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PDF to CSV Free — Extract PDF Tables to a Spreadsheet

Retyping a table from a PDF into a spreadsheet is slow, and every retyped number is a chance to make a mistake. This free PDF to CSV converter reads the table inside your PDF and turns it into a CSV file that opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets, with the rows and columns kept in place. It works by reading where each piece of text sits on the page: words on the same line become one row, and a wide gap between words starts a new column. The preview below the button shows the table before you download it, so you can see at a glance whether the rows lined up correctly. Everything happens in your browser: your PDF is never uploaded to a server, never stored anywhere, and never seen by anyone else. Tables are reconstructed from the text positions in the PDF. Complex tables, merged cells and scanned PDFs will not convert cleanly. For scanned PDFs, use Image to Text (OCR) first.

How to Use

1. Add your PDF. Click the drop zone and choose one PDF file that contains a table, or drag it straight from your computer into the box. Its name and size appear below the box so you can check you picked the right file.
2. Click Convert to CSV. The tool loads its PDF library, reads the text on every page, and groups the words into rows and columns by their position on the page. The progress bar shows how far along it is.
3. Check the preview. The table appears below the result panel, with the first row as the header. Read across a few rows and check that each value sits in the right column, especially where a column is narrow or a cell wraps onto two lines.
4. Download the CSV. Click Download .csv to save the file, then open it in Excel or Google Sheets, or click Copy CSV to paste it into a sheet you already have open.

Worked Example

Suppose you have a 1-page PDF with a small table headed Name and Amount, with three rows underneath: Alice and 120, Bob and 250, Carol and 90. Add the PDF and click Convert to CSV. The expected result is a CSV file whose first line is the header name,amount, followed by three data rows: Alice,120 then Bob,250 then Carol,90. The preview shows the same table with two columns and four rows in total, including the header. If you add the three amounts together, 120 plus 250 plus 90, the total is 460, which is a quick check that every row was read: if the total in your spreadsheet is different, a row may have been missed or a value may have landed in the wrong column.

Why Convert PDF Tables in Your Browser?

Most online PDF to spreadsheet tools ask you to upload your document to a remote server, where you have no control over how long it is kept or who can see it. That is a real risk when the table holds prices, salaries, invoices or customer details. This tool takes the opposite approach: the conversion code runs on your own device, inside your browser, and the file never travels over the internet at all. The trade-off is honesty about what a PDF can offer. A PDF does not store a table as rows and columns; it stores words at positions on a page, so this tool rebuilds the table from those positions. That works well for simple, clean tables with clear gaps between columns, which covers most invoices, price lists and reports.

Tips for a Clean CSV

Use a PDF that was created on a computer, with real text, rather than a scan or a photograph of a printed table, because a scanned page has no text positions to rebuild from. For scanned PDFs, use Image to Text (OCR) first to read the words, then work from the recognised text. Check the preview before you download: merged cells, cells that wrap onto two lines, and very narrow columns are the usual reasons a value lands in the wrong place. Values that contain commas or quotation marks are quoted in the CSV, so they stay in one cell when Excel or Google Sheets opens the file. Always double-check totals and money figures against the original PDF before you send the spreadsheet to anyone else.

Frequently Asked Questions