# Convert PDF to Excel (.xlsx)

> Extract tables from a PDF into an editable .xlsx using LibreOffice in your browser.

Open the tool: https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/pdf-to-excel

Convert PDF tables to .xlsx. Loads LibreOffice on first use. Free, no signup. Runs entirely in your browser; files are never uploaded.

## How it works

Drop a PDF and the tool runs it through LibreOffice (compiled to WebAssembly, loaded on first use, ~300 MB then cached) to produce an .xlsx. PDFs with clearly-defined tables (rows separated by lines, columns aligned) convert with good fidelity. Free-form text and tables defined by whitespace alone are harder, the result may need cleanup. Scanned PDFs become images, you'd need to OCR first for cell-by-cell extraction. The output .xlsx opens in Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, and Google Sheets. For complex tables with merged cells, footnotes, or multi-page tables that span breaks, expect to spend some time tidying up. Note: the LibreOffice WASM bundle isn't fully self-hosted yet; the tool will return an honest error message until it's deployed.

## How to use it

1. **Drop your PDF.** Tables with gridlines and aligned columns extract most cleanly.
2. **Wait for the engine on first use.** The LibreOffice WASM bundle (~300 MB) downloads once and caches.
3. **Convert.** The extraction runs locally — your PDF stays on your device.
4. **Tidy up the .xlsx.** Open it in Excel or Sheets and clean up merged cells or multi-page tables if needed.

## Frequently asked questions

### How well does this extract tables from PDF?

Well for PDFs with table structure (gridlines, aligned columns). Poorer for ad-hoc tabular text. Scanned PDFs need OCR first.

### Is my PDF uploaded?

No. LibreOffice runs in your browser via WASM. Your PDF stays local.

### Will I get clean cell-by-cell data?

Usually for clear tables. Merged cells, footnotes, and multi-page tables may need post-conversion cleanup.

### What file size limit?

Bounded by browser memory. Tens of MB work fine, hundreds may strain devices with limited RAM.

## Related tools

- [Merge PDFs](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/merge-pdf): Combine multiple PDFs into one file.
- [Split PDF](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/split-pdf): Click between pages to cut, split every N pages, or pull pages out.
- [Compress PDF](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/compress-pdf): Shrink a PDF or fit it under a size limit, and compare before saving.
- [Rotate pages](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/rotate-pdf): Turn pages the right way up. Sideways pages are found for you.
- [Extract pages](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/extract-pages): Pull pages out as a new PDF.
- [Watermark PDF](https://yourbrowsercandoit.com/watermark-pdf): Add text or a logo, placed and previewed on the real page.