How to Convert PDF to Excel with Merged Cells Preserved Using imPDF REST API
Meta Description
Need accurate PDF to Excel conversions with merged cells intact? Learn how I used the imPDF Cloud PDF REST API to streamline data extraction workflows.
Every time I had to convert a PDF report into Excel, I braced myself for the formatting nightmare
You know the drill. Someone emails you a quarterly report embedded in a PDFtables nicely laid out visually but useless when you try copying them into Excel. Cells get scrambled. Merged cells vanish. Columns get split where they shouldn’t. Basically, it’s chaos.
And if you’re in finance, legal, compliance, or any data-heavy role, you know that manually fixing all that mess eats your time alive.
I’ve tried those free online converters. Most of them are hit or miss. Either they don’t handle merged cells properly, or they butcher the table structure altogether. Honestly, I got sick of cleaning up messy exports.
That’s when I found imPDF Cloud PDF REST API.
So, what is imPDF REST API, and how did it solve the problem?
This is not your average PDF tool.
imPDF REST API is a developer-focused cloud API designed to convert, extract, edit, and manipulate PDFs through simple HTTP calls. No clunky UI, no bloatjust raw power for developers who want precision.
I needed a solution that:
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Preserves merged cells
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Can be integrated into our app backend
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Works consistently with scanned and digital PDFs
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Is fast enough for batch processing
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Doesn’t cost a fortune
imPDF nailed every one of these.
Here’s how I actually used it in my workflow
I had a batch of financial reports in PDF formatthink revenue tables, monthly forecasts, multi-page financial statements.
The goal: extract them to Excel with all merged rows/columns preserved, exactly as they appear in the PDFs.
I used the PDF to Excel API from imPDF Cloud.
Here’s the rough flow I followed:
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Uploaded the PDF via the Upload Files API
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Called the PDF to Excel API endpoint, enabling the option to retain layout and merged cells
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Downloaded the .xlsx file from the output URL
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Opened it in Exceland boom, the layout was exactly like the source PDF
Headers were merged correctly, subtotal rows were intact, even complex formatting with indents and groupings came through.
Why imPDF over other tools?
I’ve tried:
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Adobe Acrobat’s export function Often flattens complex tables
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SmallPDF Fast but messes up tables with merged cells
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Zamzar & similar Slow + inconsistent accuracy
imPDF REST API gave me:
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Programmatic control: I could call the API from my Node.js backend and process 100+ files per hour
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Preserved formatting: Merged cells stayed merged, no extra work needed
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Stable and scalable: Zero hiccups, even with large PDFs
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API Lab: This part is geniusyou can test your conversions right in your browser, tweak options, and even generate code snippets
Who needs this?
This is a game changer if you’re:
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A developer building automation tools for document processing
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A finance team extracting tables from scanned invoices or reports
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A legal ops lead turning contracts into structured data
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A data analyst cleaning up forms, statements, or surveys from PDFs
Basically, anyone who:
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Works with large volumes of documents
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Needs Excel output that actually makes sense
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Is tired of cleaning up exports by hand
My top 3 features
1. Merged Cell Preservation
This is the one. imPDF doesn’t just dump tablesit rebuilds them properly.
A 20-page PDF report with monthly sales data exported perfectly, with headers and footers merged as expected. Didn’t need to touch a single cell manually.
2. API Lab
Before I even integrated it into my app, I was able to upload files and test everything via browser. Super helpful to validate how layout conversion worked before pushing anything to code.
3. Developer-First Approach
The docs are solid. Endpoints are clean. And the GitHub + Postman samples saved me hours.
Bonus: it’s language-agnostic. I used it in Node.js, but you could use Python, PHP, Java, whatever.
Real-life example: I saved two days on a project with one API call
We had an internal data audit due.
100+ pages of operations data in PDF, exported from an ERP system.
Normally, this would take our analyst a full two days of copy-paste and formatting.
With imPDF, I scripted a small tool:
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Loop through all PDF files
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Convert each to Excel with merged cells intact
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Zip them up and email them to the team
Done in under 2 hours.
That’s real ROI.
Wrap-up: This is how you actually extract tables from PDFs without headaches
If you’re tired of fixing broken Excel exports, this API is your fix.
No fluff.
No GUI limitations.
Just clean, developer-friendly tools that respect your layout, formatting, and time.
I’d recommend imPDF REST API to anyone automating PDF workflows, especially if you care about precision formatting like merged cells.
Click here to try it out for yourself: https://impdf.com/
Start your free trial now and get your hours back.
Need something custom? imPDF builds it for you.
If you need more than off-the-shelf solutions, imPDF offers custom development tailored to your workflow.
They’ve built tools for:
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Linux, macOS, Windows, and cross-platform environments
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Virtual PDF printer drivers for Windows
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Print job capture, tracking, and conversion
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Windows API monitoring and system-wide hooks
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Barcode recognition, OCR table extraction, and document layout analysis
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Prepress solutions (PDF/X), form data generators, and PDF/A conversions
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Digital signature workflows, DRM protection, and TTF font manipulation
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Cloud tools for secure document handling, PDF validation, and batch automation
Whether you’re converting legacy formats, embedding OCR, or building something entirely newthese guys can make it happen.
Reach out to imPDF support and tell them what you need.
FAQs
Q: Will imPDF REST API work with scanned PDFs?
A: Yes. You can combine it with the OCR PDF API to make scanned text searchable before converting to Excel.
Q: Can I automate bulk conversions?
A: Absolutely. Use a script with loops and the API Polling endpoint to handle batches smoothly.
Q: Does it support password-protected PDFs?
A: Yep, just pass the password along with your request.
Q: Is the output really identical to the PDF layout?
A: In most cases, yes. It even keeps merged rows/columns and complex headers intact.
Q: Can I use it with Google Apps Script or low-code tools?
A: Yes. Any platform that can make HTTP requests can call this API.
Tags / Keywords
PDF to Excel API
Convert PDF tables to Excel
Preserve merged cells from PDF
imPDF REST API
Automate PDF data extraction