Documentation

Introduction

HTML Table Exporter is a Chrome extension that detects tables on any webpage and exports them to your preferred format. Unlike web scrapers that require complex configuration, this tool works instantly: click, select format, download.

Who is this for?

• Data analysts who need to extract tables from financial reports, government sites, or research databases
• Researchers collecting structured data from academic sources or Wikipedia
• Developers who need quick access to tabular data without building a scraper
• Anyone tired of copy-pasting tables cell by cell

Installation

1. Visit the Chrome Web Store

   Open the HTML Table Exporter page in your Chrome browser.

2. Click "Add to Chrome"

   Click the blue button and confirm in the popup. Installation takes about 3 seconds.

3. Pin the extension (optional)

   Click the puzzle icon in Chrome's toolbar and pin HTML Table Exporter for quick access.

Quick Start

Export your first table in under 60 seconds:

How to Export Tables

Smart Selection (Fastest Method)

This approach saves time by allowing users to select their target data directly. Simply click anywhere on a table within the webpage and then open the HTML Table Exporter PRO extension icon. The extension automatically highlights and focuses on that specific table, allowing it to be exported instantly without the need to scroll through other detected results.

Flexible Export Formats

Each detected table can be exported in several professional formats by clicking the corresponding button on the table card:

• Excel (XLSX) — Ideal for deep data analysis
• CSV — Perfect for general spreadsheet use
• JSON or NDJSON — Works best for web development and NoSQL databases
• SQL — Generates ready-to-use INSERT statements for database usage

Bulk Download

For users who want to extract all tables at once, bulk download is available. To do this, locate the ZIP Format dropdown menu and choose your preferred format (such as CSV or JSON) for the files inside the archive. By clicking "Export all tables (ZIP)," all tables on the page are downloaded together in one organized package.

Company,Revenue,Growth
Apple,394.33B,+7.8%
Microsoft,211.91B,+12.4%
Google,282.84B,+9.8%

Export Formats

HTML Table Exporter supports five output formats, each optimized for different use cases.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

The universal format. Works with Excel, Google Sheets, databases, and virtually any data tool. PRO users can customize the delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab) for regional compatibility.

Name,Email,Status
John Doe,[email protected],Active
Jane Smith,[email protected],Pending

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Perfect for developers and APIs. Each row becomes an object with column headers as keys.

[
  {
    "Name": "John Doe",
    "Email": "[email protected]",
    "Status": "Active"
  }
]

Excel (XLSX)

Native Excel format with proper cell types. Numbers are numbers, dates are dates.

NDJSON (Newline Delimited JSON)

Perfect for streaming data processing and NoSQL databases. Each line is a separate JSON object, making it ideal for large datasets and log processing.

{"Name":"John Doe","Email":"[email protected]","Status":"Active"}
{"Name":"Jane Smith","Email":"[email protected]","Status":"Pending"}

SQL (INSERT Statements)

Generate ready-to-use INSERT statements for direct database import. Perfect for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and other SQL databases.

INSERT INTO table_name (Name, Email, Status) VALUES
('John Doe', '[email protected]', 'Active'),
('Jane Smith', '[email protected]', 'Pending');

Data Cleaning

Web data is messy: Currency symbols, inconsistent date formats, hidden characters; these break analyses and imports. HTML Table Exporter cleans your data automatically.

Automatic Cleaning (Free)

• Trims whitespace from all cells
• Removes hidden Unicode characters
• Normalizes line breaks
• Preserves merged cell structure

Smart Cleaning Profiles (PRO)

PRO includes pre-built cleaning profiles for common data types:

Currency Profile

Removes $, €, £ symbols and thousand separators. Converts $1,234.56 to 1234.56.

Percentage Profile

Strips % symbols. Converts 45.5% to 0.455 or 45.5.

Date Profile

Standardizes dates to ISO format. Converts Jan 15, 2024 to 2024-01-15.

// Raw data from website
"  $1,234.56  ", "Jan 15, 2024", "45.5%"

// After cleaning profiles
1234.56, "2024-01-15", 0.455

Batch Export

When a page has multiple tables (or you need multiple formats), batch export saves hours.

Export All Tables

Click "Export All" in the extension popup. Each table becomes a separate file.

ZIP Download

Get a single ZIP containing all tables in your chosen format.

tables-export.zip
├── table-1-revenue-summary.csv
├── table-2-revenue-summary.csv
├── table-3-revenue-summary.csv

Complex Tables

Real-world tables are rarely simple grids. HTML Table Exporter handles the complexity that breaks other tools.

Merged Cells (Rowspan/Colspan)

When cells span multiple rows or columns, the exported data fills the appropriate cells to maintain structure.

Nested Tables

Tables inside tables are common on older websites. Hover highlighting helps you verify before exporting.

Dynamic/JavaScript Tables

As long as the table is visible in your browser, we can export it. If pagination exists, navigate to load all data first.

Free vs PRO Comparison

The free version is genuinely useful, no artificial limitations. PRO adds power features for daily users.

Troubleshooting

"No tables detected"

Some sites use <div> layouts that look like tables but aren't semantic HTML tables. The extension only detects actual <table> elements. Make sure the page has fully loaded.

Missing data in export

Check if the table uses lazy loading. Scroll through the entire table first, then export.

Export has wrong encoding

The extension uses UTF-8 encoding. If you see garbled characters in Excel, use Data → From Text/CSV to import.

Extension not working on a site

Some sites (like Chrome Web Store itself) block extensions for security. This is a Chrome limitation.