How to convert a PDF to CSV
- Add the PDF. Drop one or more PDFs into the converter.
- Check the tables. The preview shows each table cell by cell (the first 200 rows of a long one), so you can check what was found before you download.
- Download the CSV. The buttons on this page open the converter with CSV already chosen in step 3; if you came another way, choose CSV there. One table gives one .csv file; several come together in a ZIP.
What's in each CSV file
- One row per table row, with the header row first when the table has one. Commas, quotes and line breaks inside a value are quoted properly (RFC 4180).
- Plain numbers. £1,234.50 is written as 1234.50 and (45.00) as -45.00, so other programs read them as numbers. Percentages keep their sign, like 4.5%.
- ISO dates. Dates are written as 2024-03-01, which every program reads the same way, whatever the country. Whether 03/04/2024 in the PDF is 3 April or 4 March is worked out from the rest of the PDF, and the preview tells you when that was a guess.
- Codes kept whole. Leading zeros, account numbers and long reference numbers are written into the file exactly as in the PDF. Spreadsheet programs convert them when they open a CSV, so import those columns as Text (see below).
- Formulas can't sneak in. Text that starts with =, +, - or @, such as =SUM(B2:B9) or - Delivery charge, gets an apostrophe in front ('=SUM(B2:B9)), so a spreadsheet treats it as text, not a formula. Numbers such as -45.00 are never changed.
- UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, so £, €, accents and other characters show correctly when the file is opened in Excel.
- One file per table. Tables rarely share columns, so each gets its own file. With several PDFs, the files are named after each PDF and table.
Importing the CSV elsewhere
- Google Sheets: File → Import → Upload, then choose “Comma” as the separator. Untick “Convert text to numbers, dates, and formulas” if codes must keep their leading zeros (every value then comes in as text), or upload the Excel (.xlsx) download instead, which keeps both.
- Excel: for working in Excel, the Excel (.xlsx) download is the better choice: codes stay text and amounts stay numbers. To use the CSV, don't open it by double-clicking, which turns 00125 into 125. Use Data → From Text/CSV, choose Comma as the delimiter, then Transform Data, and set code, account and reference columns to Text before loading.
- Accounting software and databases: most importers accept this format directly. Map the date column as YYYY-MM-DD, and code columns as text.
Prefer a formatted workbook with bold headers, filters and £ signs shown? Choose Excel instead. It's the same conversion, and the converter lets you switch at any time before downloading.
Frequently asked questions
Why are dates written as 2024-03-01?
That's the international ISO 8601 format. Every spreadsheet, database and programming language reads it the same way, so there's no confusion between day-first and month-first dates. A date printed as 03/04/2024 is read the way the rest of the PDF shows. When that's a guess, the preview says so and one click switches it, or you can set “Dates in these PDFs” to Day first (31/12) or Month first (12/31) in step 3.
Where did the £ signs and commas in the numbers go?
A CSV is meant to be read by other programs, so numbers are written plainly, like -1234.50, with a minus sign for negatives. Currency signs and thousands separators are for display, and would stop many programs reading the value as a number. Choose Excel instead if you want them shown.
Can I get one CSV for the whole PDF?
Each table becomes its own CSV file, because tables usually have different columns. Choose “Everything in one CSV file” in step 3 to get a single CSV with the tables stacked under each other and a blank row between. If you also include the text outside tables, it comes as a separate file.
A line from my PDF is missing from the CSV. 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 in a separate CSV file, with their page numbers: its name ends in Text.csv. Check the preview in case a real row was taken for a footer.
Does the CSV open correctly in Excel?
Its characters do: the file is UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, so £, € and accented letters show correctly. But when you open a CSV by double-clicking it, Excel guesses each column's type and changes some values: codes lose their leading zeros (00125 becomes 125), numbers longer than 15 digits lose their last digits, and where the list separator is a semicolon, as in much of Europe, each row lands in a single column. To work in Excel, choose the Excel (.xlsx) download instead, which keeps codes as text, or bring the CSV in with Data → From Text/CSV and set code columns to Text.
Why do some values in the CSV start with an apostrophe?
Text that begins with =, +, - or @ could run as a formula when the CSV is opened in a spreadsheet, which is a known way to slip harmful formulas into a file. The converter writes an apostrophe in front of such text, for example '- Delivery charge or '+44 20 7946 0000, so spreadsheets treat it as text. Numbers are never changed, and the Excel (.xlsx) download doesn't need this. If you import the CSV into a database or script, remove the leading apostrophe from those values.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The PDF is read and the CSV is written by your own browser. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else.
Turn your PDF into CSV
Free and private: the conversion runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
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