Excel mobile app converts smartphone photo of printed table into editable version
Microsoft is releasing a new feature for the mobile version of Excel. Smartphone users can use their phone to take a photo of any data table displayed on paper, which the app then converts into an editable Excel spreadsheet.
Microsoft seems with the announcement on Twitter to indicate that the function only works with paper tables. The company demonstrates how to take a photo of a page from a book, then cut out the table at the bottom of the page. This crop is then converted into an Excel spreadsheet where the user can work directly on their smartphone and make adjustments.
This new function will be available to Microsoft 365 users and, according to Microsoft, it will no longer be necessary to manually enter data from books in Excel. The company says the feature is currently being released for the Android version of Excel; iOS users of the Excel app will get the feature ‘soon’.