Error when trying to sort an Excel file

JackieMcMahon 20 Reputation points
2026-01-08T21:16:43.35+00:00

I just converted a pdf to an .xls file with Adobe Acrobat. I am now trying to sort by Column D which is company name, but when I try to do that I get an error message telling me all of the Merged Cells must be the same size. How do I do that please?

thanks

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Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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Hendrix-C 20,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-01-08T22:23:04.73+00:00

Hi @JackieMcMahon,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

According to your concern, that's a very common error message when a PDF is converted to Excel since it often creates merged cells to mimic the PDF layout.

To resolve this issue, you need to find and unmerge all the merges by:

  • Go to Home tab > Editing > Find & Select > Find

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  • Click Options > Format > Alignment tab > check Merge cells only and press OK.

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  • Then click Find all > it will list all the merges in your file. Click on it to jump to the merge cell and unmerge it

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  • In case if you want to mass unmerge a whole worksheet, you can do that by clicking on any cell > press Ctrl + A > go to Home tab and select Unmerge cell. However, it may accidentally break the structure of your data so please be careful when you consider mass unmerging.

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For further assistance, please share smore details of your current worksheet so I can clearly understand the situation and provide the most appropriate guidance for your concern.

Please understand that our initial response may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I look forward to hearing from you.


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  1. JackieMcMahon 20 Reputation points
    2026-01-08T23:09:56.9966667+00:00

    Hendrix -

    OMG - what wonderful and explicit instructions. I cannot thank you enough for responding to my question. Very easy to follow and it worked like a charm! I used the full Merge.

    thanks much

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