Join columns in excel

Joining or merging two columns together in Excel is something every business owner will need to do eventually. If you’re importing data from another source, like a CSV file containing prospect names and contact information, the information is seldom going to be organized exactly as you need it. To merge data in Excel, including two or more columns, use the CONCAT or CONCATENATE formula. If you just need to merge two empty columns together, use Excel’s Merge option.

CONCAT vs. CONCATENATE in Excel

With Excel 2016, Microsoft replaced the CONCATENATE function with the CONCAT function. You can still use the CONCATENATE function, however Microsoft recommends using CONCAT. CONCATENATE may not be available in future versions of Excel. If you have an Office 365 subscription and can’t use the CONCAT function, update to the latest version of Excel.

Combine 2 Cells in Excel With CONCAT  

The CONCAT function gives you the ability to combine the contents from one or more cells with any additional text you want. This usually makes it the perfect function when you want to join the contents of two or more columns.

Before you can combine two columns, you first need to combine the top two cells in each column. Once you have this done, you can quickly combine the rest of each column.

For example, suppose you imported a CSV file into Excel, with the first names in column A and surnames in column B. With CONCAT you can join them and arrange them anyway you want. Simply specify which cell goes first, the text you want (if any) in the middle, inside quotation marks, and then specify the second cell.

Example: A1 = Smith and B1 = John

In this example, the surname is in the first column, so if you want to have the surname after the first name, you need to select cell B1 first. A space needs to be inserted, within quotation marks, followed by cell A1:

John Smith =CONCAT(B1, » «, A1)

If you wanted the surname first, you can join the cells by placing a comma and then a space between the two cells:

Smith, John: =CONCAT(A1,», «, B1)

Combine 3 Cells in Excel With CONCAT  

If you want to join three columns together, simply string them together with the text or spaces placed between.

Example: A1 = John, B1 = Smith, C1 = $400

John Smith Owes $400 =CONCAT(B1, » «, A1, » owes $», C1)

Note that in this example, the third column is formatted for currency. Because CONCAT strips the formatting from the cells, you will need to insert the $ yourself.

Combine Columns in Excel With CONCAT

To combine two columns in CONCAT, begin with the first cells in each column as described above. Once the cell appears the way you want it, you can copy it and paste it into the rest of the column.

First, highlight the cell containing the CONCAT formula and press Ctrl-C to copy it. Next, highlight all of the cells below that cell and press Ctrl-V to paste the formula. You’ll notice that Excel automatically changes the cell names in each row.

Once the new column of data has been created, you can delete the

Stripping the CONCAT Formula From a Column

Once the columns have been combined into a new column, you can remove the CONCAT formula and keep only the combined text, or values.

First, highlight the columns containing the source data and the new CONCAT column. Press Ctrl-C to copy.

Next, click the Home tab and then click the arrow below the Paste button in the Clipboard section of the ribbon. Click the «Paste Values» button.

With the formulas stripped from the column, you can now delete the columns you used to create it.

Merge Columns in Excel as Part of Formatting

Excel’s Merge option is useful for merging any group of cells, columns or rows that are adjacent to each other. When using Merge, however, all data except that in the upper-left cell will be deleted. This makes it a good option when you’re formatting a report or a business proposal for esthetic reasons, but not for combining cells that are full of data.

First highlight two or more columns, or rows or group of cells that are adjacent to each other. Then click the Home button and then click the «Merge and Center» button in the toolbar. Select «Merge Cells» from the drop-down options.

If you need to format the columns in addition to merging them, then right-click the highlighted cells, select «Format Cells.» Under the Alignment tab, you will see a checkbox to Merge cells.

If you’re using Excel and have data split across multiple columns that you want to combine, you don’t need to manually do this. Instead, you can use a quick and easy formula to combine columns.

We’re going to show you how to combine two or more columns in Excel using the ampersand symbol or the CONCAT function. We’ll also offer some tips on how to format the data so that it looks exactly how you want it.

How to Combine Columns in Excel

There are two methods to combine columns in Excel: the ampersand symbol and the concatenate formula. In many cases, using the ampersand method is quicker and easier than the concatenate formula. That said, use whichever you feel most comfortable with.

1. How to Combine Excel Columns With the Ampersand Symbol

1. Click the cell where you want the combined data to go.
2. Type =
3. Click the first cell you want to combine.
4. Type &
5. Click the second cell you want to combine.
6. Press the Enter key.

For example, if you wanted to combine cells A2 and B2, the formula would be: =A2&B2

2. How to Combine Excel Columns With the CONCAT Function

1. Click the cell where you want the combined data to go.
2. Type =CONCAT(
3. Click the first cell you want to combine.
4. Type ,
5. Click the second cell you want to combine.
6. Type )
7. Press the Enter key.

For example, if you wanted to combine cell A2 and B2, the formula would be: =CONCAT(A2,B2)

This formula used to be CONCATENATE, rather than CONCAT. Using the former works to combine two columns in Excel, but it is depreciating, so you should use the latter to ensure compatibility with current and future Excel versions.

How to Combine More Than Two Excel Cells

You can combine as many cells as you want using either method. Simply repeat the formatting like so:

• =A2&B2&C2&D2 … etc.
• =CONCAT(A2,B2,C2,D2) … etc.

How to Combine the Entire Excel Column

Once you have placed the formula in one cell, you can use this to automatically populate the rest of the column. You don’t need to manually type in each cell name that you want to combine.

To do this, double-click the bottom-right corner of the filled cell. Alternatively, left-click and drag the bottom-right corner of the filled cell down the column. It’s an Excel AutoFill trick to build spreadsheets faster.

Tips on How to Format Combined Columns in Excel

Your combined Excel columns could contain text, numbers, dates, and more. As such, it isn’t always suitable to leave the cells combined without formatting them.

To help you out, here are various tips on how to format combined cells. In our examples, we’ll refer to the ampersand method, but the logic is the same for the CONCAT formula.

1. How to Put a Space Between Combined Cells

If you had a «First name» column and a «Last name» column, you would want a space between the two cells.

To do this, the formula would be: =A2&» «&B2

This formula says to add the contents of A2, then add a space, then add the contents of B2.

It doesn’t have to be a space. You can put whatever you want between the speech marks, like a comma, a dash, or any other symbol or text.

2. How to Add Additional Text Within Combined Cells

The combined cells don’t just have to contain their original text. You can add whatever additional information you want.

Let’s say cell A2 contains someone’s name (e.g., Marge Simpson) and cell B2 contains their age (e.g., 36). We can build this into a sentence that reads «The character Marge Simpson is 36 years old».

To do this, the formula would be: =»The character «&A2&» is «&B2&» years old»

The additional text is wrapped in speech marks and followed by an &. You don’t need to use speech marks when referencing a cell. Remember to include where the spaces should go; so «The character » with a space at the end.

3. How to Correctly Display Numbers in Combined Cells

If your original cells contain formatted numbers like dates or currency, you’ll notice that the combined cell strips the formatting.

You can solve this with the TEXT function, which you can use to define the required format.

Let’s say cell A2 contains someone’s name (e.g., Marge Simpson) and cell B2 contains their date of birth (e.g., 01/02/1980).

To combine them, you might think to use this formula: =A2&» was born on «&B2

However, that’ll output: Marge Simpson was born on 29252. That’s because Excel converts the correctly formatted date of birth into a plain number.

By applying the TEXT function, you can tell Excel how you want the merged cell to be formatted. Like so: =A2&» was born on «&TEXT(B2,»dd/mm/yyyy»)

That’s slightly more complicated than the other formulas, so let’s break it down:

• =A2 — merge cell A2.
• &» was born on « — add the text «was born on» with a space on both sides.
• &TEXT — add something with the text function.
• (B2,»dd/mm/yyyy») — merge cell B2, and apply the format of dd/mm/yyyy to the contents of that field.

You can switch out the format for whatever the number requires. For example, $#,##0.00 would show currency with a thousand separator and two decimals, # ?/? would turn a decimal into a fraction, H:MM AM/PM would show the time, and so on.

You can find more examples and information on the Microsoft Office TEXT function support page.

How to Remove the Formula From Combined Columns

If you click a cell within the combined column, you’ll notice that it still contains the formula (e.g., =A2&» «&B2) rather than the plain text (e.g., Marge Simpson).

This isn’t a bad thing. It means that whenever the original cells (e.g., A2 and B2) are updated, the combined cell will automatically update to reflect those changes.

However, it does mean that if you delete the original cells or columns then it will break your combined cells. As such, you might want to remove the formula from the combined column and make it plain text.

To do this, right-click the header of the combined column to highlight it, then click Copy.

Next, right-click the header of the combined column again—this time, beneath Paste Options, select Values. Now the formula is gone, leaving you with plain text cells that you can edit directly.

How to Merge Columns in Excel

Instead of combining columns in Excel, you can also merge them. This will turn multiple horizontal cells into one cell. Merging cells only keeps the values from the upper-left cell and discards the rest.

To do this, select the cells or columns that you want to merge. In the Ribbon, on the Home tab, click the Merge & Center button (or use the dropdown arrow next to it).

For more information on this, read our article on how to merge and unmerge cells in Excel. You can also merge entire Excel sheets and files together.

Save Time When Using Excel

Now you know how to combine columns in Excel. You can save yourself lots of time—you don’t need to combine them by hand. It’s just one of the many ways that you can use formulas to speed up common tasks in Excel.

Note: This tutorial on how to combine two columns in Excel is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365. 

Manually merging columns in Excel can take a lot of time and effort. Here’s how to combine two columns in Excel the easy way. 

In this article, you will learn: 

1. How to Combine Columns in Excel Sheets?
   • How to Combine Two Columns in Excel With the CONCAT Function?
   • How to Combine Two Columns in Excel With the Ampersand Symbol?
   • How to Combine Multiple Columns in Excel into One column?
2. How to Format Combined Columns in Excel?
   • How to Insert a Space Between Combined Cells of the Columns?
   • How to Correctly Display Dates and Currency in Combined Cells?
   • How to Add Additional Text in Combined Cells?
3. How to Remove the Formula from the Combined Columns?
4. How to Merge Columns in Excel? 

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How to Combine Columns in Excel Sheets?

Let’s say, for example, you have two separate columns containing the first and last names of your customers. Now, you want to combine these two columns into a single column that contains the full names of the customers. 

There are two methods to go about doing this. You can either use the CONCAT formula method or use the ampersand method. Both of these methods are equally easy to use and I’ll break them down one by one in the following sections. 

How to Combine Two Columns in Excel with the CONCAT Function?

1. Click on the destination cell where you want to combine the two columns. 

1. Enter the formula: =CONCAT(Column 1 Cell, Column 2 Cell). 

Here, replace Column 1 Cell with the name of the first cell of column 1 and Column 2 cell 

with the name of the first cell of column 2. 

In this example, it is going to look like this: =CONCAT(A2,B2)

1. Drag the formula to the entire cell range, as long as you need to. 

How to Combine Two Columns in Excel with the Ampersand Symbol?

1. Click on the destination cell where you want the combined columns to appear.

1. Enter the formula, in this format =Column Cell 1&Column Cell 2

Here, replace Column 1 Cell with the name of the first cell of column 1 and Column 2 cell 

with the name of the first cell of column 2. 

In this example, it is going to look like this: =A2&B2 

1. Drag the formula to the data entire range.

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How to Combine Multiple Columns in Excel into One Column?

If you want to combine multiple columns in Excel into one column using the above two methods, follow these steps:

1. If you are using the CONCAT formula, keep adding the cell references from the extra columns inside the formula.  For example, if you want to combine the column C along with columns A and B, the formula would be this: =CONCAT(A2, B2, C2)

1. If you are using the ampersand method, keep adding the new cell references in the same format. For example, if you want to combine column C along with columns A and B, the formula would be this: =A2&B2&C2

How to Format Combined Columns in Excel?

While the above methods have technically combined the columns, their results are not always accurate. Let’s use the combined full names from the previous example. Let’s say that the first name and last name are not separated by a space. In this section, I’ll show you how to avoid such errors while combining columns in Excel. 

How to Insert a Space Between Combined Cells of the Columns?

To insert a space between two cells of the combined columns, just add a dummy space between the cell references in the formula using the character: “ “ 

For example, if you are using the CONCAT function, it will look like this:

• =CONCAT(A2,“ ”,B2)

Similarly, If you are using the ampersand method, your formula should look like this:

• =A2&“ ”&B2

How to Correctly Display Dates and Currency in Combined Cells?

If the columns you combine contain any special formatting like dates, currency, or accounting, Excel will automatically strip the formatting before it combines the columns. 

To avoid this, you can use the TEXT function to convert this special formatting into text before combining them together. 

For example, if you want to combine two dates together to form a date range, use either one of the following formulas:

• =TEXT(A2,”dd/mm/yy”)&”-“&TEXT(B2,”dd/mm/yy”)

• =CONCAT(TEXT(A2,”dd/mm/yy”),”-“,TEXT(B2,”dd/mm/yy”))

In this example, A2 and B2 contain the original dates in proper date format. 

How to Add Additional Text in Combined Cells?

Sometimes, you may need to add additional text in between or after the combined cells. To do this, follow the same technique you followed when you added spaces. Insert your custom text in between double quotes. 

For example, if you want to add the phrase “was born on” in-between names and date of birth columns, you can use either one of these two formulas: 

=CONCAT(A2,” expires on “,TEXT(B2,”dd/mm/yy”))

=TEXT(A2,”dd/mm/yy”)&”-“&TEXT(B2,”dd/mm/yy”)

How to Remove the Formula from the Combined Columns?

The combined column that you created, using the above methods is going to be dynamic. That means any change in the original values will affect the values in the combined column. To prevent this, copy the values of the combined column and paste them as values in the same column, or even a different column. 

How to Merge Columns in Excel? 

If you don’t want to combine the values of two columns, but want to just merge two columns into one instead, you can follow these steps: 

1. Select the cells or columns that you want to merge.
2. Click on the “Merge & Centre” option on the “Home” tab. 

Excel will merge the selected columns into one column. 

Note: Please keep in mind that this will only keep the value from the upper-left corner cell and clear all other values. 

Suggested Reads:

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Closing Thoughts

That’s all folks. In this guide, I have shown you how to combine two columns in Excel using the easiest methods. Try using these methods in a practice worksheet and let us know if you have any questions about it. 

Want more high-quality guides for Excel? Check out our free Excel resources centre. 

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Simon Sez IT has been teaching critical IT software for over ten years. For a low, monthly fee you can get access to 100+ IT training courses by seasoned professionals.