How to convert PDF to CSV: 5 easy steps.

While PDFs excel at presenting data for viewing, sharing and printing, extracting this data for deeper analysis can be challenging. Converting PDFs to CSV (Comma-Separated Values) offers an easy solution. By converting PDFs to CSV, you can essentially 'unlock' the underlying data, making it readily available for further analysis, customisation and integration into various software applications and databases such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

Keep reading to learn how to convert PDF to CSV in just a few simple steps.

Icon of a CSV file outlined in black against a white background, with 'CSV' in a green rectangle at the top left.

What you’ll learn

Why convert PDF to CSV?

CSV files, also known as Comma-Separated Values files, offer a straightforward format for storing data. Each line represents a row of data, with commas separating the values within each row. This simplicity ensures compatibility across various platforms like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and other statistical analysis tools.

If you've received financial reports in PDF format for analysis or forecasting or you're dealing with invoices or receipts that need integration into accounting software or databases, converting these documents to CSV can save you a lot of time and effort, improving efficiency and workflows.

Converting PDFs to CSV can also simplify collaboration processes. With data stored in CSV format, you can easily share, analyse and manipulate information across teams and departments, enhancing productivity and decision-making capabilities. Plus, the structured nature of CSV files ensures data integrity and consistency, reducing the risk of errors during processing and analysis.

How to convert PDF to CSV?

While several methods exist for converting PDF files to CSV, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat online services provide a quick and efficient solution.

Converting to Excel first.

To ensure a smooth conversion and preserve formatting, it’s best to firstly convert your PDF to Excel before saving as CSV. Excel's structure and formatting capabilities help prevent data loss or misalignment that may occur when directly converting from PDF to CSV. This can easily be achieved in Adobe Acrobat and using our online services. To get started, follow the steps below.

A woman works on a laptop surrounded by digital images of graphs, tables, and data, symbolising the merging of datasets into files.

How to convert PDF to CSV with Adobe Acrobat.

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat. Ensure that you're logged in to the desktop version of Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Open and export. Open the PDF file you want to convert and navigate to Tools > Export PDF.
  3. Choose Excel. Select the Excel format (.xlsx) from the drop-down menu.
  4. Save as Excel. Click "Export" and choose a location to save your converted file.
  5. Save as CSV. After checking for formatting and errors, select File > Save As and choose CSV (.csv) from the drop-down menu.

How to convert PDF to CSV using online tools.

  1. Access Adobe’s PDF converter. Open Adobe's free Convert PDF to Excel tool.
  2. Upload your PDF. Click "Select a file" to upload your PDF.
  3. Convert. Once uploaded, click "Convert to Excel."
  4. Save as Excel. Download the converted Excel file to your computer.
  5. Save as CSV. Open the file, check for formatting and errors, then select File > Save As and choose CSV (.csv) from the drop-down menu.

There are plenty of reasons you may want to convert a PDF file to CSV format. By following these simple steps using Adobe Acrobat or our online tools, you can seamlessly transition your data from PDF format to CSV, ensuring compatibility and ease of use across various platforms and applications.

FAQs.

Are there security risks in converting PDFs files to CSV?

Converting PDFs to CSV files isn't inherently risky, but handling sensitive data always requires extra caution. Make sure that you use trusted tools like Adobe Acrobat and consider encryption or password protection for added security.

Can I convert scanned PDFs to CSV?

It’s possible to convert scanned PDFs to CSV format using optical character recognition (OCR) technology available in solutions like Adobe Acrobat. This feature allows you to extract text from scanned images and convert it into editable and searchable data in CSV format.

How do I convert a PDF bank statement to CSV?

To convert a PDF bank statement to CSV, you have several options. You can first convert the PDF to Excel using Adobe Acrobat or online tools, then save it as a CSV. If the bank statement is scanned, you can leverage Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology available in Adobe Acrobat to extract text and convert it into Excel, then save as CSV format seamlessly.

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