How to Convert Excel to Word in Seconds: Stop Copy-Pasting!

You often have a long list of data in a Word file that you need to analyze and sort in Excel but don’t have the time to copy/paste it manually.

So, you may want to quickly take your unstructured text, such as lists or tables, in a DOCX file and turn it into a functional spreadsheet.

To help you with this, we’ll explore the step-by-step instructions on how to convert Word to Excel with minimal effort.

Part 1. How To Convert Word to Excel - Afirstsoft PDF

You can convert Word to Excel using two methods. The first one is a bit tricky, but the second makes your life easier as a nomad user. Let’s discuss these below:

1. Manually Converting With Word

Microsoft Word does not offer built-in tools for converting Word to Excel format, but there is a workaround:

  1. First, open the document in Word that you want to convert to Excel.
  2. Now, click File (top left corner).
  3. Here, select Export.
  4. Choose Change File Type, and select Plain Text from the given options.
saving Word file as plain text in Microsoft Word
  1. Save the text file.
  2. Then open Excel, click the Data tab, select “From Text” from the top menu, and this will let you browse to the text file you just converted to open it.
  3. In the pop-up, make sure the Delimiter option is checked and choose Load or Load To.
  4. Otherwise, choose Transform.
converting Word to Excel in Microsoft Excel

You’ll now have all the data in your Excel sheet, but you may need to edit it manually to make sure all of it comes under respective fields.

2. Using Afirstsoft PDF Converter Tool

If you don’t have the time to put in the manual effort that is needed to convert to Word to Excel, Afirstsoft PDF can easily resolve your issue within minutes.

How you can convert a Word document to Excel? The whole process only requires you to do three steps using Afirstsoft PDF:

Step 1. Download & Install Afirstsoft PDF

First, visit the Afirstsoft PDF website and download (Windows or Mac) the software on your PC. Now click the downloaded file and allow the necessary permission to install it. Next, open the tool, and sign into your Afirstsoft PDF account ot make a new one.

Step 2. Create PDF from Word

In the second step, there is a Tools option showing at the left pane of the Afirstsoft PDF dashboard; click it and select Create PDF.

importing Word file to Afirstsoft PDF

Now, the Explorer menu will automatically open to let you browse to the location of the Word file. Select it to import it in the Afirstsoft dashboard as a PDF file.

Step 3. Convert PDF to Excel

In the next step, you can convert Word file to Excel in two ways.

The first one is to click the Convert option at the top of the Afirstsoft PDF menu and select “To Excel.” Make sure the Output Format is set to Excel, then select the location you want to save it next to the Output folder option and click Convert. The file will then be saved in your desired location with the .xlsx parameters.

converting Word file to Excel in Afirstsoft PDF

If you want to convert a lot of Word files to Excel, simply create PDFs from them to save them on Afirstsoft PDF, select Batch Convert from the top right menu, select the files again, and click Convert.

converting Word files to Excel in batch on Afirstsoft PDF

The second option is to click the File option on the top left of the Afirstsoft PDF dashboard, click the Export option, select Excel, and follow the same steps above to save it as .xlsx format on your device.

exporting Word as Excel from Afirstsoft PDF

Before changing the file to Excel, you can edit, annotate, or add stickers to the converted PDF from Word.

Part 2. How To Convert Excel to Word - Afirstsoft PDF

Afirstsoft PDF not only converts Word to PDF and then to Excel but can also do it the other way around. Here’s how:

To convert Excel to Word, do these steps on Afirstsoft PDF:

  1. Install the Afirstsoft PDF app on your PC, click to launch it, and log in to your account.
  2. Next, Click Tools and then Create PDF to go to your Excel file location, and click to open it on the Afirstsoft PDF dashboard as a PDF.
  3. After doing the necessary PDF editing (if needed), click the Convert option at the top.
  4. Select “To Word,” choose your desired location, and your PDF will save as a Word file on your device.
  5. You can also convert by clicking File at the top and selecting Export > Word.
exporting Excel as Word from Afirstsoft PDF

The Batch Convert option in the Afirstsoft PDF Excel to Word converter helps you change multiple files to .xlsx instantly. That’s quite easy, isn’t it?

Part 3. Excel to Word and Word to Excel Converter Online

Another way to convert Excel to Word and vice versa is to visit an online conversion tool like Smallpdf, online2PDF, and others. Simply open up your browser, go to the website of either of these online tools, upload your file and click Convert. Wait for the conversion process to complete, and download the converted Word or Excel file to your device.

Part 4. Reasons for Converting Excel to Word or Word to Excel

Situations often arise where data from one program needs to be integrated into the other for many reasons.

Here are the common reasons for converting Word to Excel or Excel to Word:

Data Structuring and Organization

Sometimes, data in an Excel sheet needs to be embedded into a Word document to create a report, proposal, or analysis. Converting Excel to Word helps structure numerical data within the text to provide context and explanations for clarity.

When data is unstructured in Word, such as in lists or tables, Excel provides columns, rows, and formulas that organize information better.

Data Manipulation and Analysis

After analyzing large datasets in Excel, the results are often shared in formal documents. Converting an Excel summary into Word allows you to present both the findings and their interpretations in a narrative format.

In contrast,data presented in Word may need to be analyzed further. By converting Word tables or lists into Excel, you can use Excel’s formulas, pivot tables, and charts for in-depth modification.

Improved Reporting and Presentations

Reports often require detailed text along with statistical analysis. Excel is excellent for number crunching, but Word is better for creating professional reports and presentations. Converting Excel data into Word ensures that numerical analysis is complemented by narrative explanations.

Sometimes, reports or documents created in Word contain tabular data that needs to be calculated or analyzed. Moving this data into Excel enables further analysis using formulas, automating calculations, and generating graphs.

Time-Saving and Automation

When working with large files, manually transferring data from Excel to Word is time-consuming and prone to errors. Converting the files ensures accuracy and saves time, especially when dealing with recurring reports or presentations.

On the flip side, converting lists, tables, or data-heavy sections from Word to Excel can save time, particularly if calculations or advanced sorting is required. This is particularly useful for inventory lists, research data, or any scenario where you need to apply formulas.

Collaboration Across Teams

In collaborative environments, one team might handle data analysis in Excel, while another focuses on reporting and document creation in Word. Converting between the two allows for seamless collaboration and communication between different departments or team members.

In cases where unstructured text in Word needs to be analyzed or processed by teams that rely on Excel, converting the document saves time and ensures the data is in the correct format for further use.

Part 5. Conclusion

In this guide, you’ve learned how to convert Excel to Word and Word to Excel manually using the Afirstsoft PDF editor.

The process is quite complicated when you opt for a manual method, but Afirstsoft PDF lets you easily complete this task quickly. We recommend installing it on your computer and register to unlock all the features.

John Smith

Editor-in-Chief

With 10 years of experience in the office industry, John Smith is a tech enthusiast and seasoned copywriter. He likes sharing insightful product reviews, comparisons, and etc.

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