Guides › Documents & Data

Pull a table out of a PDF into a spreadsheet

Get tables trapped in PDFs or screenshots into Excel or Google Sheets as clean, sortable rows without retyping anything.

Documents & DataBeginner5 minAI assistantExcelGoogle Sheets
Open the interactive guideBrowse all guides

When to use it

When you need numbers from a PDF in a spreadsheet

Step by step

  1. Attach the PDF or a screenshot

    Upload the PDF to your AI assistant, or take a clear screenshot of just the table you need.

  2. Ask for clean rows

    Paste this prompt.

    Prompt to copyExtract the table on page [page number] (titled '[table title]') from the attached file. Output it as a table I can paste into a spreadsheet: one header row, one row per line, numbers without currency symbols or commas, dates as DD/MM/YYYY, and empty cells left blank. Don't add or calculate anything. After the table, list any cells you couldn't read clearly.
  3. Paste into your spreadsheet

    Copy the table and paste it into Excel or Google Sheets. If it all lands in one column, ask the assistant for the same data as CSV and use the import option instead.

  4. Spot-check against the original

    Compare the totals and a few random rows with the PDF. If the PDF has a total row, add a SUM formula to make sure it matches.

What you get

Month | Visitors | Sales | Refunds 01/01/2026 | 1840 | 12450 | 320 01/02/2026 | 1620 | 11010 | 290 Unclear cells: none.

Tips

More Documents & Data guides