Want to import a PDF bank statement into Excel for analysis or accounting? This guide shows you the best methods to convert bank statement PDFs to Excel-compatible formats.
Quick Answer
Excel cannot directly open PDF files. You have two options:
- 1. Convert to CSV first (recommended) – CSV files open automatically in Excel
- 2. Use Excel's PDF import (Excel 2019+ only) – Often produces messy results
CSV vs Excel: What's the Difference?
Many people search for "PDF to Excel" but actually mean "PDF to CSV" because:
CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
- ✅ Opens automatically in Excel
- ✅ Universal format (works in all spreadsheet apps)
- ✅ Simpler and more reliable
- ✅ Perfect for bank transactions
Excel (.xlsx)
- • Can contain formulas and formatting
- • Multiple sheets per file
- • Charts and pivot tables
- • Proprietary Microsoft format
💡 Pro Tip: When someone says "I want my bank statement in Excel," they usually mean they want to analyze data in Excel – which CSV does perfectly! CSV opens in Excel just like an .xlsx file.
Method 1: Automatic Conversion (Recommended)
Convert PDF → CSV → Open in Excel
Upload PDF to KontoCSV
Go to kontocsv.de and upload your bank statement PDF.
Automatic Processing (30 seconds)
AI automatically extracts:
- • Transaction dates
- • Descriptions/merchant names
- • Amounts (debits and credits)
- • Account balance
Download CSV
Get perfectly formatted CSV file, ready for Excel.
Open in Excel
Double-click the CSV file → Opens automatically in Excel!
Or: Right-click → Open with → Microsoft Excel
✅ Advantages:
Method 2: Excel's Built-in PDF Import
Microsoft Excel 2019, Excel 2021, and Microsoft 365 have a built-in PDF import feature:
- 1. Open Excel → Data tab
- 2. Click Get Data → From File → From PDF
- 3. Select your bank statement PDF
- 4. Excel shows tables it found → Select the transactions table
- 5. Click Load
Limitations
- • Only works in Excel 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365 (not in older versions)
- • Often produces messy results (merged cells, wrong columns)
- • Requires manual cleanup in 80% of cases
- • Doesn't work with scanned PDFs
- • Can't recognize which table contains transactions vs headers
✅ When to use this method:
• You already have Excel 2019+ installed
• You only need to convert 1-2 statements (not worth signing up for a service)
• You're comfortable with manual data cleanup
Method 3: Manual Copy-Paste
For simple statements with few transactions, you can manually copy data:
- 1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat or browser
- 2. Select transaction data (click and drag)
- 3. Copy (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C)
- 4. Paste into Excel (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)
- 5. Use Data → Text to Columns to separate data
Why this is problematic:
- • Time-consuming (5-15 minutes per statement)
- • Error-prone (easy to miss transactions)
- • Formatting issues (columns misaligned)
- • Doesn't work with scanned PDFs
- • Not scalable (imagine doing 12 monthly statements!)
Common Problems & Solutions
Problem: Excel shows "###" instead of numbers
Cause: Column too narrow to display the number
✓ Solution:
Double-click the column border to auto-resize, or drag it wider manually.
Problem: Dates imported as text (e.g., "01/15/2025" shows as text)
Cause: Excel doesn't recognize the date format
✓ Solution:
Select the column → Data → Text to Columns → Choose date format → Finish
Problem: Amounts imported as text (can't calculate sum)
Cause: Currency symbols ($, €) or wrong decimal separator (, vs .)
✓ Solution:
Use KontoCSV – automatically formats amounts correctly for Excel. Or manually: Find & Replace currency symbols, then convert to number format.
Problem: All data in one column
Cause: Wrong delimiter (Excel expects comma or tab, got something else)
✓ Solution:
Data → Text to Columns → Choose "Delimited" → Select delimiter (comma, tab, space) → Finish
Problem: Special characters display as gibberish (£, €, ä, ö, ü)
Cause: Wrong character encoding (not UTF-8)
✓ Solution:
When opening CSV in Excel: Data → Get Data → From Text/CSV → Choose "UTF-8" encoding
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a PDF bank statement directly in Excel?
No, Excel cannot directly open PDF files. You have two options:
1. Convert to CSV first (recommended) – CSV files open automatically in Excel
2. Use Excel's "Get Data from PDF" feature (Excel 2019+ only) – Often produces messy results requiring manual cleanup
What's the difference between CSV and Excel files?
CSV (Comma-Separated Values):
- • Simple text format with comma-separated data
- • Opens automatically in Excel
- • Works in all spreadsheet apps (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice)
- • Perfect for bank transactions
Excel (.xlsx):
- • Can contain formulas, formatting, charts
- • Multiple sheets per file
- • Proprietary Microsoft format
✓ For bank statements, CSV is simpler and more universally compatible!
Can I convert multiple bank statements at once?
Yes! With KontoCSV you can upload multiple PDFs at once and download a single CSV file containing all transactions. This is perfect for converting a full year of monthly statements (12 PDFs → 1 CSV).
Does this work with Google Sheets?
Yes! CSV files work perfectly with Google Sheets:
1. Go to Google Sheets
2. File → Import
3. Upload your CSV file
4. Done! Data appears in spreadsheet
Can I edit the CSV file before opening in Excel?
Yes, but not recommended. CSV is a text format, so you can open it in Notepad/TextEdit, but one small formatting mistake can break the entire file. Better to make edits after opening in Excel.
Will formulas work in the imported data?
CSV contains only raw data, no formulas. But once opened in Excel, you can add formulas normally. For example: =SUM(C2:C100) to sum all amounts in column C.
What if my bank statement is scanned (image-based PDF)?
Scanned PDFs don't have selectable text, so Excel's import won't work. You need OCR (Optical Character Recognition). KontoCSV automatically detects scanned PDFs and uses AI-powered OCR to extract transactions with 99.9% accuracy.