diff --git a/src/plugins/core/borders.ts b/src/plugins/core/borders.ts
index 867ba87368..aa036bff35 100644
--- a/src/plugins/core/borders.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/core/borders.ts
@@ -355,10 +355,10 @@ export class BordersPlugin extends CorePlugin<BordersPluginState> implements Bor
     // existingBorderSideToClear[side] = true means we should clear the border on that
     // side of the existing adjacent zone before adding the new border.
     const existingBorderSideToClear = {
-      left: force || !!newBorder?.right,
-      right: force || !!newBorder?.left,
-      top: force || !!newBorder?.bottom,
-      bottom: force || !!newBorder?.top,
+      left: !!newBorder?.right,
+      right: !!newBorder?.left,
+      top: !!newBorder?.bottom,
+      bottom: !!newBorder?.top,
     };
     let editingZone: Zone[] = [zone];
     for (const existingBorder of this.borders[sheetId] ?? []) {
diff --git a/tests/borders/border_plugin.test.ts b/tests/borders/border_plugin.test.ts
index 90548bc92e..6fcd99e1fe 100644
--- a/tests/borders/border_plugin.test.ts
+++ b/tests/borders/border_plugin.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   deleteCells,
   deleteColumns,
   deleteRows,
+  merge,
   moveColumns,
   moveRows,
   paste,
@@ -201,6 +202,22 @@ describe("borders", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test("import preserves merged cell borders", () => {
+    const b = DEFAULT_BORDER_DESC;
+    const allSides = { top: b, bottom: b, left: b, right: b };
+    const model = new Model();
+
+    setZoneBorders(model, { position: "all" }, ["B2:C3"]);
+    merge(model, "C2:C3");
+
+    const importedModel = new Model(model.exportData());
+
+    expect(getBorder(importedModel, "B2")).toEqual(allSides);
+    expect(getBorder(importedModel, "B3")).toEqual(allSides);
+    expect(getBorder(importedModel, "C2")).toEqual({ top: b, right: b });
+    expect(getBorder(importedModel, "C3")).toEqual({ bottom: b, right: b });
+  });
+
   test("can set all borders in a zone", () => {
     const model = new Model();