You don't need Excel — you need to feed the data into a script, a database, or an accounting platform that takes CSV. The fancy xlsx with merged cells and number formatting just gets in the way.
Go straight to CSV.
Why CSV beats xlsx for some jobs
CSV is plain text. Every spreadsheet, database, programming language, and import tool reads it. No formatting, no formulas, no encoding surprises (usually).
Where xlsx is right: when humans will edit and view it. Where CSV is right: when machines will read it, or when you need a format that survives every system unchanged.
How to get CSV from a PDF
Convert the PDF to Excel first, then File > Save As > CSV in Excel. Or use Flint's convert hub to go straight to CSV in one step. The hub lets you pick CSV explicitly from the format options.
For a multi-table PDF, you'll get one CSV per table (or a single CSV with the tables stacked, depending on your preference).
Encoding and delimiters
Two CSV gotchas: encoding (UTF-8 vs Latin-1 vs Windows-1252 — pick UTF-8 unless you're targeting a system that explicitly wants something else) and delimiter (comma vs semicolon vs tab). Many European systems prefer semicolons because commas appear inside numbers (1.234,56). Most import wizards let you pick the delimiter.
Cleanup before import
Open the CSV in any text editor or spreadsheet and check: rows have the same number of columns (no rogue commas inside cells without quoting), header row is on row 1, no totals row at the bottom (delete it or your import will choke), no merged cells inherited as blanks (fill them down). Five-minute hygiene saves an hour of import debugging.
FAQ
What's the difference between CSV and TSV?
TSV uses tabs instead of commas. Useful when your data contains commas. Most tools that accept CSV also accept TSV.
Will CSV preserve number formatting?
No — CSV is plain text. Decimal points stay, but currency symbols, thousands separators and date formats become whatever the converter wrote. Standardise after.
Can I do this in batch?
Yes — the API supports batch conversion. The browser flow is one file at a time.
Why is my CSV showing weird characters?
Encoding mismatch. Open in a text editor that lets you choose encoding (BBEdit, Notepad++) and save as UTF-8.
CSV when the machine reads it, xlsx when the human does. Convert your PDF to CSV for clean data.