How to Extract PDF to CSV with PDF.co API and Postman

Step 1: Download the PDF.co Postman Collection JSON

Download the actual JSON collection file:

Download the PDF.co Postman Collection JSON

The downloaded file should be named similarly to:

PDF.co+API+v.1.00.postman_collection.json

Do not save the documentation page itself. Postman needs the .json collection file.

Step 2: Import the Collection into Postman

Open the Postman desktop application.

From the application menu, select:

File → Import

Select the downloaded JSON file or drag it into the import window. Review the import summary and complete the import.

After the import finishes, open Collections in the Postman sidebar. The imported PDF.co API v.1 collection should appear there.

Step 3: Configure the PDF.co API Key

The collection uses your PDF.co API key to authenticate requests.

Create or select a Postman environment and add the following variable:

• Variable: x-api-key
• Value: Your PDF.co API key

Save the environment and select it as the active environment.

Confirm that the request contains this header:

x-api-key: {{x-api-key}}

It should also contain:

Content-Type: application/json

Keep API keys in a private Postman environment or another protected variable scope. Do not place a real key in documentation, screenshots, shared collections, or source control.

Step 4: Open the PDF-to-CSV Request

In the Postman sidebar:

1. Open Collections.
2. Expand PDF.co API v.1.
3. Expand the top-level PDF to CSV folder.
4. Select the request for:

POST /pdf/convert/to/csv

PDF to CSV is its own folder in the current collection.

The complete endpoint URL is:

https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/to/csv

The request method must be POST.

Step 5: Configure the Request Body

Open the request’s Body tab.

Select raw and choose JSON as the body format. Use a request body such as:

{
  "url": "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-csv/sample.pdf",
  "lang": "eng",
  "inline": false,
  "pages": "0-",
  "async": false,
  "name": "result.csv"
}

Replace the sample URL with a direct, publicly accessible URL to your PDF when you are ready to process your own document.

The primary parameters are:

• url: Direct URL to the source PDF.
• lang: OCR language used for scanned pages. The default is English (eng).
• inline: When false, PDF.co returns a temporary URL for the generated CSV.
• pages: Pages to process. 0- selects every page.
• async: When false, the request waits for the conversion result.
• name: Filename for the generated CSV.

The supported parameters are listed in the PDF.co PDF-to-CSV API documentation.

Step 6: Choose the Pages to Convert

PDF.co uses zero-based page numbering:

• 0 means the first page.
• 1 means the second page.
• 0- means the first page through the final page.
• 0,2,4 selects the first, third, and fifth pages.
• 2-5 selects the third through sixth pages.
• 2- selects the third page through the final page.

Leave pages empty if you want the endpoint’s default behavior of processing all pages.

Step 7: Configure Optional Extraction Settings

You can add optional parameters when the source document requires them.

Password-Protected PDFs

Add the password property:

{
  "password": "document-password"
}

Do not include a password for an unprotected PDF.

Scanned PDFs

Set lang to the document’s OCR language:

{
  "lang": "eng"
}

Two languages can be combined when necessary:

{
  "lang": "eng+deu"
}

Multiline Table Cells

The lineGrouping option controls how extracted lines are combined:

• 1: Group by rows
• 2: Group by columns
• 3: Join orphaned rows

When using unwrap, set lineGrouping to 1.

For example:

{
  "lineGrouping": "1",
  "unwrap": true
}

Extract a Specific Area

Use rect to restrict extraction to a region of each selected page:

x y width height

For example:

{
  "rect": "50 100 500 600"
}

Step 8: Send the Request

Select Send.

Postman will display the HTTP response below the request. Confirm that:

• The HTTP status is 200 OK.
• error is false.
• status is 200.
• The response includes a url for the generated CSV.

A successful response may resemble:

{
  "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/.../result.csv",
  "pageCount": 2,
  "error": false,
  "status": 200,
  "name": "result.csv",
  "remainingCredits": 1000,
  "credits": 20
}

The exact URL, credit values, and page count will vary.

Step 9: Download the CSV File

Copy the returned url value and open it in a browser, or send a GET request to that URL from Postman.

Download the CSV and open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet application. Confirm that the rows and columns match the source PDF.

PDF.co output URLs are temporary. Download the CSV or move it into permanent storage before the link expires.

Return CSV Directly in the Response

To receive the extracted CSV content inside the API response, set:

{
  "inline": true
}

With inline output enabled, the response contains a body property holding the CSV text. This is useful when another application will process the CSV immediately and no downloadable file is required.

For example:

{
  "body": "\"Product\",\"Quantity\",\"Price\"\r\n\"Item 1\",\"2\",\"50.00\"\r\n",
  "pageCount": 1,
  "error": false,
  "status": 200,
  "name": "result.csv"
}

Equivalent cURL Request

The following cURL request performs the same synchronous conversion and returns a downloadable CSV URL:

curl --location 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/to/csv' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' \
  --data '{
    "url": "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-csv/sample.pdf",
    "lang": "eng",
    "inline": false,
    "pages": "0-",
    "async": false,
    "name": "result.csv"
  }'

Replace INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your PDF.co API key before running the command.