ColumnryScanned bank statement to Excel
If a statement was printed and scanned, or photographed, the PDF contains only an image. Converters that read PDF text – including Columnry – can't extract anything until the image is turned into text with OCR.
Updated 2026-10-26 · 5 min read
Is my PDF scanned?
Try to select a word with the mouse. If you can't, or the whole page highlights as one block, it's an image. Columnry also tells you when a PDF has no text.
Best fix: get a digital statement
Almost every bank lets you download past statements as digital PDFs or CSV from online banking, often for several years. That gives far more reliable results than OCR – worth checking first.
OCR options
- Excel “Data from Picture” (Microsoft 365) – photograph or screenshot a table and insert it; good for one page at a time, check every cell.
- Adobe Acrobat (paid) – Scan & OCR, then export to Excel.
- Free OCR – e.g. OCRmyPDF (open source) adds a text layer to a scanned PDF; afterwards a text-based converter can read it.
- QuickBooks Online – Intuit says you can upload an English statement as a PDF or image.
After OCR: verify the numbers
OCR confuses 1/7, 5/6, 0/8 and drops decimal points. Always reconcile: opening balance + credits − debits should equal the closing balance. If you made a searchable PDF with OCRmyPDF, Columnry can read it and runs this balance check on every row automatically, highlighting rows that don't add up.
Try your statement. Columnry reads the transactions in a text-based PDF statement or table – date, description, money in/out, balance – checks them against the running balance and exports Excel, CSV, OFX or QIF. It runs in your browser; the statement is not uploaded. Preview the whole file free and export page 1 (up to 20 rows); a 30-day pass is $9, lifetime $29.
Questions and answers
Does Columnry do OCR?
No. It reads PDFs that contain text. Scanned PDFs must be OCR'd first.
Is OCR accurate enough for accounting?
Often not without checking. Use the balance check and compare totals with the statement.
Sources and product names: Microsoft Support: Insert data from picture; OCRmyPDF documentation; Intuit help on uploading statements to QuickBooks Online (checked 2026-10-26). Microsoft Excel and Power Query are trademarks of Microsoft; Google Sheets of Google; YNAB of You Need A Budget LLC. Columnry is independent and not affiliated with them.