Table-accurate extraction
Maintains column alignment and reduces broken copy-paste output from PDFs.
Teams with legacy Excel workflows
Produce XLS-compatible files for older internal systems and templates.
Upload a PDF and extract tables
No credit card required.
Upload a PDF
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More personalized than ever
Define your own target format
Stop manually adding, deleting and swapping rows and columns. Upload your bank statements, credit card bills, or invoices as PDF, create your own structure and export to exactly the format you need.
- AI-powered column mapping: AI maps columns of PDF tables directly to your custom format.
- Content mapping: Automatic translation of content of columns to your defined values.
- Predefined templates: Use one of our templates for DATEV, Xero, QuickBooks, and many more or create your own.
DATEV_EXTF_Buchungsstapel.csv
| Umsatz | Soll/Haben | BU-Schlüssel | Belegdatum | Konto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1250,00 | S | 9 | 1503 | 8400 |
| 45,99 | H | 9 | 1603 | 4900 |
| 3200,50 | S | 8 | 1803 | 8300 |
| 89,70 | H | 9 | 2103 | 4930 |
| 560,00 | S | 9 | 2203 | 8400 |
| 149,99 | H | 9 | 2303 | 4950 |
| 980,25 | S | 8 | 2403 | 8300 |
| 72,10 | H | 9 | 2503 | 4925 |
| 430,00 | S | 9 | 2603 | 8400 |
| 215,60 | H | 9 | 2703 | 4980 |
| 1750,00 | S | 8 | 2803 | 8300 |
How it works
Convert tables from PDFs to Excel, CSV, JSON or DATEV in 3 easy steps
Upload PDF
Upload the PDF containing the tables you need.
Extract Table Data
We detect and structure table rows and columns automatically.
Download XLS
Export your data in spreadsheet-ready format for immediate use.
Who uses this
Finance departments
Extract transaction and invoice tables from PDF into spreadsheet format for reconciliation.
Operations analysts
Convert recurring PDF reports into tabular data for monthly tracking.
Features for PDF to XLS Conversion
Precise table extraction like enterprise software and easy to use as a simple tool.
Legacy-friendly exports
Supports workflows that still rely on XLS-compatible spreadsheet processing.
Scanned PDF support
Use OCR to convert table content from scanned documents into structured rows.
API for automation
This is all you need: Upload a file, receive a job_id, poll status, and download extracted tables in the format you
need.
POST /v1/uploadGET /v1/extraction/{job_id}GET /v1/download/{table_id}?format=xlsx|csv|json
Benefits
Designed for easy usage combined with powerful performance
-
Compatible with older workflows: Keep existing spreadsheet processes running without manual rework. - Less manual cleanup: Avoid repetitive formatting fixes after copy-pasting from PDFs.
- Faster reporting cycles: Move from static PDFs to usable spreadsheet data much faster.
Security & privacy: Files processed securely. Data retention configurable.
Why 'Convert PDF to XLS' Is Still a Valuable Intent
Although newer spreadsheet standards are common, many organizations still search for 'convert pdf to xls' because legacy templates, internal tools, and partner processes depend on XLS-compatible formats. pdftables.io helps teams extract tables from PDF files and produce structured spreadsheet output that fits these environments.
The legacy format challenge in document-heavy workflows
A surprising number of reporting and bookkeeping workflows still rely on older spreadsheet standards. Teams often inherit templates, macros, or integration steps that expect data in a legacy-compatible format.
When source data arrives as PDF, this creates a bottleneck. Staff manually copy tables into spreadsheets and then spend additional time fixing alignment issues.
This manual process is slow and error-prone, especially with recurring monthly documents like statements or supplier summaries.
Automating PDF table extraction is the quickest way to maintain legacy compatibility while reducing manual effort.
What makes PDF-to-XLS conversion difficult
PDF files are optimized for visual presentation, not structured data transfer. A table that looks neat on screen may not map cleanly when copied into a spreadsheet.
Common issues include merged cells, wrapped headers, and numeric values shifting into adjacent columns.
Scanned PDFs add another challenge because the text is image-based and requires OCR before extraction can happen.
A specialized extraction workflow addresses these issues by detecting tabular structure first and exporting clean rows and columns.
Typical use cases for PDF to XLS
Accounting teams convert invoice and payment tables into spreadsheets for checks, reconciliations, and handoffs.
Operations teams transform PDF reports into analyzable tabular data without rebuilding each sheet manually.
Agencies and service providers use conversion workflows to standardize client documents that arrive in mixed PDF layouts.
Any process that depends on older spreadsheet compatibility can benefit from consistent PDF table extraction.
How pdftables.io handles PDF table extraction
Upload your PDF and let the extraction engine detect table boundaries and column structure.
The parser converts each detected row into structured data while keeping values in the correct fields.
Review and export your output for spreadsheet workflows, including XLS-compatible use cases.
For teams that also need modern formats, the same extraction can be exported to XLSX, CSV, or JSON.
Keep legacy compatibility while modernizing your process
You do not need to choose between old system constraints and efficient workflows.
By automating PDF-to-table extraction, you can keep downstream compatibility while eliminating most manual reformatting work.
This improves speed, consistency, and data quality across recurring document processes.
If your workflow still depends on XLS-style outputs, pdftables.io helps you get there faster from any table-based PDF.
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
Free
$0 forever
- High quality extraction
- OCR (for scanned documents)
- Data preview
- XLS, CSV and JSON download
Up to 5 pages/month- 1 DATEV exports/month
- Up to 10 MB per file
No API access- No encrypted files supported
Pro
$19.90 / month
or
$149 / year
- High quality extraction
- OCR (for scanned documents)
- Data preview
- XLS, CSV and JSON download
- Up to 500 pages/month
- Up to 100 DATEV exports/month
- Up to 50 MB per file
- API access enabled
- No encrypted files supported
Team
$89 / month
or
$999 / year
- High quality extraction
- OCR (for scanned documents)
- Data preview
- XLS, CSV and JSON download
- Up to 5000 pages/month
- Up to 1000 DATEV exports/month
- Up to 500 MB per file
- API access enabled
- Encrypted files supported
Need more pages? Feature request? Contact us.
FAQ
Is this suitable for legacy XLS workflows?
Yes. This page targets teams that still work with legacy-compatible spreadsheet processes and need clean table extraction from PDFs.
Can I also export to XLSX or CSV?
Yes. You can use the same extraction result for XLSX, CSV, or JSON depending on your downstream workflow.
Does it work with scanned PDFs?
Yes. OCR can be used for scanned documents to recover table content before conversion.
Will column structure be preserved?
The extraction engine is designed to preserve table rows and columns as accurately as possible for spreadsheet use.
Can I use this for monthly statement processing?
Yes. It's a strong fit for recurring invoice, statement, and reporting PDFs.
Do I need desktop software?
No. You can upload PDFs and export structured data online.
Need to convert PDF to XLS quickly?
Upload a PDF and extract clean spreadsheet data now.