You Won’t Believe How Easy Importing a Printed Data Table From a Picture Into Excel Really Is!

Are you tired of manually typing out data from a table in a printed document? If so, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with the time-consuming process of entering information from an image into an Excel sheet. But, what if we told you that there’s a solution that’s surprisingly straightforward?

That’s right! You can import a printed table from an image directly into Excel with just a few clicks. With this powerful feature, you can save time and energy while seamlessly transferring information. So, let’s take a look at how it’s done.

Step 1: Capture the image of the table

First things first, you need to capture an image of the table you want to import into Excel. You can do this by taking a picture of the document using your phone or a scanner. Make sure that the image is of good quality and that the table is clear and readable.

Step 2: Open Excel and insert the image

Once you have your image, open Excel and select the worksheet where you want to insert the table. Then, go to the “Insert” tab and click on “Pictures.” Now, select the image you saved in Step 1 and insert it into the worksheet.

Step 3: Convert image to a table

Now that the image is in Excel, you need to convert it to a table. To do this, click on the image to reveal the “Picture Tools” tab. From here, select “Format,” and then click on “Convert to Shape.” After that, right-click on the shape you just created and choose “Convert to Table.”

Step 4: Specify the table data range

Next, you’ll need to specify the range of data in your table. Excel will give you a preview of what the table will look like, and you can adjust the range as needed. Once you’re satisfied with the range, click “OK.”

Step 5: Clean up the imported table

Lastly, you’ll want to clean up the table by removing any unnecessary elements or formatting. To do this, select the table and go to the “Design” tab. From here, you can choose a new table style, format the table headers, and even remove any empty rows or columns.

And that’s it! With just a few simple steps, you can easily import a printed table from an image into Excel. So, the next time you find yourself typing out a long and complicated dataset, remember that there’s a quicker way to get the job done.

You no longer need to manually input a data table printed on a piece of paper. Microsoft is adding a new feature to Excel for Android (and iOS) to allow users to take a photo of a printed table and convert it into useful data.

The new “Insert data from picture” feature uses Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and recognize the data without the need of the end-user to manually input the data.

This is a feature part of the set of tools available for Office 365 subscribers.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to quickly import a printed data table into an Excel spreadsheet using your Android phone camera.

How to snap a picture import printed data table into Excel

To import a data table from a piece of paper using the Excel app for Android, use these steps:

  • Open Excel (mobile).
  • Tap the Insert data from picture button at the bottom of the screen. (If you don’t see this button, you can try using the “light bulb” button to find it, but it’s likely that it’s not yet available for you.)
  • Excel Insert data from picture feature
  • Square the camera into the data within the red borders.
  • Tap the Capture button.
  • Crop the image as necessary with the picture editing tools.
  • Tab the Done button.
  • Use the editing tool to correct any mistakes. Or tap the Ignore button to import the data table without edition.
  • Excel data capture edition
  • Tap the Insert button.

Once you complete the steps, Excel will process the data and insert it into the spreadsheet where you can continue making changes or input new data.

Open Excel (mobile).

Tap the Insert data from picture button at the bottom of the screen. (If you don’t see this button, you can try using the “light bulb” button to find it, but it’s likely that it’s not yet available for you.)

Excel Insert data from picture feature

Square the camera into the data within the red borders.

Tap the Capture button.

Crop the image as necessary with the picture editing tools.

Tab the Done button.

Use the editing tool to correct any mistakes. Or tap the Ignore button to import the data table without edition.

Excel data capture edition

Tap the Insert button.

While this guide focuses on Android, Microsoft is planning to bring the feature to Office 365 subscribers on iOS.