How PDF to Excel conversion works
PDFs are great for sharing, but they are not designed for spreadsheets. This tool reads selectable text from each PDF page and tries to rebuild it into rows and columns, then exports an Excel (.xlsx) file directly in your browser.
When to use this tool
Use PDF to Excel when you need to sort, filter, total, or reuse data that lives inside a PDF — especially tables from invoices, reports, statements, schedules, and exports from other systems.
- Invoices & receipts: pull line items into rows so you can total and categorize.
- Reports: move tables into Excel for charts, pivots, and comparisons.
- Lists & logs: turn PDF exports into a sheet you can clean and merge.
If you need the “reverse” direction (sheet → PDF), use Excel to PDF Converter instead. If you need editable text instead of cells, try PDF to Word or PDF to Text Converter.
Step-by-step: from PDF to Excel
Converting your PDFs follows a short, repeatable routine:
- Add your PDF files. Drag & drop PDFs onto the box above, or click to browse.
- Review the list. Each PDF shows a status so you know what will be processed.
- Convert to Excel. Click Convert to Excel. Each PDF becomes an .xlsx file.
- Save your files. Save each spreadsheet, or use Save all spreadsheets when everything is ready.
Privacy, limits and how this tool treats your files
FileYoga is built around a simple rule: your files stay with you. PDF to Excel conversion runs locally in your browser, so your PDFs are never uploaded to FileYoga servers.
Local-only conversion
Conversion runs locally in your browser on your device. Your PDF isn’t uploaded, and the XLSX output is generated on your side.
No hidden copies
When you clear the list or close the tab, the tool stops using your files and does not save copies on a server.
No artificial limits
No paywalls or quotas. The only limits come from your device’s memory and your browser.
No account required
Use the converter without signing up. Open the page, convert your PDFs, and leave when you are done.
If you are working with sensitive data (invoices, financial statements, internal exports), local-only processing keeps the workflow private end-to-end.
Tips for best results
- Best results come from digital PDFs exported from Excel or reporting tools (selectable text).
- If your PDF is a scan/photo, this tool won’t “read” it like OCR — results may be empty or messy.
- After converting, expect a quick cleanup: merge split cells, rename headers, and remove empty rows.
- If columns look off, try converting that PDF alone (large PDFs can stress browser memory).
- For multi-page PDFs, you’ll get one sheet per page, which makes review easier.
Troubleshooting
- The XLSX is blank or mostly empty: Your PDF may be a scan (image) or contain non-selectable text. Try a text-based export, or use PDF to Text Converter to confirm there’s extractable text.
- Columns are shifted or the table looks “broken”: Many PDFs don’t store real table structure. Try simplifying the source export, or convert one page at a time and then clean up in Excel.
- Merged cells / multi-line headers don’t convert cleanly: This is common with invoices and reports. After export, unmerge and rebuild headers in Excel for a stable table.
- Numbers import as text (commas, decimals, currency): Locale formatting can cause this. Use Excel’s “Convert to Number” or Text-to-Columns, then apply the correct number format.
- The browser slows down or freezes: Large PDFs and long reports can hit memory limits. Convert fewer files at once, close heavy tabs, or split the PDF into smaller parts before converting.
- Password-protected or encrypted PDF won’t convert: Browser tools may not be able to read encrypted PDFs. Unlock the PDF first (or export an unprotected copy) and then convert.
- My PDF file is damaged and won’t open: Fix the PDF first using Repair PDF, then try converting again.
Frequently asked questions
Many PDFs store tables as positioned text rather than true cells. The converter estimates column boundaries from text positions, so tight spacing, multi-line cells, or mixed alignment can shift columns. Convert one file at a time and clean up columns in Excel.
If the tables are close together or share aligned text blocks, they may export into one continuous grid. When tables are visually separated with clear spacing, they’re more likely to stay distinct. After export, you can split them into separate ranges in Excel.
In many PDFs, wrapped text is stored as multiple lines. During conversion those lines can become separate rows. In Excel, combine rows where needed, or adjust the layout by merging cells and rebuilding the description column.
Headers and footers are often just text on the page, so they may appear in the export. If you see repeating titles, dates, or page numbers, remove those rows in Excel after converting.
PDFs often store values as text strings, and locale formatting (commas/decimals/currency symbols) can prevent automatic number detection. Use Excel’s Convert to Number, Text-to-Columns, or change the number format after import.
Not directly. This tool does not perform OCR, so scanned PDFs or photos usually have no selectable text to extract. You’ll get best results from text-based PDFs exported from reporting tools or spreadsheets.
Expect structure first, formatting second. The converter focuses on getting text into a grid. Complex formatting like borders, merged cells, and styling may not match the PDF and often needs cleanup in Excel.
Each PDF exports as one XLSX file with one sheet per page (Page 1, Page 2, etc.). This keeps pages easy to review and reduces layout collisions.
Encrypted or restricted PDFs may not convert in the browser. Unlock the PDF first (or export an unprotected copy) and then convert to Excel.
There are no artificial limits. Practical limits come from your device memory and browser performance. If the tab slows down, convert fewer files at once or use smaller PDFs.