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Extract worksheet from Excel file using n8n action

PDF4me Extract Worksheets from Excel converts entire worksheets from Excel workbooks into structured JSON through n8n automation workflows. Process Excel files via n8n triggers, binary data, base64 strings, or public URLs to extract complete worksheet data with automatic header detection, flexible worksheet selection by name or index, multi-sheet support, and data type preservation. This solution is ideal for complete data export, multi-sheet processing, API integration, database migration, and comprehensive Excel-to-JSON transformation workflows that require full worksheet extraction with structured output and seamless integration.

Setup​

Add the PDF4me "Extract Worksheets" node to your n8n workflow and configure the required parameters. For initial setup instructions, see our n8n Integration Guide.

Prerequisites:

  • PDF4me API credentials
  • n8n workflow access
Get Your API Key

Configuration:

  1. Add PDF4me node to workflow
  2. Select "Extract worksheet from Excel file" action
  3. Configure input parameters (see below)
Extract Worksheets from Excel

Parameters​

Complete list of parameters for the Extract Worksheets action. Configure these parameters to control worksheet extraction.

Important: Parameters marked with an asterisk (***) are required and must be provided for the action to function correctly.

ParameterTypeDescriptionExample
Input Data Type***StringExcel Input Format Selection
• Choose the format of your Excel data input
• PDF4me supports multiple input types
• Options: Binary Data, Base64 String, or URL		Binary Data
Input Binary Field***BinaryBinary Excel File Input (Required if Binary Data)
• Reference Excel file (.xlsx, .xls) from previous n8n node or file upload
• PDF4me processes binary Excel files with automatic format detection
• Required when Input Data Type is "Binary Data"		{{ $binary.data }}
Base64 Excel Content***StringBase64 Encoded Excel Input (Required if Base64 String)
• Provide Excel content (.xlsx, .xls) as base64 encoded string
• PDF4me automatically decodes and processes the Excel content
• Required when Input Data Type is "Base64 String"		UEsDBBQABgAI...
Excel URL***StringPublic Excel URL Input (Required if URL)
• Provide a public/open permission URL to the Excel file (.xlsx, .xls)
• PDF4me downloads and processes the Excel file from the provided URL
• Required when Input Data Type is "URL"		https://abc.com/data.xlsx
Excel Name***StringExcel Input Filename
• Specify the name of the input Excel file with proper extension (.xlsx, .xls)
• PDF4me uses this for format detection and processing optimization		data.xlsx
Worksheet NamesStringComma-Separated Worksheet Names
• List of worksheet names to extract
• Format: "Sheet1,Summary,Report"
• Selection Logic: If provided → Extract those named worksheets. If both WorksheetNames and WorksheetIndexes provided → Extract worksheets matching EITHER (union). If NEITHER provided → Extract ALL worksheets
• Case-sensitive worksheet names		Employees,Sales
Worksheet IndexesStringComma-Separated Indexes (0-based)
• List of worksheet indexes to extract
• Format: "0,1,2" (Index 0 = first sheet, Index 1 = second sheet, etc.)
• Selection Logic: If provided → Extract those indexed worksheets. If both parameters provided → Extract worksheets matching EITHER (union)
• 0-based indexing: Index 0 = first worksheet		0,2,4

Output​

Output Parameters​

ParameterTypeDescriptionExample
jsonFileNameStringJSON output filename - The name of the generated JSON file containing extracted worksheet dataexcel_extracted.json
txtFileNameStringTXT output filename - The name of the generated TXT file containing extracted worksheet dataexcel_extracted.txt
jsonFileSizeNumberJSON file size in bytes - The size of the JSON output file in bytes206933
txtFileSizeNumberTXT file size in bytes - The size of the TXT output file in bytes206933
successBooleanPDF4me operation status - Boolean flag indicating the success or failure of the worksheet extraction process. PDF4me returns true for successful operations and false for any errorstrue
originalFileNameStringOriginal Excel document filename - The name of the input Excel document filemyExcelFile.xlsx
extractByStringExtraction method - The method used to identify worksheets for extraction. Values: "name" if extracted by worksheet names, "index" if extracted by worksheet indexesname
worksheetNamesStringWorksheet names extracted - Comma-separated list of worksheet names that were extractedSheet2
parsedDataObjectParsed worksheet data - Object containing extracted worksheet data with worksheet names as keys and arrays of row objects as values. Each row object contains column headers as keys and cell values as values{"Sheet2": [{"First Name": "Dulce", "Age": 32}]}
messageStringOperation message - Descriptive message indicating the result of the worksheet extraction operation, including the worksheet names and extraction methodSuccessfully extracted worksheet(s) 'Sheet2' by name and created JSON and TXT outputs

N8N Action Response​

The PDF4me Extract worksheet from Excel file API returns a response that can be viewed in multiple formats. Choose the view that best fits your needs:

JSON Response Format

The raw JSON response from the API:

[
  {
    "jsonFileName": "excel_extracted.json",
    "txtFileName": "excel_extracted.txt",
    "jsonFileSize": 206933,
    "txtFileSize": 206933,
    "success": true,
    "originalFileName": "myExcelFile.xlsx",
    "extractBy": "name",
    "worksheetNames": "Sheet2",
    "parsedData": {
      "Sheet2": [
        {
          "": 1,
          "First Name": "Dulce",
          "Last Name": "Abril",
          "Gender": "Female",
          "Country": "United States",
          "Age": 32,
          "Date": "15/10/2017",
          "Id": 1562
        },
        {
          "": 2,
          "First Name": "Mara",
          "Last Name": "Hashimoto",
          "Gender": "Female",
          "Country": "Great Britain",
          "Age": 25,
          "Date": "16/08/2016",
          "Id": 1582
        },
        {
          "": 3,
          "First Name": "Philip",
          "Last Name": "Gent",
          "Gender": "Male",
          "Country": "France",
          "Age": 36,
          "Date": "21/05/2015",
          "Id": 2587
        }
      ]
    },
    "message": "Successfully extracted worksheet(s) 'Sheet2' by name and created JSON and TXT outputs"
  }
]

Use Cases​

Complete Data Export and Migration​

  • Extract entire Excel workbooks as JSON for system migrations, data archival, and backup operations
  • Convert multi-sheet Excel files to JSON format for cloud storage and database import
  • Export complete worksheet data for API integration and cross-system synchronization

Multi-Sheet Processing and Analysis​

  • Extract multiple worksheets simultaneously for parallel processing in n8n workflows
  • Process different worksheet tabs with different business logic and transformations
  • Integrate complete workbook data with external APIs and data analysis platforms

Business Intelligence and Data Integration​

  • Export Excel data to JSON for business intelligence tools and analytics platforms
  • Convert Excel reports to structured JSON for automated reporting and dashboard updates
  • Integrate Excel data with CRM systems, databases, and cloud services

Get Help​

n8n Integration Guiden8n SampleGetting Started