U.S. Department of Commerce


Frequently Asked Questions
Text FAQ #
 



FAQ

How can I export data from a PDF document to my spreadsheet?

Not easily. Full versions of Acrobat have a text selection tool (big T) that allows export of text. In exporting tables, the columns are separated only by spaces, and you can't tell these breaks from spaces that may separate hundreds and thousands without looking back at the PDF. Thus, columns of data exported this way requires tedious cleanup and parsing before data can be used in a spreadsheet. A better approach is to find the same data in American FactFinder or on CD-ROM or DVD and export the data from those sources.
(FAQ77)

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