Can you convert scanned images to Excel?

By Richard Krick

Updated September 28, 2017

Items you will need

• Microsoft Word software

• Microsoft Excel software

• Optical character recognition (OCR) program such as Microsoft Document Imaging

Converting a scanned document into an Excel document is a fairly straightforward process that can be done in three general steps. First, scan the document in. Second, use an Optical Character Recognition software package (OCR) to convert it to text. Then use Excel's own Text to Excel wizard to bring the information into Excel.

Under Microsoft Office Tools on your Programs menu, open up "Microsoft Office Document Imaging," then open your file. The computer should automatically recognize it, but if not, click the toolbar option labeled "Recognize Text Using OCR". Click the "Export to Word" button.

Name the file using the "Save As" function and pick the file format labeled "plain text" (.txt) from the drop down box. Once you hit "save", a dialog box will open to give you several options. Be sure to mark the "Page Break" option, or Microsoft Word will save the text all on one line. Once done, click Save and then close out of Microsoft Word.

Open up the file in Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel has several programs designed to assist users in tasks, called a Wizard. The conversion wizard should automatically launch in any recent version of Excel. Follow the wizard's steps. It is often best to pick "delimited", which is the default. "Delimited" means that the columns of data are separated by some means, such as commas, spaces, or other similar methods. Excel provides a number of options.

Pick the deliminator, which is what separates the columns of data from one another, in Step 2 of the Wizard. If using the Microsoft-provided converter, the choice is probably 'space'.

Specify the formatting of the columns in Excel in Step 3 of the Wizard. Select the column that does not need to be in the default or general format, and change it in the column data format box, which is in the upper right hand corner of the Wizard. When done, hit finish. At the end, the data should be in Excel and ready for use.

Warnings

Optical character recognition is not foolproof. Therefore, double check the original document vs. the Word copy prior to saving as a text document.

Step away from the keyboard, and pick up your phone. A Microsoft tool for Android phones and iPhones ($290 at eBay) can convert words and numbers on a sheet of paper into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in a couple of seconds. With Excel's Insert Data from Picture tool, you can snap a photo of data in rows and columns on a piece of paper, and the iOS and Android Excel app will automatically convert the image into editable table data.

The spreadsheet conversion tool sends the image to Excel's online image-recognition engine to process and convert the words and numbers into a table. And it can convert nearly two dozen languages. During the import, Excel gives you a chance to fix anything before it's converted.

Excel for Android and iPhone is part of Microsoft's collection of Office apps for mobile devices that includes Word and PowerPoint. The free versions of the mobile productivity apps give you basic editing tools. With a Microsoft Office subscription, you can unlock more features, such as the ability to collaborate with colleagues.

Read more at TechRepublic: 56 Excel tips every user should master

To turn phone photos into Excel table data:

1. In the Excel app, tap the New button at the top of the app to create a new file. You can choose to create a blank workbook or use one of the templates that come with the app.

2. At the bottom of the app, tap the Data from Picture button (it's the 3x3 grid with a camera). If this is your first time using the tool, tap Allow to give Microsoft permission to convert the image to data using Microsoft's online service.

3. Position the red rectangle around the data you want to capture, and then tap the round Capture button. The app is a little finicky about what it does and doesn't identify as data, so it may take you a few tries to capture what you want.

Now playing: Watch this: Turn a photo of data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

2:37

4. If you are happy with the captured image, tap the red check button to convert the data. If you're not, tap the X and start again.

5. In a preview of the captured data, tap a red-highlighted cell and then tap Edit to enter missing information. Tap Done after each change. You can also tap unhighlighted cells to make corrections or changes.

6. Once you are happy with the data, tap Insert at the top to place the data in your workbook.

The data you capture and convert can be numbers and words and can include lists and recipe ingredients. And while the app was remarkably accurate converting data from a piece of paper, we also got it to collect data from a laptop screen. It did struggle with our hand-written data, however.

The Insert Data from Picture tool for Android and iOS can work with 21 languages, including French, German and Spanish, with more languages to come, Microsoft said.

Sending spreadsheet data to Microsoft for processing can bring up privacy concerns. 

"The privacy and security of Microsoft's customers' data are of the utmost importance to the company," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "Intelligence features within Office apps strictly respect the access rights given to a user, and will not expose information to anyone who has not been given access."

Can you convert a scan to Excel?

How do I convert a scanned JPEG to Excel?

How do I convert an image to Excel?

Can Excel pull data from an image?