How it works
- Add your PDFs. Drag in one PDF or a whole batch. Each file is opened by your browser, page by page, with a progress bar and a Cancel button, so even long statements stay responsive. Want to try it first? Use one of the samples: a bank statement, an invoice or a report.
- Check the tables. The converter finds each table from its ruled lines or from how the text lines up, joins tables that run over several pages and picks out the header row. The preview shows every sheet with column letters and row numbers, laid out as it will be in the workbook (a long sheet shows its first 200 rows; the download has every row).
- Download. Keep the PDF's layout, or choose one sheet per table, one per page or everything on one sheet, and how dates are read, then download an Excel workbook or CSV files. With several PDFs you get a ZIP of workbooks or one workbook with a sheet for each file.
Real numbers and dates, not text that looks like them
Text copied out of a PDF gives you amounts Excel can't add up and dates it can't sort. This converter reads each column and stores the values the way a spreadsheet expects. It is deliberately cautious: when a value could be read two ways and nothing in the PDF settles it, it stays exactly as it was written. Dates such as 03/04/2024 are the exception, because you usually want them as dates: they're read the way the rest of the PDF suggests, and step 2 tells you when that was a guess, with a one-click switch.
- £1,234.501234.5Number, shown as £1,234.50
- (2,000.00)-2000Negative number
- 45.20 OD · 6.34 DR-45.2 · -6.34Overdrawn and debit balances are negative
- 12.5%0.125Percentage, shown as 12.5%
- 03/04/20243 April 2024A real date, day or month first as the PDF shows, or as you choose
- 12 Mar 2024 · 2024-03-1212 March 2024Written-out and ISO dates too
- 0012500125Codes keep their leading zeros
- 4929 1234 5678 9012 · 12-34-56unchangedCard numbers, sort codes and phone numbers stay text
Made for the PDFs people actually convert
- Bank and card statements Dates, descriptions, money in and out and the running balance, joined across every page. See the bank statement guide.
- Invoices and receipts Line items with quantities, prices and VAT, plus the totals box, ready to reconcile or import into your accounts.
- Reports and price lists Several tables on one page each get their own sheet, and product codes keep their leading zeros. See PDF tables to Excel.
- Exports and timetables Tables saved as PDF by other software come back as data. Need plain data instead? See PDF to CSV.
What converts well, and what doesn't
Being honest about this saves you time. The converter reads the text inside a PDF, so it works when that text is there.
- Digital PDFs. Statements, invoices and reports downloaded from a website or saved from software. If you can select and copy readable words in your PDF viewer, the converter can read them.
- Laid out like the PDF. Each page as it looks: merged cells where the PDF's cells span columns or rows, the same borders, shading and bold text, and long text wrapped inside its cell.
- Ruled and unruled tables. Tables with grid lines are read from the lines; tables without them from how the columns line up. Wrapped descriptions stay in one cell.
- Long documents. Tables that run over many pages are joined, with repeated headers removed. Page headers and footers next to a table, such as page numbers, are kept out of it, and the file's notes say how many lines were moved. Password-protected PDFs work once you enter the password.
- Scanned pages. A scan is a picture of text, with no text in it to read. Pages the converter recognises as scanned are reported rather than guessed at, and a PDF that is only scanned pages is left out of the download. Run it through text recognition (OCR) first, or ask for a text PDF or a CSV export. If you get no tables and can't select the PDF's text, it's a scan.
- Text that copies as nonsense. Some PDFs use fonts without a proper character map, so text you copy from them comes out as random symbols. The converter reads the same symbols; only a copy exported again from the program that made the PDF fixes that.
- Unusual layouts. Two tables side by side, a menu set in two columns, text flowing around a table, or tables drawn as images may need a little tidying. The preview shows you before you download.
- Rows that wrap onto several lines. Most tables print a row's numbers on its first line. When a table prints them on the last line or in the middle, and nothing in its layout shows which, a wrapped line can end up with the row next to it. The file's notes say when this might have happened, so check those rows against the PDF.
- Anything left out of a table. Lines with amounts that aren't in any table, such as a summary printed as text, are listed in the file's notes. Turn on "Also include the text that isn't in a table" in step 3 to get them in the download.
- Dates that could be read either way. When nothing in a PDF shows whether 03/04/2024 is 3 April or 4 March, the order is a best guess. Step 2 says so, and one click switches it.
- Dates without a year. A date like "12 Mar" is kept as text, because the year can't be known for sure.
Your PDFs stay on your device
Bank statements and invoices are exactly the kind of documents you shouldn't have to send to a stranger's server. This converter never uploads them. Your browser opens each PDF, the tables are worked out on your own computer or phone, and the workbook is assembled locally before your browser saves it.
The page does download a few open-source components when you first use it (the PDF reader and the Excel writer) from a public code library, but nothing from your files is sent with those requests. The privacy policy has the details, including how advertising on this site works.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free? Is there a limit on files or pages?
Yes, it is free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on the number of PDFs or pages. The site is paid for by adverts shown around the tool, never inside your files. The only practical limit is your device's memory.
Are my PDFs uploaded anywhere?
No. Your PDFs are opened and converted by your own browser, and the spreadsheet is created on your device. Nothing from your files is sent to us or anyone else.
Which PDFs convert well?
PDFs that contain real text: statements, invoices, reports, price lists and tables exported from other software. If you can select and copy readable words in your PDF viewer, it will work. Scanned pages are pictures of text, with no text in them to read, so they can't be converted. The tool reports the pages it recognises as scanned, and a PDF that is only scanned pages is left out of the download. Run it through text recognition (OCR) first, for example in a scanner app or PDF editor, or ask the sender for a text PDF or a CSV export. If a PDF gives you no tables and you can't select its text, it's a scan.
Can I convert several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add as many PDFs as you like. Download one workbook per PDF in a ZIP file, or a single workbook with a sheet for each file.
Does the Excel file look like the PDF?
Yes, with the “Like the PDF” layout, which is the default. Each PDF goes on one sheet, page after page, the way it prints: a table's cells keep their places, a cell that spans several columns or rows is merged across them, and borders, shading, bold text and alignment follow the PDF. Long text wraps inside its cell. Page numbers and headers that repeat on every page are kept once. Numbers and dates are still real values. For data to sort and total, choose one sheet per table instead.
Are numbers and dates real Excel values?
Yes. Amounts with currency signs and thousands separators become numbers, negatives written as -12.50, (12.50) or 12.50 DR become negative numbers, percentages become percentages and dates become Excel dates, so you can sum, sort and filter straight away. Whether a date such as 03/04/2024 is day first or month first is worked out from the PDF, as the next answer explains. Account numbers, codes with leading zeros and other identifiers stay as text so nothing is lost.
Is 03/04/2024 read as 3 April or 4 March?
It depends on the PDF, and you can always choose. With “Dates in these PDFs” set to Automatic, a date that could be read either way follows the dates in the same PDF that can't, such as 13/03/2024, which can only be day first. When no date settles it, the converter makes its best guess from the rest of the PDF: dates written out in words (March 12, 2026 or 12 March 2026), how close together the dates fall read each way, the currency (a $ sign or USD suggests month first; £, € and most other currencies day first) and the paper size (US Letter or A4). Otherwise it reads them day first. A guess is shown above the preview in step 2, with a one-click switch. To set the order for every PDF yourself, choose Day first (31/12) or Month first (12/31) in step 3. If a PDF has dates that can only be read day first and others that can only be read month first, the dates that could be either are kept as text until you choose.
Can it open password-protected PDFs?
Yes. If a PDF needs a password to open, the tool asks for it. The password is only used by your browser to open the file and is never stored or sent anywhere.
My table runs over several pages. Will it stay together?
Yes. When a table continues on the next page with the same columns, it is joined into one table, and a header repeated at the top of each page is only kept once. If you would rather keep pages apart, choose one sheet per page.
Something landed in the wrong column. What can I do?
Check the preview before downloading: it shows what goes in each cell. Unusual layouts, such as two tables side by side or text wrapped around a table, can confuse the column detection. Try one sheet per page, or include the text outside tables so nothing is lost, and tidy up the few cells that need it in your spreadsheet.
A line from my PDF is missing from the table. Where did it go?
Lines at the top or bottom of a page that look like page headers or footers, such as a page number, a print date or a web address, are kept out of the table, and so are the extra copies of a total or a block of details printed again on every page. When that happens, the file's notes in step 1 and in the download step say how many lines were moved. Turn on “Also include the text that isn't in a table” in step 3 to get them, with their page numbers, on the Text sheet, or with CSV in a file whose name ends in Text.csv. Check the preview in case a real row was taken for a footer.
Does it work with Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice?
Yes. The .xlsx file opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice Calc. If you need plain data for another program, choose CSV instead.
Turn a folder of PDFs into spreadsheets
Add your PDFs at the top of the page and download clean, typed tables. Free, private and with no limit.
Convert PDFs to Excel