love for Acrobat because it has too many features that you may never use, and the software is over-priced.
PDF Converter Software for Mac: What to Look for?
Here’s a list of factors we take into consideration when evaluating and selecting the best app.
Security: Any apps you download on your Mac should be 100% clean and malware-free. We use Malwarebytes to scan each program to see if it contains any virus or malicious processes.
Output Options: A good PDF converter software should meet your basic and advanced needs and be able to convert your PDF files into commonly used file formats such as images, text/RTF, Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Besides, the quality of output files should be high and ideally keep all original formattings doesn’t matter how complex the document is.
OCR Support: Optical Character Recognition, is a technology that can convert a scanned PDF image into computer recognizable text elements. the best Mac PDF converter integrates OCR will save you a huge amount of time when it comes to dealing with scanned PDF files.
Batch/partial Conversion: Batch processing option saves you time and effort if you want to convert multiple files; Partial conversion mode offers more flexibility as it allows you to convert specific pages only. This is especially helpful when you are dealing with a large document that has hundreds of pages.
Converting Speed: Depending on how many PDFs you’d like to convert, the app you choose should be relatively fast in processing the tasks, so you don’t wait too long.
Ease of Use: Working with PDFs is hard. The tool you choose should offer a friendly and clean interface with features and instructions displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, so you can finish your work more efficiently.
macOS Compatibility: The software you choose should also be compatible with the latest macOS e.g. 10.15 Catalina and popular older versions like Mojave and High Sierra.
Best PDF Converter for Mac: Our Picks for 20201. PDFelement
PDFelement allows you to convert your PDF files to all the expected Microsoft document formats, including Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It can also convert EPUB eBooks, images, and HTML web pages. With the ability to handle over 50 conversions at a time, the batch processing option will increase productivity while saving you time. If you don’t need to convert an entire document, you can use the partial conversion option for sections you’ve selected. To keep your PDF from looking different in the output file, this software preserves the original fonts, layouts, formatting, and hyperlinks. You can customize your output file so it looks exactly as you intended. You can also prevent your files from being edited or printed using password protection.
2. PDF Expert for Mac
PDF Expert comes with extensive tools for highlighting and annotating your documents. You are able to add useful text and shapes to your document. Other useful features include the ability to create PDF outlines, redact documents, sign and merge PDFs, and fill out PDF forms. This software may prove a suitable alternative to Adobe Acrobat for Mac users, as it is more affordable and contains a similar variety of tools.
3. Aiseesoft Mac PDF Converter Ultimate
Aiseesoft Mac PDF Converter UItimate comes with OCR technology to help you convert image-based PDFs to most expected document formats such as Word, Excel, Text, EPUB, and HTML. You can also convert PDF files into the most commonly used image file formats. To customize the output settings, you can adjust the image size, color, pixel size, and other items. During PDF conversion, this software can preserve all of the original elements you might require, including links, layouts, tables, columns, and graphics. You can also process batch conversions for several PDF files at once.
4. Nuance PDF ConverterAs a complete PDF solution for Mac, Nuance PDF Converter provides all of the tools you might need to create, edit, and convert PDF files. Included is OmniPage OCR technology which allows you to turn PDF files into editable documents, preserving columns, tables, graphics, and text. There are also several collaboration features that can help you and your group complete projects, like the ability to highlight relevant sections and add sticky notes. You can easily assemble documents by dragging and dropping them into place. To maintain confidentiality, Nuance PDF Converter allows you to edit and delete sensitive information. You also have the option to black out text instead of removing it entirely. With the ability to access cloud-based storage, as well as connect to Evernote, you’re able to make PDF modifications from your mobile device. 5. Foxit PDF ConverterCatering to the needs of businesses as well as personal users, Foxit PDF Converter provides an intuitive user interface along with an extensive set of PDF editing tools, including security tools and other applications. Along with the ability to collaborate and share, you can secure files, share them, and sign PDF forms. Not only can you convert PDF files into popular document formats such as Word or Excel, but there is also support for multiple languages, making it ideal for your international business. Foxit PDF Converter comes with ConnectedPDF functionality, which means that you share a PDF document with others, you can monitor and manage all activities pertaining to it. Track who opened the file and where. By integrating cloud services such as OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive, you and your team can work together on documents, get faster feedback, and become more productive.
Andreas is a freelance tech writer based in California. He works on a Mac in the office and lives with a PC and many old computer electronics at home. While he is not reading or writing, you’ll probably find him playing online games with friends.
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