PDF to XML Converter Software with a Documented XML Schema

One page of a sales report, converted. Below is the start of the XML our engine wrote for a one-page test report with a ruled table. We cut the paragraph text, the last three table rows and the closing paragraph for space. Element names, attributes and their values are exactly as written.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<document source="report_with_table.pdf" pages="1" units="pt" origin="top-left">
  <page number="1" width="595.3" height="841.9">
    <heading level="1">Regional Summary</heading>
    <paragraph>Quarterly revenue grew across all three regions...</paragraph>
    <table rows="6" columns="4" source="lattice">
      <row header="1"><cell>Region</cell><cell>Licenses</cell><cell>Revenue</cell><cell>Share</cell></row>
      <row><cell>North</cell><cell>120</cell><cell>15,400.00</cell><cell>12%</cell></row>
      <row><cell>South</cell><cell>157</cell><cell>17,710.00</cell><cell>15%</cell></row>
      <!-- 3 more rows -->
    </table>
  </page>
</document>

XML schema, element by element

Every file follows the same documented schema. Pick a tab to see which elements and attributes appear and when.

document

Root element. Holds the source file name, page count, units="pt" and origin="top-left".

page

One per page of the PDF, with its number. Everything found on that page sits inside it.

heading

Carries level from 1 to 6, based on font size relative to body text across all pages. Levels stay consistent from page to page.

paragraph

Body text. With the option off, each paragraph is one run of text with page line breaks removed.

table

Holds rows and columns counts and a source attribute with three possible values: tagged for a grid read from PDF tags, lattice for ruling lines, stream for text alignment.

row

One per table row. Your loader can read column names from the header row, marked header="1".

cell

Cell text. Merged cells keep colspan or rowspan, so the original grid can be rebuilt.

x, y, w, h

Position and size in points. Tables and cells get them, and so do headings and paragraphs. Zero is the top-left corner and y grows downward, unlike native PDF coordinates.

with the option on

fonts and fontspec

Listed once at the top of the document. Each fontspec has an id, family and size, a color as #RRGGBB, plus bold and italic flags when they are set. Elements point to it with font="id", so color is not repeated on each one.

with the option on

line and text

Heading and paragraph text moves into nested line and text elements, each with its own box. A line that runs from right to left carries dir="rtl".

with the option on

width and height

Page size in points on every page element. A standard A4 page usually reads as 595.3 by 841.9.

scanned="1"

Set when the page had no text layer, only an image. Your loader can route such pages to a manual check.

ocr="1" and confidence

Set when page text came from recognition, with a confidence value alongside. Recognized pages give paragraphs; table detection does not run on them.

One XML per PDF in the batch

Add single files or a folder of reports. PDF to XML Converter Software writes one XML per PDF, named after the source, and asks once per batch before overwriting. Remove password-protected or damaged PDFs from the list first: either stops the batch at that file.

Elements in reading order

On a two-column layout, the left column comes first, then the right. Hebrew or Arabic lines keep their right-to-left order.

Prose stays prose

Wide gaps in text confuse many table finders. We reject false table candidates from running prose. On our two-column test file, 9 were dropped and the prose stayed as written.

A Windows desktop program

The program installs on Windows with PDFium built in and our own XML writer. Nothing gets added to your project. You start batches by hand: there is no API, SDK or command line for PDFs, so a server job cannot call it as a service.

A layout dump, or data you can query

The usual routes

Editor export and upload sites

A PDF editor's XML export describes page layout rather than its data
Tables arrive as loose strings with no grid behind them
Upload converters rarely say how PDF content maps to XML elements

VS

This program

One schema, shown up front

The same documented schema for every file, shown on this page
Runs on your PC, reports are not uploaded anywhere

Download

How to download and use the PDF to XML Converter Software

1

Install and load the reports

After setup, drag PDF files or a folder into the list.

2

Decide on positions and fonts

"Structured XML" is the only output format. Tick "Add coordinates and fonts (position, size, font of every element)" to include block positions; leave it off for a lighter file with text only.

3

Run the conversion

Press Convert. The completion message gives the number of files converted to XML and their destination folder. Stop halts the job between two files.

4

Point your parser at the output

Every XML is UTF-8 without a byte order mark. Read it with XSLT, Python's ElementTree or the bulk loader of your database.

Who uses a PDF to XML Converter Tool?

Data engineers

ETL developers

Systems integrators

BI analysts

Search-index developers

Document-pipeline QA testers

Procurement automation developers

Accessibility and layout analysts

How far the trial goes on each PDF

Output	Trial	License
PDFs in one batch	No limit	No limit
Lines written to each XML	First 10 (a text line or a table row each)	The whole document
Table header row	Kept, not counted in the 10	✓
Pages past the cut	✗	✓
XML that passes a parser	✓	✓
In a trial file, the pages attribute of document counts only the pages that made it in.	Download	Buy now From $ 29.99

Buy now

From $ 29.99

Download

In a trial file, the pages attribute of document counts only the pages that made it in.

PDF to XML Converter Software

Price

from $ 29.99

Version

3.3

File Size

9 Mb

Last updated on

31/08/26

Trial limit is 10 lines per PDF in the XML output

System Requirements

Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit)
Intel i3, AMD Ryzen 5 or above
4 GB of RAM or above
NVIDIA® GeForce® series 8 and 8M, Intel® HD Graphics 2000, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5600, AMD Radeon™ R600, Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330, Mobility FirePro™ series, Radeon™ R5 M230 or higher graphics card with up-to-date drivers
1280 × 768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
1 GB of free hard disk space or above

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert a PDF file to XML?

Add a PDF or a whole folder to the list, keep Structured XML as the output, choose whether to include coordinates and fonts, and press Convert. Each XML file takes its name from the PDF and has a document root with one page element per page.

How is a PDF different from an XML file?

A PDF records text positions. Reading order, table grids and the distinction between titles and body text are mostly not stored as data. XML uses nested, named elements in plain text for programs to read. The program rebuilds this structure by grouping lines into paragraphs, identifying headings by font size and finding table cells. Tagged PDFs carry some structure; the program uses their table tags when available.

Is there a free way to convert PDF to XML?

The free trial of our PDF to XML converter converts every PDF you add but writes only the first 10 lines of each. The shortened file stays valid XML, so you can check the element tree on your reports and test your parser. Online services require an upload and seldom describe their XML output. A license removes the limit.

How do I save a PDF file in XML format, and what does the file look like?

Add the PDF and the program saves an XML file with the same name. It looks like the sample near the top of this page. A document root holds a page element for each page, and inside each page the headings, paragraphs and tables follow reading order. The schema tabs list every element and attribute. When you compare tools in search of the best PDF to XML converter for a data pipeline, ask each one for an output sample like this before anything else.

Can I load data from PDFs into a database?

Yes. You map the XML into tables with a bulk loader or a short XSLT script. Table rows become records, the header row supplies column names, and headings can serve as section labels. You must map fields such as invoice numbers and due dates yourself; the program does not recognize them.

How are tables with merged cells written?

Merged cells keep colspan or rowspan, and the header row is marked so you can rebuild the grid. A table spanning several pages becomes a separate table inside each page element. A marked header row appears only where the PDF repeats the header. Scanned pages give paragraphs, not tables.

Can it produce XML in my own schema (invoice, XBRL, Tally)?

No. The program uses the schema shown in the tabs above, with no templates or field mapping. For a website or accounting program that expects its own XML, transform the output with XSLT or use a program made for that format. XML forms for government sites normally come from the form's own software rather than a PDF.

Download PDF to XML Converter Software: Tables as Rows and Cells

XML schema, element by element

document

page

heading

paragraph

table

row

cell

x, y, w, h

fonts and fontspec

line and text

width and height

scanned="1"

ocr="1" and confidence

Data your scripts can rely on

One XML per PDF in the batch

Elements in reading order

Prose stays prose

A Windows desktop program

A layout dump, or data you can query

Editor export and upload sites

One schema, shown up front

How to download and use the PDF to XML Converter Software

Install and load the reports

Decide on positions and fonts

Run the conversion

Point your parser at the output

Who uses a PDF to XML Converter Tool?

How far the trial goes on each PDF

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert a PDF file to XML?

How is a PDF different from an XML file?

Is there a free way to convert PDF to XML?

How do I save a PDF file in XML format, and what does the file look like?

Can I load data from PDFs into a database?

How are tables with merged cells written?

Can it produce XML in my own schema (invoice, XBRL, Tally)?

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