Microsoft Word is fantastic for writing, but it can be frustrating when it comes to handling numbers, tables, and complex data.
If you’re working on a financial report, analyzing survey results, or organizing project details, Excel is a much better tool.
But what if your data is stuck in a Word document?
Converting your Word file to an Excel spreadsheet can be a game-changer. This isn’t just about moving text; it’s about transforming unstructured data into a format that allows for in-depth analysis and informed decision-making. Excel is great at sorting, filtering, and applying formulas—capabilities that Word doesn’t easily support.
In this blog, you’ll find three different ways to transfer your data from Word to Excel smoothly and efficiently. Let’s start with the most straightforward one.
How to Convert Word to Excel
The simplest method to convert a single Word document to Excel starts in Microsoft Word. By following the next steps, you’ll have your data in Excel in no time.
1. Open your Word document
Start by opening the Word document that contains the data you want to convert.
2. Save the document as plain text (.txt)
Once you’ve opened the correct document, go to the toolbar at the top and click on ‘File’. From the dropdown menu, select ‘Save As’.
In the Save As window, choose a location and enter a file name, such as ‘Top Secret Document for Excel’. Next, change the file type to ‘Plain Text (.txt)’ using the dropdown menu. Click ‘Save’.
You’ll see a ‘File Conversion’ pop-up—just click ‘OK’ to proceed.
3. Open Excel and choose ‘Data’
Next, open Microsoft Excel and select ‘New’ to start a blank workbook. Once the new spreadsheet opens, go to the ‘Data’ tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen. This tab is located between ‘Formulas’ and ‘Review’ and provides options for managing and analyzing your data.
4. Click on ‘From Text/CSV’ and choose your Word document
After clicking on the ‘Data’ tab, find the ‘Get & Transform Data’ section on the far left. Click on ‘From Text/CSV’. This will open the ‘File Explorer’. Select the plain text file you saved from your Word document and click ‘Import’.
5. Adjust how your data is imported
After clicking ‘Import’, a new window will appear allowing you to adjust how your data is imported. You’ll see three tabs: ‘File Origin’, ‘Delimiter’, and ‘Data Type Detection’.
Focus on the ‘Delimiter’ tab, where you can choose the character that separates your data, such as a comma, tab, or space. The default settings usually work fine, but you can adjust them if needed. The other tabs, ‘File Origin’ and ‘Data Type Detection’, generally don’t require changes for a Word document.
6. Click ‘Load’ and save your spreadsheet
After adjusting the settings, click ‘Load’ at the bottom left corner. This will display your Word document’s data in an Excel spreadsheet. If you want to make further changes, you can use the ‘Transform Data’ option.
Once you’re satisfied with the result, save your work by going to the ‘File’ tab and selecting ‘Save As’. Regularly saving your file helps keep your documents organized and up to date.
Free Tools to Convert Word to Excel
If you’d prefer to avoid the hassle of converting a Word document manually, you can use one of the many free online tools available. A few solid options are:
The main advantage of these tools is that they offer more features than just the Word to Excel conversion. For example, they allow you to merge, edit, or unlock documents. Also, they support more document formats, such as PDF, XPS, OXPS, PS, and RTF.
Challenges with Converting Word to Excel
When you convert documents from Word to Excel manually or with free tools, you might encounter several common challenges. Luckily, these issues are manageable and can be resolved easily.
Annoying ads during document conversion
Online conversion tools often come with intrusive pop-up ads that can be annoying and may pose security risks to your computer.
Choose reputable, ad-free conversion tools, or consider investing in a premium tool to avoid ads. Alternatively, using Microsoft Office’s built-in features or other offline methods can help you steer clear of these interruptions.
Compromised file security
Online conversion services might expose sensitive data, as some tools store copies of your files on their servers.
Use tools that prioritize data privacy and ensure your files are deleted after conversion (or never stored). For highly sensitive information, stick to offline conversion methods or use Microsoft Office features to keep your data secure.
Slow document conversion
Converting large Word documents with complex data can be slow, particularly with online tools that process files on remote servers.
Break down large documents into smaller sections to speed up the conversion process. Using powerful, locally installed software can also expedite the process by leveraging your computer’s resources rather than relying on an internet connection and remote servers.
Poor data integrity
Conversion can sometimes result in lost formatting or missing data, especially with complex tables or documents.
Review the converted Excel file carefully to check for accuracy and completeness. Make any necessary adjustments to data and formatting manually. Excel’s built-in data cleaning and formatting tools can help restore the intended structure and clarity of your data.
Difficulties with complex data
Documents with embedded images, hyperlinks, or advanced formatting might not transfer correctly to Excel.
For documents with intricate elements, manually copy and paste specific sections into Excel, or re-add complex elements after conversion. Excel provides features for batch editing or adding hyperlinks, which can simplify this process.
By addressing these potential issues, you can ensure your data remains secure and accurately transferred. However, if you want to convert Word documents to Excel in bulk, value data security, and require accurate data for decision-making, there’s only one solution: document management software.
With document management software like Klippa DocHorizon, your company can ensure smooth, secure, and robust file conversion workflows. How does that work? Just keep on reading!
Convert Word to Excel Automatically with Klippa DocHorizon
Klippa DocHorizon is an Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) platform that enables you to automate all kinds of document workflows, including the conversion of Word documents to Excel. And the best part? You can try it out for free!
Let’s take you through the process step by step.
1. Sign up on the platform
The first thing to do is to sign up for the DocHorizon Platform. Simply fill in your name and email address to get started. You will instantly receive a free credit of €25 to test all the platform’s capabilities.
2. Select your input source
Now you need to determine the source from which the document will be retrieved for processing. This step grants the platform access to the folder where the Word document is stored. Therefore, you need to ensure that all the Word documents that need processing are within this folder. This way, they can be processed in bulk if necessary.
The source can be Google Drive, email attachments, or your organization’s database. For this example, we’ll demonstrate these steps using a Google Drive folder as the input location.
3. Export file
The next step is to export your files from the folder where they are stored to the platform. Triggering this action ensures that every time a new document is added to the folder, it is automatically processed by the flow. You can select the export file component from the drop-down menu.
4: Capture and extract data
Depending on the type of document you are processing, you can select the appropriate option from the drop-down list. In this case, we will be using the generic document capture model, which efficiently reads and captures data with precision.
At this stage, you also need to configure two things. First, select the Output format (which should be XLSX in this case) to determine how you want the output to be returned. Second, configure the XLSX output target (Base64) to specify how the data will be formatted.
5. Save file
In this step, you’ll ensure that the extracted and converted data is saved to the correct destination. Follow these steps:
- Select the “Save File” Action:
- From the list of available actions, choose “Save File” to make sure the processed data is stored in the database.
- Provide the Required Information:
- File Name: Enter the desired file name and append “.xlsx” to ensure the data is exported in the correct format.
- MIME Type: Insert the MIME type for an XLSX file. The correct MIME type is: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet. You can confirm this by searching online if needed.
- Content: Input the data as an XLSX file encoded in base64 format.
- Content Encoding: Set the content encoding to “base64”.
Making these selections ensures your data is saved correctly, formatted for compatibility, and ready for future use without errors.
6. Select your output destination
Once the data is converted, you can now export it directly to your desired destination. This allows you to begin organizing, analyzing, and storing the extracted data efficiently, whether the data is now located in an Excel spreadsheet, Google Drive, SharePoint, ERP, accounting software, or somewhere else.
That’s it! With a few simple steps, you can automate the entire conversion workflow!
How Klippa Can Assist in Document Processing
Klippa DocHorizon offers a powerful document processing platform that enables you to automate virtually any document workflow. By integrating various modules and your preferred applications, you can create an effortless and unique workflow that suits your needs.
With Klippa you benefit from:
- Custom workflows: Create your unique document workflows by simply connecting any of the DocHorizon functionalities: data extraction, capture, classification, conversion, anonymization, verification, and more.
- Wide document support: Process any document in all Latin alphabet languages or customize data fields for extraction for any use cases.
- Many integration capabilities: Easily integrate our solutions through our platform, which supports over 50 data integration options, including cloud solutions, CRM, ERP, and accounting software.
- Best-in-class security & compliance: Stay compliant and secure by default since Klippa is an ISO 27001 & 9001 certified and GDPR-compliant software provider. We don’t store any customer data on our servers.
Ready to find out more about our document processing capabilities? Book a free demo below or contact our experts for any questions you might have!