How to Automatically Fill PDF Form Template with Excel Data using PDF.co and Zapier

Step 1: Identify the PDF Form Fields

Before building the Zap, determine the internal names of the fields in your PDF template.

You can use PDF.co’s Get PDF Information action with Extract Fillable Fields enabled. Alternatively, use the PDF.co Request Tester.

Record each field name and the page on which it appears. These values will be needed when configuring PDF Filler.

Step 2: Create the Zap

Sign in to Zapier and create a new Zap.

Select Microsoft Excel as the trigger app. Choose one of these trigger events:

• New Row to run the Zap when a row is added to a worksheet.
• New Row in Table if the source data is formatted as an Excel table.

Connect your Microsoft Excel account when prompted.

Step 3: Configure the Excel Trigger

Configure the trigger by selecting:

• Storage Source: Select OneDrive for Business.
• Folder: Select the folder containing the workbook.
• Workbook: Select the Excel workbook containing the data.
• Worksheet: Select the worksheet Zapier should monitor.
• Table: Select the table if you chose the New Row in Table trigger.

Test the trigger. Zapier should return a sample row containing the column headers and values you want to place in the PDF.

If columns are missing, confirm that the workbook has headers in its first row and sample data in the following row. After changing the workbook’s structure, retest the trigger and remap its fields.

Step 4: Add the PDF.co Action

Add an action to the Zap and select PDF.co.

Choose PDF Filler as the action event and connect your PDF.co account using your API key.

Step 5: Configure PDF Filler

Complete the following fields:

• Source File URL: Enter the direct URL of the fillable PDF template.
• Fillable Form Fields: Enter the PDF field definitions and map values from the Excel trigger.
• File Name: Enter a name for the generated PDF, such as completed-form.pdf.

Each fillable field uses this format:

page;fieldName;value

Separate multiple fields with a vertical bar:

1;FullName;[Map the Name column from Excel]|1;Email;[Map the Email column from Excel]|1;Company;[Map the Company column from Excel]

Replace FullName, Email, and Company with the actual internal field names from your PDF. Insert the corresponding Excel values using Zapier’s data-mapping menu rather than typing them as fixed text.

For checkbox fields, the expected value is commonly true or false, although the exact value can depend on how the original PDF form was created.

Optional settings include:

• Auto-trim Input Values: Removes extra spaces from mapped values.
• Allow Empty Text and Image Objects: Allows processing when an optional mapped value is empty.
• Custom Profiles: Applies additional PDF.co processing options when required.

Step 6: Test the PDF.co Action

Test the action and confirm that PDF.co returns a successful response and an output URL.

Open the URL and verify that:

• Each Excel value appears in the intended form field.
• Checkbox and choice fields have the correct state.
• Long values fit inside their fields.
• The generated filename is correct.

If a field remains empty, confirm that its internal field name and page value are correct and that the mapped Excel column contains data.

Step 7: Save or Deliver the Completed PDF

PDF.co output URLs are temporary. If the completed form must be retained, add another action to save it to permanent storage such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or your document-management system.

You can also add an email action to send the completed PDF to the appropriate recipient.

After testing the entire workflow, publish the Zap. Each new Excel row will now create a filled PDF form automatically.