Extract all tables from a PDF file directly into CSV format using Camelot, trying both lattice and stream extraction methods to capture even borderless tables from financial reports, invoices, and data documents
Our free PDF to CSV converter pulls the tables out of a PDF and turns them into clean, comma-separated data you can open in any spreadsheet, load into a database, or feed straight into a script. Upload your file and the tool extracts every table it can find into CSV format, so numbers locked inside a report or invoice become rows and columns you can work with. It runs on the professional Camelot engine, which reads both bordered and borderless tables, and it is completely free with no signup and no watermark. This is a fast way to convert PDF to CSV online whenever you need the data instead of the document.
Learning how to convert PDF to CSV with File Tools Online takes three quick steps, and you do not need Adobe Acrobat, Excel, or any desktop software. Everything runs online in your browser.
Drag and drop your PDF into the box above, or click to browse and select the file with the tables you want to extract.
The Camelot engine scans the pages and detects the tables, trying both lattice and stream methods to capture the data accurately.
Download the extracted data as a plain CSV file, ready to open in Excel, Google Sheets, or any data tool. Your file is processed securely and deleted within 30 minutes.
The result is a plain CSV (comma-separated values) file that holds the table data as rows and columns. That format opens in every spreadsheet and imports cleanly into databases, analytics tools, and code, which is why CSV is the go-to choice when you care about the data more than the page layout.
Plenty of "PDF to CSV" tools miss borderless tables or scatter your numbers across the wrong cells. Ours uses Camelot, a purpose-built table-extraction engine, to find the tables on each page and map them into tidy comma-separated rows.
Camelot detects the structure of each table and preserves rows and columns, so your data lands in the right cells instead of one jumbled block of text.
The tool tries both extraction methods, so it captures tables with visible gridlines and borderless tables from financial reports alike.
Ideal for invoices, statements, financial reports, and any PDF where the whole point is the numbers inside the tables.
Convert PDF to CSV free online with no trial, nothing stamped on your data, and no email required to download the result.
Files are processed securely over an encrypted connection and automatically deleted within 30 minutes of upload.
Runs online on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, Android, and iPhone. Nothing to download and nothing to install.
CSV and Excel both hold table data, but they are built for different jobs. A CSV file is plain text: values separated by commas, one row per line, with no colors, formulas, or multiple sheets. That simplicity is its strength, because almost every program can read it. An Excel workbook (.xlsx) keeps formatting, formulas, and separate tabs, handy for reports but heavier when you just want raw numbers.
| Format | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| CSV | Databases, scripts & data pipelines | Plain comma-separated values, universally readable, no styling |
| Excel | Reports & multi-sheet workbooks | Formatting, formulas, and multiple sheets in one file |
Choose PDF to CSV when you plan to import the data somewhere else, run it through code, or load it into a database, because plain text is the cleanest input for those tasks. If you would rather have a styled, ready-to-share workbook with several sheets and working formulas, use our PDF to Excel tool instead. Both start from the same PDF, so the only question is what you want to do with the data next.
Once your tables are in CSV, the data stops being trapped in a document and becomes something you can sort, filter, calculate, and import.
File Tools Online offers more than 100 free tools to convert, edit, and manage your documents. These are the ones people use most alongside the PDF to CSV converter.
Table extraction works by reading the actual text characters inside a PDF, so it needs a text-based PDF to work from. If your file is a scan or a photo of a page, the tables are stored as images, and there is no text underneath for the engine to read. In that case there is nothing to extract yet.
The fix is to add a text layer first. Run the scan through our free PDF OCR tool, which reads the characters in the image and writes them back into the PDF as real, selectable text. Once the file has that layer, come back here and convert it to CSV as normal. This OCR-first workflow is the reliable way to get data out of scanned invoices, statements, and older documents.
If your PDF was created by exporting from a spreadsheet, accounting package, or reporting tool, it is almost always text-based already, so you can skip OCR and convert straight to CSV.
Under the hood, this tool runs Camelot, an open-source library designed specifically for pulling tables out of PDF pages. Rather than guessing at the layout, Camelot looks at how the table is drawn and offers two complementary approaches, and the tool tries both automatically.
Lattice mode is for tables with visible lines. It detects the horizontal and vertical rules that form the grid, uses them to map each cell, and reads the text inside. This is very accurate for classic bordered tables, such as spreadsheets exported to PDF or forms with ruled boxes.
Stream mode is for borderless tables, the kind you see in many financial reports and invoices where columns are separated by spacing rather than lines. Stream looks at how the text is aligned across the page and reconstructs the columns from those whitespace gaps. By attempting both lattice and stream, the converter captures gridded and open-layout tables from the same document, then writes each detected table out as comma-separated rows in your CSV.
Because this is an online PDF to CSV converter, it works the same on every device. There is no program to install on Windows, no app to download on Mac, and nothing to add to your phone, you use the exact same page whether you are on a laptop, a Chromebook, an Android device, or an iPhone.
That makes it easy to convert PDF to CSV on Mac, on a locked-down work computer where you cannot install software, or on your phone when you just need the numbers on the go. The extraction runs on our servers, so even a report with many pages of tables is processed quickly no matter how powerful your own device is. All you need is a browser and an internet connection.
Yes. The PDFs people convert to CSV are often invoices, bank statements, and financial reports that contain sensitive figures, so security is built in. Files are uploaded over an encrypted HTTPS connection, processed on a secure server, and automatically deleted within 30 minutes. We never share, sell, or reuse your documents or the data inside them, and no account or email address is required to convert a file.
Upload your PDF to the tool above and it extracts the tables into a CSV file for you to download. The engine detects the tables automatically, so there is nothing to configure, and the whole process runs online in your browser with nothing to install.
The File Tools Online PDF to CSV converter is free to use, with no watermark and nothing added to your data. Just upload the PDF, let it extract the tables, and download the CSV, no signup required.
CSV stands for comma-separated values. It is a plain-text format where each line is a row and commas separate the values in each column. Because it has no styling or formulas, almost every spreadsheet, database, and programming language can read it.
Choose CSV when you want plain data to import into a database, script, or data pipeline. Choose PDF to Excel when you want a formatted workbook with multiple sheets and working formulas.
Not directly, because a scan stores the tables as images with no text to extract. Run the file through our PDF OCR tool first to add a text layer, then convert the result to CSV here.
It uses the Camelot engine, which tries two methods: lattice mode reads tables with visible gridlines, and stream mode reconstructs borderless tables from the spacing between columns.
Yes. Camelot's stream mode is built for tables without gridlines, like many found in financial reports and invoices, where columns are separated by whitespace rather than lines.
The extraction preserves the row and column structure of each detected table, mapping values into the right cells. Complex layouts with merged cells can be trickier, so it is worth opening the CSV to check those areas after downloading.
Yes. A CSV file opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, and any other spreadsheet program, where you can sort, filter, and calculate as usual.
Everyday PDFs convert without any hassle. Documents with many pages of tables may take a little longer to process, but the tool is built to handle the reports and data files most people need to extract.
Yes. Files are transferred over an encrypted connection, processed securely, and automatically deleted within 30 minutes. We never share or sell your documents or the data they contain.
Yes. Invoices are a common use for this tool, and their line items convert well into CSV rows. For a workflow built around invoice fields, try our Invoice Extract tool.
PDF is a great format for sharing a finished document, but it is a frustrating place to keep data. The numbers in a report or invoice look like a table, yet they are really just text painted onto a page, with no underlying rows and columns you can sort or total. That is why converting PDF to CSV is such a common need: it hands that data back in a form that spreadsheets, databases, and scripts understand.
A good PDF to CSV converter reads the tables on each page and rebuilds them as plain comma-separated values, keeping the structure intact. This free online tool does exactly that using the Camelot engine, trying both lattice and stream extraction so it handles bordered and borderless layouts alike. There is no account, no watermark, and no software to install: upload your PDF, extract the tables, and download a clean CSV ready to import, analyse, or run through code. For scanned files, add OCR first, and for a styled workbook instead of raw data, reach for PDF to Excel.