Convert PDF to XLS Online Without Manual Retyping
Turn a PDF into an Excel-compatible spreadsheet you can total straight away. PDFXLSX reads the real table structure, keeps numbers numeric and dates as dates, runs OCR on scans, and hands you a clean file that opens in any version of Excel, including older XLS-only installs. Drop a file on the right to convert your first one free.
Works in any browser on Windows, Mac, and phones. First conversion is free, no software to install, and files are deleted after processing.
Drop your PDF here or click to browse
PDF files up to 50MB
Columns aligned, numbers ready to total. First file free.
The short answer
To convert a PDF to XLS, upload the file to a converter that reads table structure, then download the spreadsheet. Modern Excel opens XLSX, the current format, so most converters output XLSX and Excel treats it exactly the way it treated the older XLS files. What matters is not the extension but whether the rows and columns survive and the amounts arrive as real numbers instead of text. Use a tool with built-in OCR if the PDF is a scan, and check one totaled column against the figure printed on the original before you trust the file.
Last updated July 2026
Excel-ready
Opens in old and new Excel
OCR
Reads scanned PDFs
Numeric
Numbers you can total
No install
Runs in your browser
Convert PDF to XLS and get data you can actually work with
A PDF looks like it has columns, but it does not. It stores each number and word at a fixed spot on the page, and the table you see is just text that happens to line up. Copy that into Excel and it collapses into one column as text, so you cannot sum it, sort it, or build a formula on it. That is the work this converter takes off your desk.
PDFXLSX detects the actual table first, then maps every value to the cell it belongs in. Amounts with commas, dollar signs, or parentheses for negatives arrive as real numbers. Dates land in a format Excel recognizes. A cell that held two lines stays one row instead of splitting. When a page is a scan rather than digital text, built-in OCR reads it so it converts at all.
You see the converted table before you download, so you can check the figures before they go into your books, a model, or a tax return. Want the modern Excel format instead? Convert straight to XLSX. Sending the data into another program? Convert to CSV instead.
| Date | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 04/02 | Deposit ACH 8841 | 3,420.00 |
| 04/06 | Card payment | -142.18 |
| 04/11 | Wire fee | -25.00 |
| 04/19 | Invoice 20714 | 1,775.50 |
Each value sits in its own cell and the Amount column is true numbers, so =SUM() works the moment the file opens, with no Text to Columns step.
XLS or XLSX: which one do you actually need?
XLS is the older Excel file format, the default in Excel 97 through Excel 2003. It is a binary format and caps a sheet at 65,536 rows and 256 columns. XLSX replaced it in Excel 2007 and is the format almost everyone uses now: it holds far more rows, makes smaller files, and is what modern Excel saves by default.
Most people who search for a PDF to XLS converter just want their PDF data in Excel and use XLS as a stand-in for the whole program. A smaller group genuinely needs the legacy .xls binary: an old Excel install, a line-of-business or accounting system that only imports .xls, or a template that was built years ago. Both cases are easy to handle.
PDFXLSX gives you a clean, Excel-compatible spreadsheet that opens in any version of Excel, old or new. If you specifically need the strict .xls binary, open the converted file in Excel and choose File, Save As, then pick Excel 97 to 2003 Workbook (.xls). It takes one click and your columns and numbers carry over intact.
Quick comparison
- XLS Excel 97 to 2003 binary format. Up to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet. Use it when an old program or template only accepts .xls.
- XLSX The current Excel format since 2007. Over a million rows per sheet, smaller files, what modern Excel and Google Sheets expect. Pick this unless you need .xls.
- CSV Plain text rows and columns. The safest format for importing into accounting software, databases, and other tools that do not read Excel files directly.
Not sure which to pick? See the full PDF to Excel or CSV breakdown.
What you get from the PDF to XLS converter
The details that decide whether you get clean data or an afternoon of cleanup.
Reads the real table
The engine finds the actual table and maps each value to the right cell instead of guessing columns from spacing. Tight columns and spanning headers stay intact.
Numbers stay numeric
Amounts with commas, currency symbols, or negatives come through as real numbers, not text. You can SUM, sort, and build formulas right away, with no Convert to Number warning to clear cell by cell.
OCR for scanned PDFs
A scan is an image, and column logic alone cannot read an image. Built-in OCR turns scanned PDFs into editable rows, so a photographed document converts like a digital one.
Batch and large files
Send a whole folder of statements through the batch converter, or push a single large multi-page file up to 50MB. The structure holds across every page.
No software to install
It runs in any browser, so it works the same on Windows, Mac, and iPhone or iPad. No license, no Microsoft 365 requirement, nothing to keep updated.
Private and secure
The documents you most need converted are usually the most sensitive. Uploads are encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in isolation, and deleted automatically once your spreadsheet is ready. Nothing is kept or reused.
How to convert a PDF to XLS
Three steps, and a chance to check the result before it counts.
Upload the PDF
Drag the file into the box at the top of the page or pick it from your device. Digital and scanned PDFs both work, and you can send several at once.
It maps the table
The converter finds the table structure, applies OCR where a page is a scan, and keeps numbers numeric and dates as dates rather than guessing column edges from spacing.
Check, then download
Review the converted table, then download it ready to open in Excel. Need the strict .xls binary? Save As, Excel 97 to 2003 Workbook in Excel. Your file is deleted right after.
What people convert to XLS
Most of the work is financial documents that arrive as PDFs and have to become numbers you can work with.
Bank statements
Turn monthly statements into a clean ledger for reconciliation.
Invoices
Pull line items and totals into a sheet for tracking and AP.
Credit card statements
Categorize charges and tie them out without retyping.
General ledger
Get a GL export back into a workable spreadsheet to foot and filter.
Financial reports
Spread balance sheets and income statements for analysis.
Receipts
Digitize receipts into rows for expense reports and taxes.
Built into a daily workflow? See the setups for accountants, bookkeepers, and finance teams.
Ways to convert a PDF to XLS, compared
An honest look at why some methods keep the data clean and others leave you reformatting.
| Method | Columns line up? | Reads scans? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy and paste | Rarely | No | Everything lands in one column as text. The fastest way to a long cleanup. |
| Excel From PDF (Power Query) | Sometimes | No | Built into Microsoft 365 on Windows, decent on simple tables, but no OCR and complex pages split into the wrong columns. |
| Free online converters | Sometimes | Varies | Quick for one clean file, but many guess columns from spacing and few let you check the result first. |
| Installed desktop programs | Usually | Usually | Accurate on many layouts, but a paid license to buy and a program to install and keep updated. |
| PDFXLSX in your browser | Yes | Yes | Reads real table structure, OCR on scans, and shows the result so you can check it before downloading. |
No converter is perfect on every layout, which is why the preview matters: you confirm the figures before you rely on them. Switching from another tool? See how we compare with Smallpdf, Adobe Acrobat, and desktop converter software.
What is the best PDF converter to XLS?
The best PDF converter to XLS is whichever one rebuilds the table structure rather than dumping loose text into a single column. That is the whole job. A PDF stores characters at fixed coordinates on a page and has no idea a cell exists, so every converter has to infer where the rows and columns sit. Tools differ almost entirely in how well they make that inference on a real document with wrapped descriptions, merged headers, and figures that run across a page break.
Judge a converter on three things before you pay for one. Does it read a scanned page, meaning does it run OCR rather than quietly returning an empty sheet? Do numbers arrive as numbers, so a column will actually total, instead of as text that looks right and sums to zero? And can it handle more than one file, because a month of statements is not one upload. Drop a file into the converter at the top of this page and check those three things against your own document.
Can I convert a PDF to XLS instead of XLSX?
Yes, and for most people XLSX is the better pick anyway. XLS is the older binary Excel format, capped at 65,536 rows and 256 columns, and Microsoft has treated it as legacy for years. XLSX is the modern format, handles over a million rows, and opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, and every accounting package worth using. Choose XLS only when a specific legacy system demands it.
If the file is going into another program rather than in front of a person, a CSV is often cleaner still, because it carries no formatting to fight with. Our breakdown of CSV versus Excel covers what CSV silently corrupts, including leading zeros and long account numbers, before you commit to it. For the modern format, see converting PDF to XLSX.
Convert PDF to XLS: common questions
Upload your PDF into the converter at the top of this page, let it detect the table and run OCR if the file is a scan, then check the preview and download a clean spreadsheet that opens in Excel. The whole thing takes a few seconds and nothing installs. If you need the strict .xls binary, open the file in Excel and use Save As, Excel 97 to 2003 Workbook.
XLS is the older Excel format used from Excel 97 to 2003, stored as a binary file and limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns. XLSX has been the default since Excel 2007: it holds over a million rows, makes smaller files, and is what modern Excel and Google Sheets expect. Pick XLSX unless an old program or template specifically requires .xls.
Yes. Your first conversion here is free, with no software to install. Upload a PDF, convert it, and download the spreadsheet at no cost. If you convert documents regularly or in volume, paid plans add batch processing and higher limits. See the free PDF to Excel converter page for what the free conversion covers.
Use a converter that maps the table structure rather than pasting text, so rows, columns, and number types survive the conversion. This tool keeps amounts numeric and dates as dates, and a cell that held two lines stays one row. For the full walkthrough, see how to convert PDF to Excel without losing formatting.
Yes. A scanned PDF is an image, so it needs OCR to read the numbers before they can land in cells. This converter runs OCR automatically when it detects a scan, then maps the recognized text into the right rows and columns. Check the preview closely on scans, since OCR can occasionally misread a digit, and fix anything before you rely on the figures.
It is safe when the tool encrypts your files and deletes them after conversion, which this one does. Uploads are encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in isolation, and removed automatically once your spreadsheet is ready. Nothing is stored long term, shared, or reused, so even sensitive financial documents stay private.
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Convert your PDF to XLS now
Drop a PDF at the top of the page, check the converted table, and download a clean spreadsheet with the columns lined up and the numbers ready to total. Your first conversion is free. Prefer the modern format? Convert straight to XLSX, or pull just the grids with the PDF table extractor.