Excel Tutorials
Combine a first and last name, or any text from multiple cells, into a single cell. This lesson uses the Event Planner workbook from Excel Foundations, free to download below.
Follow along in the same file used in the video. No email required.
Joining cells combines the text from two or more cells into a single cell, most commonly used to merge a first and last name, or to build a full address from separate street, city and zip columns. It's a formula-based operation, not a formatting one, so it doesn't touch the original separate cells at all.
There are a few different ways to do this in Excel, from a simple operator to dedicated functions, each suited to slightly different situations.
Step-by-step, matching the video above.
Pick a cell where you want the combined result to appear.
Type =A2&B2 to combine the contents of A2 and B2 directly, with nothing in between.
Type =A2&" "&B2, the " " in quotes inserts a literal space between the two values.
=CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2) does exactly the same thing as the & version, just with function syntax instead of an operator.
=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:D2) joins every cell in the range with a comma and space between each one, and skips any blank cells automatically.
Drag the corner handle down to apply the same join formula to every row.
Copy the joined column, then Paste Special > Values, if you want to lock in the combined text and remove the original separate columns.
| A: First | B: Last | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria | Gonzalez | =A2&B2 | MariaGonzalez |
| Maria | Gonzalez | =A2&" "&B2 | Maria Gonzalez |
| Maria | Gonzalez | =CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2) | Maria Gonzalez |
The first row shows the most common mistake: no separator means the two values just get mashed together. Adding " " in quotes between the references fixes it, and CONCATENATE produces the identical result with function syntax instead of the & operator.
| C: City | D: State | E: Zip | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | TX | 78701 | Austin, TX, 78701 |
=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,C2:E2) joins every cell in the range with a comma and space between each one. If D2 were blank, TRUE skips it entirely rather than leaving a stray ", ," in the result.
Sometimes you want each joined value on its own line inside the same cell, common for building a mailing address from separate fields.
=A2&CHAR(10)&B2 joins two cells with a line break between them instead of a space, CHAR(10) is Excel's code for a line break.
The line break won't actually display as separate lines unless Wrap Text is enabled on that cell.
Swap the comma-space delimiter for CHAR(10) in TEXTJOIN too, like =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,A2:A5), to stack a whole list on separate lines in one cell.
=A2&B2 with no separator produces run-together text like "JohnSmith". Add &" "& between the references to insert a space.
Both require typing out every single cell reference. TEXTJOIN handles a whole range at once and is far less error-prone for more than 2 or 3 cells.
A join formula referencing deleted cells breaks or goes blank. Paste Special > Values first, the same rule that applies to PROPER.
Combining data shouldn't need a formula every time.
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Use the & operator, like =A2&B2, or the CONCATENATE function, =CONCATENATE(A2,B2), both produce the same result.
Include a space in quotes between the references, like =A2&" "&B2.
Use TEXTJOIN, like =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:D2), which joins every cell in the range with your chosen delimiter and skips blanks automatically.
Use CHAR(10) as the delimiter, like =A2&CHAR(10)&B2, and make sure Wrap Text is turned on for the line breaks to actually display.
No. A join formula creates a new combined value in a different cell, the original separate cells are untouched.
They produce identical results, & is just a shorter operator while CONCATENATE is a full function, mostly a matter of preference.
The formula was still referencing the deleted cell. Paste Special > Values to lock in the combined text before removing source columns.
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