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Excel add-in

Updated

Overview#

The DocXtract Excel add-in extracts structured data from documents into the workbook you are working in, without writing code. It runs as an Office task pane and calls the same v3.1 API as every other integration, so accuracy, credit cost, and document limits are identical.

Before you start#

  • An API key from the client portal → Settings
  • The document types your key permits — check on the Test API page
  • Documents as PDF, JPG, or PNG, up to 10 MB
  • Excel for Windows, Mac, or the web, on a Microsoft 365 account
Tip
Give this add-in its own API key. Usage stays attributable per tool, and you can revoke it without disrupting your other integrations.

Setup#

The add-in is hosted by DocXtract; nothing is installed on your machine beyond a small manifest file that tells Excel where to find it.

1. Get the manifest#

Ask support@docxtract.io for manifest.xml. If your IT team manages Office add-ins centrally, send it to them — they can deploy it to everyone from the Microsoft 365 admin center, and you skip step 2.

2. Add it to Excel#

In Excel, open Insert → Add-ins → My Add-ins, choose Upload My Add-in, and pick the manifest. On Excel for the web the same option is under Add-ins → More Add-ins.

Screenshot pending

Excel → Insert → Add-ins → Upload My Add-in with manifest.xml selected

3. Open the task pane#

A DocXtract group appears on the Home ribbon. Choose Open DocXtract.

Screenshot pending

Home ribbon showing the DocXtract group and the Open DocXtract button

4. Connect your key#

The first screen asks you to connect. Open Settings, paste your API key, and choose Test — a successful test lists the document types the key may use. Save stores the key in the add-in's own settings, not in the workbook.

Screenshot pending

Task pane Settings: API Key field with Test, Refresh and Save buttons, key masked

5. Extract a document#

On the Single tab, pick a Document Type, drop a file on Upload Document, and extract. The result shows the extracted fields with a confidence rating and a preview; Write to sheet puts them on a new worksheet, with the extraction id in the sheet name.

Screenshot pending

Single tab with document type selected, a file dropped, and the result preview above Write to sheet

6. Bulk extraction#

The Bulk tab takes several files at once, either by Upload files or from a URL column in sheet — give it a range such as A1:A10 that holds one document URL per cell. Results land on a new worksheet named DocXtract Bulk plus a timestamp, one row per document.

7. Map fields to columns (optional)#

By default every extracted field becomes a column. To control the layout, open Settings → Field mapping, pick a document type, and define rows of Col, Header Label, Type (ext for an extracted key, static for a fixed value), and Key / Value. Bulk Paste accepts the same rows as text, one per line:

A, Vendor, ext, vendor
B, Invoice No, ext, invoice_no
C, Source, static, Excel add-in

The mapping is stored per document type and applies to both single and bulk writes.

Screenshot pending

Field mapping editor with Col, Header Label, Type and Key columns and the Bulk Paste toggle

What to expect#

  • Credits are per page. A 10-page document costs 10 credits.
  • Rate limits are per key — 10 requests per minute by default. A bulk run shares that budget with anything else using the same key, so a large batch is paced rather than instant.
  • PDFs over 3 pages are split and processed in parts, so they take noticeably longer than single-page documents. This is normal.
  • Cells are written as text so invoice numbers and dates are not reformatted by Excel.

Troubleshooting#

SymptomCause
Test fails in SettingsKey is revoked, expired, or the value pasted is not a DocXtract sk_ key
Document Type list is emptyThe key has no types assigned — check the portal, then Refresh
The ribbon button does not appearManifest not loaded, or Excel needs restarting after the upload
Extraction returns unexpected fieldsWrong document type selected; it defaults to invoice
Requests start failing during a bulk runRate limit — 10 requests/minute per key
Stops working suddenly, mid-monthCredit cap reached; see quotas

More detail in common problems.

Support#

support@docxtract.io — include the document type and roughly when the failure happened. Never send your API key.

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