How does table detection work?

We use pdf-parse to automatically detect tables in your PDF. If tables are found, each table is converted to an Excel worksheet. If no tables are detected, the text content is extracted as rows instead. No configuration needed - it works automatically.

Does it work with scanned PDFs?

No, this tool only works with PDFs containing embedded text (text-based PDFs). It cannot extract data from scanned PDFs or images, as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is not supported. Your PDF must have selectable text for conversion to work.

How accurate is the data extraction?

Accuracy depends on your PDF's structure. Well-structured PDFs with clear tables convert accurately. Complex layouts, merged cells, or custom formatting may not transfer perfectly. The tool preserves table structure and data but not advanced formatting like colors or fonts.

How are multi-page PDFs handled?

Each page is processed separately. If tables are detected, each table becomes a worksheet (named Page1, Page2, or Page1_T1, Page1_T2 for multiple tables per page). If no tables are found, each page's text becomes a separate worksheet.

What formatting is preserved?

Column widths can be auto-sized based on content if you enable "Preserve Formatting". Basic table structure and data are preserved, but advanced formatting (colors, fonts, borders, styles) is not transferred. The output is clean spreadsheet data optimized for editing.

PDFyogi

PDF to Excel - Extract Data to Spreadsheets

Convert PDF to Excel spreadsheets online

or Drag & drop files here

Max 1 files•Max file size: 100MB

Supported formats: .pdf, application/pdf

Extract Tables from PDFs Without Retyping Everything

Someone sends you a PDF with a 200-row data table. Your options: retype it manually, pay for Adobe Acrobat, or use this. The converter scans your PDF for table structures and pulls them straight into Excel cells. Not OCR—we read the actual text data embedded in the PDF.

Extracted a 47-page financial statement with 12 tables into a clean XLSX in 8 seconds.

Step-by-Step Guide

Getting Your Data Out

Drop your PDF onto the page

Pick .xlsx (modern Excel) or .xls (older compatibility)

Toggle auto-size columns if you want readable output

Click Convert and let it find the tables

Download your spreadsheet

Why PDFyogi

Stop Copy-Pasting from PDFs

Tables Stay as Tables

Rows stay rows. Columns stay columns. You don't end up with a mess of text chunks to manually realign.

Multi-Table Detection

Got a PDF with 5 different tables on different pages? Each one becomes its own worksheet. Page1_T1, Page1_T2, Page2_T1, etc.

Numbers Are Numbers

Extracted values come out as Excel numbers, not text-that-looks-like-numbers. SUM formulas work immediately.

No Adobe Tax

Adobe charges $180/year for this feature. We don't charge anything.

Your Data Stays Local

Processing happens in your browser using pdf-parse and SheetJS. That confidential financial report? Never touches our servers.

Fallback for Non-Tables

If a page doesn't have clear table structure, we extract the text content row-by-row instead of failing.

Platform Guides

Running It On Your Device

Windows

Chrome and Edge work best. The extracted .xlsx opens directly in Excel or LibreOffice Calc.

Open the converter in your browser
Drag your PDF from File Explorer
Select output format and convert
Open the downloaded file in Excel

Mac

Safari and Chrome both handle it well. Output opens in Numbers or Excel for Mac.

Visit the PDF to Excel converter
Drop your PDF from Finder
Configure and convert
Open in Numbers or Excel

Linux

Firefox and Chrome work fine. LibreOffice Calc opens the .xlsx output natively.

Open the converter in your browser
Upload your PDF
Convert and download
Open with LibreOffice Calc

iPhone & iPad

Safari works. The output opens in Numbers or any iOS spreadsheet app.

Tap upload and select your PDF
Choose output format
Wait for conversion
Open in Numbers or export to another app

Android

Chrome works best. Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel app can open the output.

Open Chrome and navigate to the converter
Upload your PDF file
Convert and download
Open with Google Sheets or Excel app

Comparison

Tool Showdown

Feature	PDFyogi	Adobe Acrobat Pro	Tabula	SmallPDF
Automatic table detection	✓ Auto-detects	✓ Advanced detection	✓ Manual selection	✓ Yes
Multi-table support	✓ Separate worksheets	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	○ Limited
Numbers extracted as numbers	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
No server upload	✓ 100% local	○ Desktop app local	✓ Desktop app	✗ Server upload
Free to use	✓ Completely	✗ $180/year	✓ Free, open source	○ 2 free/day
Batch conversion	✓ Up to 20 files	✓ Yes	○ Manual per table	○ Limited
Works with scanned PDFs (OCR)	✗ Text PDFs only	✓ With OCR	✗ No	✓ With OCR
No signup required	✓ No account	✗ Adobe account	✓ No account	○ For unlimited

Pro Tips

Getting Better Extractions

Check if Your PDF Has Real Text

Try selecting text in your PDF viewer. If you can highlight words, extraction will work. If not, it's a scanned image and you need OCR first.

Clean PDFs Extract Better

PDFs with simple, clear table structures convert more accurately than ones with complex nested tables or merged cells spanning irregular regions.

One Table Per Page Works Best

Multi-table pages work, but single-table pages convert cleaner. If accuracy matters, consider splitting complicated PDFs first.

Enable Auto-Size Columns

The 'Preserve Formatting' toggle sizes columns to fit content. Otherwise everything defaults to Excel's narrow column width and you'll be dragging.

Check the First Row

Table headers often come through correctly, but occasionally a header row needs manual fixing in Excel after conversion.

Large Tables May Split

Very wide tables sometimes split across multiple worksheets. That's better than losing columns, but check the output.

Technical Details

Under the Hood

Supported inputPDF files with embedded text (not scanned images)

Output formatsXLSX (Excel 2007+), XLS (Excel 97-2003)

Max file size50MB per PDF

Batch limit20 PDFs per conversion

Table detectionpdf-parse automatic detection

Excel generationSheetJS (xlsx) library

Processing100% client-side JavaScript

Worksheet namingPage1, Page2 or Page1_T1, Page1_T2 for multi-table

Column sizingAuto-fit optional

Browser supportChrome 90+, Firefox 90+, Safari 15+, Edge 90+

FAQ

Data Extraction Questions

This tool reads embedded text data, not images. Scanned documents are just pictures of text—you'd need OCR software to convert those pixels into actual text first, then run through our converter.

Troubleshooting