PDF to Excel — what it does
Extracts tables and tabular data out of a PDF and exports them as CSV or Excel (.xls) — rows and columns are detected from the layout, so a rate table or a statement stops being a picture and starts being data you can sum.
How to use PDF to Excel
- Open the PDF and find the page with the table.
- Extract; columns are inferred from text positions on the page.
- Check the preview: the row and column alignment is what tells you whether the extraction is faithful.
- Export as CSV for further processing, or as .xls to open directly in a spreadsheet.
Worked example: a 12-page rate card that must be totalled
A supplier's rate card only exists as a PDF. Extracting it into a spreadsheet means the 180 line items can be sorted by price and summed, instead of being typed in by hand — and the numbers keep their original precision because the extraction is character-based where the PDF has real text.
At a glance
| Output | CSV or Excel (.xls) |
|---|---|
| Method | Rows and columns detected from the text layout |
| Where it runs | On-device in the browser |
| Limit | It reads the text layer, so a scanned table needs OCR first |
| Check the numbers | Always spot-check a currency column against the PDF before you rely on the totals |
Frequently asked questions
- What is PDF to Excel?
- Extract tables and data from a PDF and export them as CSV or Excel (.xls) — rows and columns are detected from the layout, right in your browser.
- Is PDF to Excel free to use?
- Yes — PDF to Excel is free to use, with no sign-up, no install and no account.
- Does PDF to Excel upload or store my data?
- No — PDF to Excel runs entirely in your browser, so your text, files and results never leave your device.
- Do I need to install anything to use PDF to Excel?
- No — it works in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) with no downloads, accounts or plugins.
- Why are some cells shifted by one column?
- Because column boundaries are inferred from alignment, and a cell whose text sits on a boundary can land in the neighbouring column. Excel's Text to Columns, or a correction pass on the preview, fixes the few rows that need it.
- Can it extract a table from a scanned PDF?
- Only after OCR. Run PDF & Image OCR first so the page has a text layer, then extract — expect more alignment noise on a scan than on a digital document.