Extract PDF Form Data to Excel / CSV
Turn a stack of filled-in PDF forms into one spreadsheet — nothing is uploaded.
Forms
| File | Pages | What was found | Remove |
|---|
Fields
Forms are matched by field name. Tick the fields to export and type a new title to rename a column.
| Export | Field | Type | Forms | Example | Choices | Column title |
|---|
No field matches.
Export
Preview
About the Extract PDF Form Data to Excel / CSV
A fillable PDF form keeps what people typed inside the file. This tool reads those values from one form or from hundreds and puts them in a single table: one row per form, one column per field — text boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, drop-downs and list boxes, including lists with several choices ticked.
See every field with its name, type and choices, untick the ones you don’t need, give the columns the titles you want, and download CSV, Excel (.xlsx) or JSON. For a single form you can also save XFDF, the XML form-data format that Adobe Acrobat and many other PDF programs can import back into a form. The forms are read on your device and never uploaded.
How to use it
- Choose the filled-in PDF forms or drag them onto the box. Add more at any time; the list shows how many fields each form has and how many are filled in.
- Under Fields, tick the fields to export. Search by name or type, press Only filled to drop fields nobody filled in, and type a new Column title to rename a column.
- Under Export, pick CSV, Excel, JSON or XFDF. For check boxes choose Yes/No, TRUE/FALSE or the stored value; for drop-downs choose the stored value or the text people saw.
- Look at the preview, then press Download (or Copy for CSV, JSON and XFDF).
Examples
ann.pdf, bo.pdf and cy.pdf, made from the same template: name, email, plan (radio buttons), newsletter (check box), topics (list box)
File,name,email,plan,newsletter,topics ann.pdf,Ann Lee,ann@example.com,Pro,Yes,Maps; Charts bo.pdf,Bo Chen,bo@example.com,Basic,No, cy.pdf,Cy Dar,cy@example.com,Pro,Yes,Charts
Fields are matched by their full name, so forms made from one template line up column by column.
<field name="name"> <value>Ann Lee</value> </field> <field name="newsletter"> <value>Yes</value> </field>
Fields with dots in their name (applicant.address.city) are written as nested field elements, the way PDF programs export XFDF.
Common uses
- Collecting event registrations, surveys or applications that came back as filled-in PDFs.
- Moving the data of HR, insurance or admissions forms into a spreadsheet or database.
- Checking what is stored in a form before sending it on, or comparing the answers of several people.
- Listing the fields of a form (names, types and choices) to build an import, a mail merge or an automation.
- Saving the data of one form as XFDF to fill the same form again elsewhere.
What the values mean
A PDF form stores each value under the field’s name (ISO 32000-1 §12.7). Text fields keep the text. Check boxes keep the name of their “on” state — often Yes — or Off. Radio buttons keep the export value of the chosen button. Drop-downs and list boxes keep the export value of each chosen option, which can differ from the text people see (an option shown as “India” may be stored as IN). Choose the text people saw to export the labels instead.
Signature fields are listed, but their content is not exported — a signed one is marked “Signed”.
Dynamic (XFA) forms
Some forms, mainly from government and bank portals, are Adobe XFA forms that only open fully in Adobe Reader. They keep their answers in an XML data packet instead of ordinary fields. When a file has such a packet and no ordinary fields, this tool reads the packet’s values and names them by their position in the XML (form1.Address.City, repeated rows as Row[1], Row[2]). XFDF cannot carry those values; use CSV, Excel or JSON.
Safe to open in a spreadsheet
Someone can type =HYPERLINK(…) or a similar formula into a form field, and a spreadsheet would run it when you open the CSV. By default, text that starts with =, @ or a tab, or with + or - and is not a plain number, gets a leading apostrophe. Switch this off if you need the exact text. Excel files are written with every value as text, so nothing is evaluated and leading zeros in postcodes and ID numbers are kept.
Sources
- ISO 32000-1:2008, Document management — Portable document format — Part 1: PDF 1.7, §12.7, Interactive forms: field types, names and values.
- ISO 19444-1:2019, Document management — XML Forms Data Format — Part 1: Use of ISO 32000-2 (XFDF 3.0): the XFDF file format.
Limitations
- Only values saved in the file are read. A form that was filled in but never saved shows empty fields.
- Text typed onto a page with a text-box or typewriter tool, or a scan of a paper form, is page content, not form data — use PDF to Text for that.
- Password-protected or restricted PDFs are not read. Remove the protection with Unlock PDF first.
- Form scripts are never run: a field whose value a script calculates shows the result that was last saved in the file.
- Fields are matched by name. Forms made from different templates give extra columns, left empty where a form has no such field.
- Excel cells hold at most 32,767 characters; longer values are cut in the .xlsx file (CSV and JSON keep them whole).
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
Are my forms uploaded?
No. Each PDF is read by your browser on your device, and the CSV, Excel, JSON and XFDF files are made there. Nothing is sent to MySmartCoPilot or anyone else — which matters for forms with personal data.
Why is a column empty for some forms?
Either that form has no field with that name (it came from another template), or nobody filled it in. The field list shows in how many forms each field exists and in how many it has a value.
Why does a drop-down show a code instead of the text I saw?
Forms store the option’s export value, which authors often make a short code. Switch Drop-downs and lists to The text people saw to export the label; the field list shows both, as “Label (value)”.
Can I import the XFDF file back into a PDF?
Yes, into a form with the same field names: Adobe Acrobat and many other PDF programs can import XFDF form data. It is useful for filling a blank copy of the form with the saved answers.
How many forms can I read at once?
There is no fixed limit — forms are read one after another, and each file can be up to 300 MB. Very large batches depend on your device’s memory; split them into groups if the browser slows down.