[Beginner's Guide] PDF-to-Table with NextRows

If you've ever tried to copy a table out of a PDF, you probably know the struggle: messy formatting, broken rows, numbers out of place. I still remember spending over an hour retyping a simple sales report because it was locked inside a PDF. That's time none of us should be wasting.

That's why we built NextRows' PDF-to-Table feature. With just a few clicks, you can turn tables locked inside PDFs into structured, editable data you can actually work with. This beginner's guide will show you how.

Why PDF-to-Table Matters

• Save hours of manual work – no more retyping numbers from static PDFs
• Keep data accurate – avoid mistakes from copy-paste errors
• Get structured tables instantly – ready to use in Excel, Google Sheets, or any workflow

One of my personal "aha" moments: I once took a finance class where the textbook included a complex balance sheet of a company. I had to type all the numbers into my spreadsheet just to play with the data—there was no digital version provided. I wish I had NextRows back then! At least now I'm super happy that nobody has to go through that tedious typing anymore.

How to Use PDF-to-Table

1. Upload Your PDF

• Go to the NextRows workspace
• Drag and drop your PDF file into the upload box
• For best results, upload only the pages that contain tables. This makes extraction faster and more accurate

2. Automatic Table Extraction

• Our AI scans the PDF and converts the detected table into a structured, editable format
• ⚠️ If there are multiple tables in the same PDF, the system will make its best guess and extract one table. To avoid confusion, we recommend uploading only the pages with the specific table you want

3. Export Your Table

• Copy the cleaned table into Excel, Google Sheets, or wherever you need it

Example

📄 Input: A PDF sales report with multiple tables across several pages
📊 Output: A clean, editable table extracted from the uploaded pages—ready for analysis and reporting

We've heard from analysts who used to spend entire afternoons pulling data out of PDFs. With NextRows, they can now upload the report, grab the table, and move straight into analysis.

Pro Tips

• Upload only the relevant pages with tables for the fastest and most accurate results
• If your PDF has many tables, split the file into smaller parts and upload each one separately
• You can upload multiple files at once, but it may take longer and reduce accuracy. For now, keeping things simple helps the AI perform best

Think of it like this: instead of dumping your whole bookshelf into the system, hand us just the page you want—we'll get it right faster.

Conclusion

NextRows makes it simple to unlock the data hidden inside PDFs. Whether you're working with financial reports, research papers, or invoices, you can transform static tables into usable data in just a few clicks—saving time and avoiding frustration.

👉 Try out the PDF-to-Table feature today!
And if you have anything else you want to convert into a table, let us know — we're here to support you.