How do I convert PDF to CSV for free?

CSVShift converts PDF to CSV completely free with no page limits, no watermarks and no account required. The tool uses PDF.js — an open-source library — and runs entirely in your browser.

How do I convert a PDF table to CSV?

Upload the PDF, select the page or range containing the table, and click Convert. CSVShift groups text by vertical position to reconstruct rows and by horizontal position to reconstruct columns. Adjust the row tolerance slider if rows are merging incorrectly.

Convert PDF to CSV Online — Extract Data Tables

Q: How do I convert a PDF to CSV?

Upload your PDF to CSVShift. The tool extracts text from each page using PDF.js, reconstructs table rows by clustering text by vertical position, and downloads the result as a CSV. Works for text-based PDFs — not for scanned image PDFs.

Q: Why is my PDF not converting correctly?

PDF to CSV extraction only works for text-based PDFs — ones where you can select and copy text. If your PDF is a scan or an image, OCR software is required. Also, complex layouts with merged cells or multi-column formats may need manual cleanup after extraction.

PDF to CSV Converter 100% client-side

Text-based PDFs only. This tool extracts text from PDFs where the text is selectable (copy-paste works). Scanned PDFs require OCR software — they contain no text data to extract.

Drop your PDF file here

Text-based PDFs only — page count detected automatically

Column detection

Pages to extract

Row tolerance (px)

Output delimiter

Extraction complete

How PDF to CSV conversion works

Upload your PDF

Drop your PDF file. CSVShift uses PDF.js — the same open-source library used by Mozilla Firefox — to read the file entirely in your browser. The PDF is parsed locally and the page count is detected automatically.

Text extraction by position

PDF.js extracts every text element with its exact X and Y coordinates. CSVShift groups elements that share the same vertical position into rows, and sorts each row left to right to reconstruct columns — reverse-engineering the table structure.

Download the CSV

The reconstructed rows are serialized as CSV and downloaded. Open in Excel, Google Sheets or any database tool. For multi-page PDFs, each page's content is included sequentially.

Text-based PDF vs scanned PDF

A text-based PDF is created digitally — exported from Excel, Word or a reporting tool. The text is stored as actual characters with precise positions. You can click and drag to select text in Chrome. These PDFs convert reliably.

A scanned PDF is a photograph of a document. The "text" is pixels — there is no underlying character data. These require OCR software. How to check: open the PDF in Chrome and try to select a word. If text highlights, it's text-based and will work here. If nothing selects, it's a scan.

When do you need to convert PDF to CSV?

Bank and financial statements

Banks often export transaction history as PDF. Converting to CSV lets you import transactions into accounting software, Excel or budgeting tools for analysis and reconciliation.

Reports and analytics exports

Business intelligence tools sometimes only offer PDF exports. Extracting data tables to CSV lets you continue processing the data programmatically.

Government and regulatory data

Many public datasets — court records, regulatory filings, official statistics — are published only as PDFs. Converting to CSV is the first step in any data analysis workflow.

Invoices and purchase orders

Supplier invoices sent as PDFs need to be imported into ERP or accounting systems. Extracting line-item tables to CSV saves manual re-entry.

Conversion options explained

Option	Values	When to use it
Pages to extract	All · Range · List	Leave blank for all pages. Enter `1-3` for a range or `1,4,7` for specific pages.
Row tolerance	3 · 5 · 8 · 12 px	Lower values keep tight rows separate. Higher values merge items at slightly different heights.
Output delimiter	Comma · Tab · Semicolon	Comma for standard CSV. Tab for databases. Semicolon for European locale systems.

Related CSV tools

Your PDF stays on
your device. Always.

PDFs often contain sensitive data. CSVShift uses PDF.js entirely in your browser. Your file is parsed locally and never transmitted to any server. PDF.js is the same open-source library that powers Mozilla Firefox's built-in PDF viewer — security-audited and maintained by Mozilla.

Open-source, security-audited. The same engine used in Firefox's built-in PDF viewer.

Position-aware extraction

Text is grouped by X/Y coordinates to reconstruct table rows — not just dumped as a flat text stream.

Multi-page support

Extract all pages or a specific range. Each page's table is appended sequentially to the output CSV.

Free, no conditions

No page limit, no file size cap, no watermark. Funded by display advertising only.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a PDF to CSV?

Upload your PDF, select which pages to extract (or leave blank for all), and click Extract to CSV. The tool uses PDF.js to read text positions and reconstruct table rows. Download the CSV and open it in Excel or Google Sheets.

Why is my PDF not converting correctly?

The most common reason is that the PDF is image-based (a scan). Open it in Chrome and try to select text — if you cannot, it requires OCR software. For text-based PDFs, try a higher row tolerance (8–12 px) if rows are being split incorrectly.

How do I convert a bank statement PDF to CSV?

Most bank statements are text-based — try selecting text in the PDF first. Upload the statement and extract the transaction pages. The output will include date, description and amount columns you can clean up in Excel.

Is my PDF safe when converting online?

Yes. CSVShift processes your PDF entirely in your browser using PDF.js. Your file is never uploaded, stored or transmitted.

Convert PDF to CSVExtract tables fromany PDF.

Your PDF stays onyour device. Always.

Convert PDF to CSV
Extract tables from
any PDF.

Your PDF stays on
your device. Always.