Convert PDF tables to spreadsheet format

Need to convert PDF tables to spreadsheet format so you can sort, filter and total them? pdf2rows finds every table in a PDF, shows you each one, and lets you download them as an XLSX workbook or CSV files. This guide covers the steps, how multi-page and multi-table documents are handled, and a few tips for getting clean results the first time.

Open the converter, free for 5 pages a day

Steps to convert PDF tables to spreadsheet format

1. Upload the PDF in the converter (up to 20 MB).
2. Review the preview. Tables are listed in page order, and a page with two or three tables shows each one separately.
3. Choose your output. XLSX gives you one workbook with a sheet per table (or all tables stacked on one sheet). CSV gives you one file for a single table, or a ZIP with one CSV per table, named by table number and page.
4. Open the file in Google Sheets, Excel, LibreOffice Calc or Numbers and carry on.

Tables that continue across pages

A long table that runs over several pages is detected page by page, so a 4-page price list gives you 4 tables. To join them into one table:

1. Tick All tables on one sheet before downloading the XLSX. The tables are stacked with a blank row between them.
2. Sort or filter on the header text to find the repeated header rows and delete them.
3. Remove the blank separator rows. A sort will push them to the bottom.

If you're working with CSV instead, most tools can combine multiple CSV files with the same columns in one import step.

Several tables on one page

Reports often put a summary table and a detail table on the same page. Each one is detected and previewed separately, so you can keep the one you need and delete the other sheet. Tables drawn with ruling lines are separated cleanly. With tables aligned only by spaces, two tables sitting side by side can occasionally be merged into one wide table. Deleting the extra columns fixes that.

Tips for a clean PDF table to spreadsheet conversion

• Use the original file. A PDF exported from software converts far better than one that was printed and scanned.
• Check merged columns. If two columns were very close together in the PDF they may land in one cell. Use your spreadsheet's split-text-to-columns feature on that column.
• Watch totals and subtotals. They're kept as ordinary rows, so exclude them before you run your own SUM.
• Dates stay as text. Dates come through exactly as printed (for example 10/03 or 3 Oct 2026). Convert them with your spreadsheet's date functions if you need real dates.
• Check the method label. The preview shows whether a table was found from ruling lines or from text alignment. Spend your checking time on the text-alignment ones.

Which format to choose

Pick XLSX when a person will read or edit the result. You get one sheet per table, numbers stored as numbers, and bold headers. Pick CSV when the data is going into another system like a database, a script, or an accounting import. See PDF to CSV online for format details, or the PDF to Excel converter page for more on XLSX output.

Current limitations

• Scanned PDFs: pages that are just images have no text layer, and OCR is not supported yet. If you can't select the text in your PDF viewer, the converter won't find it either.
• Password-protected PDFs: remove the password first (you need to know it).
• Complex layouts: merged cells, rotated text and nested tables may need a quick cleanup after download.
• Size: up to 20 MB per file. The free plan converts 5 pages per day; Pro ($9/month, 7-day free trial) removes the daily limit.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• PDF to Excel converter
• PDF to CSV online
• Bank statement PDF to Excel
• Extract tables from PDF
• pdf2rows home and pricing