Tables in PDF documents are laid out with positioning, not structure, so the moment you copy one out of a PDF viewer the columns collapse into runs of spaces and every row arrives as a single ragged line of text. This page takes that pasted text and rebuilds the table: spaces between values are treated as column separators, each line becomes a row, numbers and dates are recognised where they appear, and the result can be downloaded as a CSV file or an Excel workbook. Because a space splits the columns, a value that itself contains a space — a description like Coffee shop — will be divided into two cells, so keep that in mind when you look at the preview. Everything runs in this browser tab; there is no upload step and no server — you paste the table text, not the PDF.
Why copying from a PDF mangles tables
A PDF stores each fragment of text at a coordinate on the page and has no idea those fragments belong to the same column. When you select and copy a table, the viewer can only flatten it into one line per row, padding the gaps with spaces. Tools that only understand commas or tabs see a single value per line and give up. The fix is to treat the spaces in a row as the boundary between columns, which is exactly what this page does by default.
How the paste-only workflow works
Open your PDF, select the table, and copy it. Come back here, paste into the box, and the table rebuilds: lines become rows, the gaps between values become columns, and the first line becomes the header row. Numbers and dates are cast into values a spreadsheet can sort and sum, and you can untick the header row, drop blank rows, remove duplicates, and sort by any column. Then download as CSV or as an Excel workbook.
Blank lines and page-break artefacts
Copying a table that spans pages often drags in stray blank lines, running heads or repeated fragments between the rows. Empty rows are dropped before the preview is drawn. Repeated rows can be removed too: tick Remove duplicate rows in the fixes and identical lines collapse so each record appears once. The result line counts what was cleared, so you can see the cleanup happened.
What the cleaned table looks like
Short rows are padded with empty cells so the table stays square, and the preview shows exactly what will land in your spreadsheet — every cell visible, nothing hidden behind formatting. The column count, row count and any rows removed by the fixes are all shown in the result line, so you can check the rebuild matches the PDF before you download anything.
Choosing the delimiter yourself
Whitespace splitting is the default because it matches what a PDF viewer produces, but it is not the only option. If your pasted text happens to use commas, tabs, semicolons or pipes between the columns, pick that separator in the picker above the preview and the table rebuilds on the spot. The tool also detects the separator on its own and tells you which one it settled on.
Download the rebuilt table
When the preview matches the table you copied, download it as a CSV file that any spreadsheet opens directly, or as an Excel workbook where dates and numbers are stored as real values. The file name carries the date it was created, so repeated attempts stay separate in your downloads folder. Nothing is written back to the PDF or anywhere else; the file is built in your browser and saved straight to your device.
Questions
Do I need to convert the PDF file itself?
No. This page is paste-only. Select the table in your PDF viewer, copy it, and paste the text here. The PDF never leaves your machine and nothing is sent anywhere.
What counts as a column separator?
With the default whitespace setting, any run of spaces or tabs splits the columns — including a single space. That means the wide gaps a PDF viewer leaves are handled without adjustment, but a value that contains a space, such as Coffee shop, will be split into two cells. If your pasted text uses a real delimiter, pick it in the picker instead and spaces inside values stay intact.
Will numbers and dates arrive as real values?
Yes. Values that look like numbers are cast to numbers, and dates in day-first or month-first order are converted so spreadsheet sorting and formulas work on them. You can switch the date order or turn casting off in the controls.
Does the table keep its header row?
The first pasted line is treated as the header row by default, so column titles such as Invoice or Status land in the header. Untick the header option if the top row of your table is data rather than titles.
Where does the text go?
Nowhere. The whole fix runs in this browser tab. There is no server, so there is nothing to upload the text to and no copy kept after you close the page.