How to Insert PDF into Excel

Insert your PDF files into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets as links or objects, or convert PDF data into Excel using Xodo.

Calling all small business owners, accountants, or anyone who needs to integrate PDF files or specific data into their spreadsheet reports!

Are you looking to embed, insert, or convert PDFs into Excel to streamline your workflow?

In this guide, we'll walk you through three effective methods:

• Embedding a PDF into Excel as an Object
• Inserting a PDF into Excel as a hyperlink
• Converting PDF data into Excel spreadsheets

These methods enable you to attach reference links, refer back to your original document, or extract data directly into Excel, enhancing reporting efficiency.

How to embed a PDF into Excel as an Object

To embed a PDF as an object into your Excel spreadsheet, follow the steps below:

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet.
2. Click on the Insert menu.
3. Click the Object option from the Text section.
4. In the Object window, click on the Create New tab.
5. Select Adobe Acrobat Document from the list of object types.
6. Click on Ok.
7. In the Open dialog, select the PDF you want to insert and click on OK.

Your PDF will open in your default PDF reader and the Excel file can also insert the file, displaying the first page on the spreadsheet. You can scale this image down and double click on it to open your PDF.

Tip: If you don’t want the first page displayed, put a checkmark in the Display as icon box in step 5 above and a PDF icon will be used in Excel instead.

How to Insert a PDF into Excel as a hyperlink

The other way to insert PDF into Excel is to insert it via a hyperlink.

Unlike embedding your PDF, this method links to the source PDF file. Your linked PDF is a live document and any changes you make to it will be reflected.

You can do this in two ways.

Using the Insert Object method

To insert a PDF as a linked object, follow the steps below:

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and click on the Insert menu.
2. Select the Object button from the Text section.
3. In the Object window, click on the Create from file tab and from the list of object types, select Adobe Acrobat Document. Click on OK.
4. In the Open dialog, select the PDF from your computer and click on Insert.
5. Enable the Link to file option. Enable the Display as icon box if you want an icon to represent your file.
6. Click on OK.

When you insert your PDF, it’ll automatically open in your PDF viewer. It will behave like any other object, which means you can move the PDF file to another position. 

Using the Insert Link method

To insert a PDF as hyperlinked text, follow the steps below.

1. In your spreadsheet, highlight the text you want to act as your hyperlink anchor text.
2. Click on the Insert menu and go to the Link button of the Links section.
3. Click on the Link button to select your PDF from your computer through the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
4. In the dialog, customize your hyperlink address and click on OK.

This method doesn’t open the PDF after you insert it, nor does it create a hyperlinked object.

Using the Insert Link method can also make it easier if you have a few PDFs to insert as a hyperlink in Excel.

The methods mentioned above can assist you in embedding and inserting PDF files into Excel.

If you need to convert PDF data into Excel spreadsheets instead, please follow the guide below.

Convert PDF data into Excel using Xodo

Here's how to accurately convert PDF into Excel using Xodo:

1. Navigate to the free online PDF to Excel converter.
2. Upload your PDF file.
3. Choose to convert PDF data into Separate Sheets or Merge tables into one spreadsheet.
4. Click on the Convert button.
5. Download the converted Excel spreadsheet.

Instead of manually copying and pasting data from PDF to Excel, you can use Xodo to do it accurately within seconds. And, you can even batch upload and convert files at once.

Want to try more PDF tools?

Xodo offers over 30 online tools designed to handle advanced tasks beyond PDF to Excel conversion. Whether you need to edit, annotate, merge, or split PDFs, Xodo can handle it all. Try them for free below!