• While many documents are saved and sent in the PDF file format, not all computers have PDF editing capability. PDF, which stands for portable document format, is a well-known format in the Adobe Systems software family. If a PDF consists of tables of information, and that information needs to be changed, it can be converted into a Microsoft Excel document to be made more accessible for editing. Multiple programs or services are available that can complete this conversion.
  
  

Adobe Acrobat

• If you own the Adobe editing program Adobe Acrobat, you can use it to export tables of information into Microsoft Excel. Two tools that can work with this conversion are accessible from the main toolbar of the program---the Column Select Tool and the Table/Formatted Text Select Tool. Use the Column tool if you only want one column of data and the Table tool if you want the entire table. Select the table then save it as a TXT file. Open Excel and open the TXT file. If original formatting is not preserved after the conversion, you can use Adobe Distiller, which comes with the Acrobat suite, to distill the PDF before retrieving the data.
  
  

PDF to Excel Online

• The website PDF to Excel Online performs a basic PDF to Excel conversion for free. Upload the PDF file to the site and fill in an email that you would like to have your file sent to. The conversion service claims to use an intelligent conversion process that discards all information that is not in tables to preserve the look and feel of a simple Excel document. The service also matches font styles and table appearance when possible.
  
  

Able2Extract

• Able2Extract is a program that not only converts PDF files to Excel documents but to a host of others as well. The program, which is available as a free trial, converts PDFs to PowerPoint, Word, HTML and TXT documents. The program allows you to select the specific data in the file that you wish to be converted, and with one click it converts the data into the desired file type.
  
  

Nuance

• Nuance is a fully featured PDF reader and converter that has a premium edition but no expiration on its free edition. Nuance lets you convert PDF files to Excel, RTF, Word and WordPerfect using its optical character recognition technology. The program is compatible with Adobe Acrobat and has several safety features. The free edition is available at the Nuance website.
  
  

Desk UnPDF

• Desk UnPDF is available for PC and Mac and has a free trial version and a premium edition. The program converts PDF files to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, HTML and several other types. Desk UnPDF claims to have near perfect conversions with its Accu-Text technology. To run the program for the conversion, simply drag and drop the Excel file onto the program's icon. The program is available for download at the Docudesk site.