How to Convert Word to Excel? 3 Easy Ways
(Note: This guide on how to convert Word to Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)
We all know that Microsoft Excel is the go-to tool for data entry and storing multiple data types. It also helps in the easy retrieval of data. On the other hand, Microsoft Word is also a very efficient tool for documentation.
In Microsoft Word, data can be in the form of tables, notes, texts, and unstructured data. However, there aren’t as many options and functionalities available in Word as there are in Excel.
When your data is in Word, you don’t have to type in all the data onto an Excel sheet. You can easily convert a Word file to Excel or copy the structured table in Word to Excel. In this article, I will tell you how to convert data from Word to Excel in 3 easy ways.
You’ll Learn:
- Export Unstructured Data From Word to Excel
- Convert Structured Data From Word to Excel
- Using Online Converters
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Export Unstructured Data From Word to Excel
When you download data from any databases or copy it from any other sources, the data will not be copied onto your Word document with the same formatting. This data is called unstructured data, and it looks like this.
This type of data can be a little hard to read and ascertain. However, you can convert the data and structure it when you convert them to Excel.
- First, navigate to File.
- Click on Save As.
- In the Save As window to your right, click on More Options or Browse.
- Select the location to save the file and rename the file. From the Save as Type dropdown, select Plain Text.
- Once you click on Save, a new dialog box called File Conversion opens. There is no need to make any additional changes. Click OK.
- This saves the Word file as a .txt file.
Note: Make sure to save your Word document before saving the .docx file as a .txt file.
Once the Word file is saved as a .txt file, we can now import the file to Excel.
- Open an Excel blank workbook. This workbook will have the imported data from Word.
- Navigate to Data. Under the Get & Transform Data section, click on From Text/CSV.
- This opens the Import Data dialog box. Select the file by navigating to the file location and clicking Import.
- This imports the .txt file in Excel and shows you a preview of the data.
Since the delimiter is Tab by default, each character separated by a tab is moved to a new column. This makes the data aligned and structured as per our needs.
- You can also change the delimiter from the dropdown which acts as a cue to separate the text into different columns.
Note: Excel counts the text which appears at the start of the Word document and separates values into columns. In case you have any heading or text before the table, Excel counts the heading into one column and counts all the content of the table into the same column. So, make sure the Word file only contains the data to be converted to a table at the beginning of the document.
- Now, click on Load.
- If you are not satisfied with the formatting of the imported data, click on Transform Data.
- This opens the Power Query editor. Make the necessary changes and click on Close & Load.
- This imports the unstructured data in the Word file to a structured table format in Excel.
Also Read:
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Convert Structured Data From Word to Excel
Suppose the data you have entered or downloaded is structured in a table format and you want to move it from Word to Excel. You can easily copy and paste the data.
- First, select all the data you want to move.
- Right-click on the selected data and click Copy. You can also copy the selected data using the keyboard shortcut keys Ctrl+C.
- Now, navigate to Excel and open the sheet where you want to insert the data.
- Select a destination cell.
- Right-click on the destination cell and select Paste. You can either paste the table in Excel with the source formatting or the destination formatting.
Note: When you use the keyboard shortcut key Ctrl + V, the selected data is copied to Excel as with the source formatting.
Using Online Converters
We saw the built-in ways to convert the contents from a Word file to Excel. But, you can convert them without much difficulty with just a click of a button using online converters.
Remember that before you use online converters, make sure you have a stable internet connection. However, importing both structured and unstructured data doesn’t need any internet connection.
Most of the online converters have the same procedure.
- First, open the online converter URL or use the search engine to find online converters in any web browser.
- Navigate to the correct conversion page i.e. Word to Excel converter (or) .doc to .xlsx.
- Select the file or just drag and drop the file you want to convert.
- Download the converted file.
There are a variety of online converts on the internet to help you convert your Word file to Excel. Here is a list of online converters:
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to convert data from Word to Excel without any change in formatting?
You can easily copy and paste the data using the Paste Special option: Keep Source Formatting.
Can the images in a Word file be converted to Excel?
No, the images are not included when you convert the Word file to a .txt file and then import the data into Excel. However, when you copy and paste the data from a Word document to Excel, the images are added.
How to convert Word to Excel for free?
There are built-in ways such as importing the Word file as a .txt file and copying the data from Word to Excel. If you need another way, there are a variety of online converters which are free of cost to help you convert Word to Excel.
Closing Thoughts
Microsoft Word and MS Excel are two different software with different usages. When the task is more related to tables and lists, Excel is ideal for the job. When the task deals with documentation, Word is the go-to application.
Converting data from a Word document to Excel has its purposes. Having your data in Excel helps you perform calculations, visualize data, and easily automate tasks.
In this article, we saw how to convert Word to Excel in 3 easy ways. Depending on your data structure and purpose, you use the method that suits your needs the best.
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Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!
