Extract tables from PDF

Turn the tables in PDFs, scans and photos into rows you can open in Excel or Google Sheets. Every row comes out in the order printed, with each cell as written.

Choose PDFs First 10 pages free. No card needed.

Q1 inventory countPaper Trail Supplies, warehouse 2

Item	SKU	On hand	Unit cost	Value
Kraft mailer, 9 x 12	PT-1104	1,240	0.42	520.80
Shipping tape, 2 in	PT-2210	386	3.15	1,215.90
Corrugated box, 12 x 12 x 8	PT-3051	910	1.08	982.80
Bubble wrap roll, 12 in	PT-3307	64	18.50	1,184.00
Packing slip pouch	PT-4012	2,500	0.07	175.00
Label roll, 4 x 6	PT-4420	140	11.25	1,575.00
Stretch film, 18 in	PT-5108	48	22.90	1,099.20

Counted 03/31/26Page 1 of 3, continued

q1-inventory-count.csv3 pages, one table

Row	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	record_type	column_1	column_2	column_3	column_4	column_5
2	table_row	Kraft mailer, 9 x 12	PT-1104	1,240	0.42	520.80
3	table_row	Shipping tape, 2 in	PT-2210	386	3.15	1,215.90
4	table_row	Corrugated box, 12 x 12 x 8	PT-3051	910	1.08	982.80
5	table_row	Bubble wrap roll, 12 in	PT-3307	64	18.50	1,184.00
6	table_row	Packing slip pouch	PT-4012	2,500	0.07	175.00
7	table_row	Label roll, 4 x 6	PT-4420	140	11.25	1,575.00
8	table_row	Stretch film, 18 in	PT-5108	48	22.90	1,099.20
	Rows from pages 2 and 3 continue below, in page order

Sample inventory count. Numbers and codes come through exactly as the PDF prints them.

A table that matches the page

Most PDF to Excel tools rebuild the page and hope the columns land. LedgerBox reads the table row by row and keeps what is printed.

One table across pagesA table that runs onto page 2 and page 3 comes back as one table, rows in page order. Pages with and without a repeated header line up in the same columns.

Cells as printedNumbers, dates and codes keep the text the PDF shows. 03/31/26 stays 03/31/26, and 1,240 stays 1,240.

No rows added, merged or movedEvery data row on the page becomes one row, in the order printed. The header row is read as the header, not as data.

Unsure rows are markedEach row is marked high, medium or low confidence, so you check the smudged ones first.

Odd pages get a noteMerged cells, unreadable areas and pages with two tables are noted, so you know where to look.

One table

Pages3

Columns5

Rows128

Rows to check2 low confidence

How to extract a table from a PDF

Upload
Drop a digital PDF, a scan or a phone photo. A table that runs across many pages is fine, and you can upload up to 20 files at once.
Check
Look over the rows LedgerBox found. Low-confidence rows and pages with notes are the ones to check first.
Download
Download a CSV that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, or get the rows as JSON.

PDF table to Excel

The rows download as a CSV file, which Excel opens directly. Each PDF column is its own spreadsheet column, so sums, filters and pivot tables work on it.

CSV export details

PDF table to CSV

One CSV per table, rows in page order. Select several documents and export them together as one CSV, with a column that names each source file.

CSV export details

Extract tables from scanned PDFs

Scans and photos are read with OCR, the same way as digital PDFs. Rows the scan makes hard to read are marked low confidence instead of guessed.

What is OCR?

Copy a table from PDF to Excel

Copy and paste from a PDF often drops the columns and runs the cells together. Extracting the table keeps each cell in its column, across every page.

See the difference

PDF tables to JSON

Get the rows and the table details as JSON, or send PDFs through the API and SDK on any paid plan.

JSON export details

Tables inside financial documents

Bank statements, invoices, receipts and pay stubs have their own readers, which add named fields and math checks a plain table cannot have.

All document types

Why copy and paste breaks PDF tables

A PDF stores text by position on the page, not as rows and columns. Paste it into Excel and the table falls apart.

Pasted from the PDF1 column

Item SKU On hand Unit cost Value
Kraft mailer, 9 x 12 PT-1104 1,240 0.42
520.80 Shipping tape, 2 in PT-2210
386 3.15 1,215.90 Corrugated box, 12
x 12 x 8 PT-3051 910 1.08 982.80
Bubble wrap roll, 12 in PT-3307 64
18.50 1,184.00 Packing slip pouch
PT-4012 2,500 0.07 175.00

Extracted by LedgerBox5 columns

Kraft mailer, 9 x 12	PT-1104	1,240	0.42	520.80
Shipping tape, 2 in	PT-2210	386	3.15	1,215.90
Corrugated box, 12 x 12 x 8	PT-3051	910	1.08	982.80
Bubble wrap roll, 12 in	PT-3307	64	18.50	1,184.00
Packing slip pouch	PT-4012	2,500	0.07	175.00

Tables people pull out of PDFs

Rent rollsUnit, tenant, lease dates and rent for every unit in a building.

Inventory countsItem, SKU, quantity and cost, across every page of the count sheet.

Price listsA supplier's catalog prices, ready to compare or import.

Rosters and member listsNames, numbers and dates from a club, class or plan list.

Packing listsLine by line contents of a shipment, to check against what arrived.

Schedules and reportsAny report a system only exports as PDF.

Is your table really a financial document?

Pick its own type instead. The specialized readers name each field and check the math, such as balances on a statement or totals on an invoice.

Bank statementsBalances checked InvoicesTotals checked ReceiptsTotals checked Pay stubsNet pay checked

Already have a CSV, QBO or QIF file?

Our free tools convert data files between formats in your browser, with no upload and no account. They do not read PDFs. For a PDF, use the upload above.

Free file converters

Is it safe to upload a PDF?

EncryptedFiles and rows are encrypted in transit and at rest.

AuditedOur security is independently audited by a third party. GDPR applies to all accounts.

Not used for trainingYour documents are not used to train AI models.

Yours to deleteFiles stay in your account until you delete them.

How we protect your data

PDF table extraction pricing

10 pagesfree, no card

Share LedgerBox with a colleague200 free pages
Starter, 60 pages a month$25 a month
Pro, from 640 pages a monthfrom $135 a month

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PDF table extraction questions

How do I extract a table from a PDF to Excel?

Upload the PDF, check the rows LedgerBox finds, and download the CSV. Excel opens it directly, with each PDF column in its own spreadsheet column.

Can I extract a table that spans several pages?

Yes. A table that continues across pages comes back as one table, rows in page order, whether or not each page repeats the header.

Can it extract tables from a scanned PDF?

Yes. Scanned PDFs and JPG, PNG and HEIC photos are read with OCR. Rows that are hard to read are marked low confidence for you to check.

Does it change my numbers or dates?

No. Cells keep the text the PDF prints, so 03/31/26 stays 03/31/26 and 1,240 stays 1,240. You can reformat them in Excel afterwards.

What about merged cells or two tables on one page?

LedgerBox notes those pages so you know to check them. Rows are never merged, split or reordered to make them fit.

Why not copy and paste the table?

A PDF stores text by position, so pasting often puts a whole row, or several rows, into one cell. Extraction keeps each cell in its column.

Can I convert many PDFs into one spreadsheet?

Yes. Upload up to 20 files at a time, then export the documents together as one CSV with a column that names each source file.

Do the free file converters read PDFs?

No. The free tools convert data files such as CSV, QBO and QIF in your browser. To get a table out of a PDF, upload it to LedgerBox.

Is there a free way to extract PDF tables?

Your first 10 pages are free, and you do not need a card. Share LedgerBox with a colleague to get 200 free pages.

Is my data safe?

Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, our security is audited by a third party, and your documents are not used to train AI models. Delete a file at any time.

Want to do it yourself in code? Read how to extract tables from PDF with OCR and Python.

Extract your first PDF table

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