How to extract rows from a PDF
Open your PDF and try selecting a line of text. If you can select words individually, the file probably has the text layer this converter needs. Drop the file onto the upload area or click to browse. Files can be up to 40 MB. Leave the page range blank to use the full document when it has no more than 100 pages, or choose a smaller range to focus on the pages you need.
Start with Medium column gaps and click Extract rows. Look at the preview before downloading. If two columns were merged, try Small column gaps. If long descriptions were split across too many cells, try Large column gaps. One cell per line can be useful for a simple list, a document with irregular alignment, or a page where you want to decide how to split the text later.
How the spreadsheet is assembled
A PDF describes where to draw text on a page. It may lack the row and column structure that was present in the source spreadsheet. This tool groups text at similar vertical positions into rows and uses gaps between text fragments as clues about columns. It works best with upright, evenly spaced tables. It can include nearby headings, footers, and notes if they fall on the pages you select.
The Excel download is an XLSX workbook with one worksheet for each PDF page that yielded rows. With the number option enabled, plain amounts such as 145 or 1,250.50 can become numeric cells. Leading-zero codes, long identifiers, and text with currency or percent symbols stay as text in Excel. The CSV download puts all extracted rows in a single file and adds the original PDF page number. It also quotes values containing punctuation and prefixes spreadsheet formula-like text with an apostrophe.
Worked example for a two-page invoice
Suppose page one has a table with columns for Item, Quantity, and Unit price. Page two has payment instructions you do not need. Set First page and Last page to 1 and run the extraction. In the preview, look for the item description in column A, the quantity in B, and the unit price in C. An entry like Filter pack, 4, 12.50 should span three cells if the PDF spaces the columns clearly.
Download Excel if you want to calculate totals or keep different pages in separate worksheets. Download CSV if you need to import the rows into another tool. Before using the data, compare the first and last rows with the source and verify a few amounts in the middle. Check that line wrapping has kept the right description with each item. A wrapped description can appear as a new row.
Common mistakes when converting PDF tables
Scans often contain a photo of the page with no selectable text. If extraction finds no text, obtain the original digital document or add a text layer with OCR before trying again. Rotated labels and tables with overlapping text, nested columns, or merged headers can also require cleanup. If you have the original spreadsheet, use it to preserve formatting, formulas, and headers.
When opening CSV in a spreadsheet app, use its import dialog and mark identifier columns as text if their leading zeros matter. CSV files contain values but no cell type information. When checking whether two editions of the source PDF differ, use PDF Compare to review their pages before extracting again.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a scanned PDF to Excel?
The converter needs selectable horizontal text. An image-only scan needs an OCR text layer first.
Is the Excel download a real XLSX file?
Yes. It is an XLSX workbook with one worksheet per extracted PDF page. CSV is available as a separate download.
Can I extract only certain pages?
Yes. Enter the first and last pages to read, up to 100 pages per extraction. The preview identifies the original PDF page.
Why did the converter split or merge some columns?
It estimates boundaries from the gaps between PDF text fragments. Try a different column-gap setting and compare the preview with your source.
Are my PDF contents sent anywhere?
No. The tool reads your PDF and creates the exports inside your browser. Its processing libraries download on demand.