List in one cell excel

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How to combine a list of data into one cell while putting a delimiter between each piece of data.

This tutorial uses a variation of concatenation in order to include delimiters (separators) between each value, which allows for more useful and readable data.

This tip will save you hours!

(make sure to download the accompanying workbook so you can follow the tutorial)

Sections:

Combine List of Numbers and Put a Comma, or whatever you want, Between each Number

Combine List of Text and Put a Space, or whatever you want, Between Each Word

Combine List of Numbers and Put a Comma, or whatever you want, Between each Number

Let’s take a list of numbers and put them all in one cell with a comma between each number.

Here is our setup:

In cell B1, the first cell next to the top of the list, input this formula:

In the next cell, B2, input this formula:

Copy the formula from B2 down the entire list; select cell B2 and double-click the bottom right corner of it or just click and hold the bottom right corner and move it down the cells with your mouse.

Here is the result:

Now, select the last cell of the list in column B, cell B10, and hit Ctrl + C to copy it.

Go to the cell where you want this list to be and click it.  Then hit Alt + E + S + V and Enter and this will paste the visible values from B10 into your new cell instead of the formula from cell B10.

Delete the data in column B and you are done.

This may seem like a lot of steps but, once you know how to do it, you can do it in just a few seconds.

Use Different Delimiters

It is really easy to use something other than a comma to separate the values, just replace the comma in the formula below with whatever you want.

Original formula:

Put a space between the numbers:

Put a dash between the numbers:

As you can see, it is quite simple to change the delimiter.

Combine List of Text and Put a Space, or whatever you want, Between Each Word

Let’s combine text into one cell and put a space between each word so it is easier to read and understand.

(if you followed the above section on doing this with numbers you will notice that this one is almost exactly the same)

Here is what we have:

In cell B1, the first cell next to the top of the list, input this formula:

In the next cell, B2, input this formula (this is what will actually combine the text):

Copy the formula from B2 down the entire list; select cell B2 and double-click the bottom right corner of it or just click and hold the bottom right corner and move it down the cells with your mouse.

It will look like this:

Now, select the last cell of the list in column B, cell B5, and hit Ctrl + C to copy it.

Go to the cell where you want this list to be and click that cell.  Hit Alt + E + S + V and Enter and this will paste the values from B5 into your new cell instead of the formula that is in cell B5.

Delete the data in column B and you have a nice clean result.

This may seem confusing at first but, once you get the hang of doing this, it will only take a few seconds to do it, regardless of how large the list is.

Use Different Delimiters

It is really easy to use something other than a space to separate the text in the new cell, just replace the space in the formula below with whatever you want.

Original formula:

Put a dash between the text:

Put a semi-colon with a space after it between the text:

As you can see, it is quite simple to put whatever you want between the text values.

Potential Issues and their Solution

When you deal with data like this, you are often importing it from somewhere and have little control on what kinds of things are added to or removed from your data.  Make sure to look through our data analysis tutorials for Excel to figure out how to solve any issues you might have with this.

One quick tip is to trim the original data before you try to combine it into one list.  Use the TRIM() function in Excel and that will make sure there are no leading or trailing spaces that might interfere with how you want the new list to appear.

Notes

This tutorial merely shows you the method of combining data into one list with a delimiter between each piece of data.  Don’t forget to also clean the data and do whatever you need to it before it is combined into one list, especially if the data is imported from another place or piece of software.

An easy way to do this, though for more advanced users, is to simply nest all of the data cleaning functions and formulas within the formulas shown in this tutorial; that way, you can do it all in one step, though that could get confusing depending on what you are doing.

Don’t forget to download the accompanying workbook.

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You can combine more data from different into a single cell. There are many ways we can combine data into one cell, for example, «The ampersand symbol» the CONCAT function.

The steps to combine multiple data from different cells into a single cell

1. Open up your workbook.

2. Select the cell you want to put all your data.

3. Type = and select the first cell you wish to combine.

4. Type & and use quotation marks with space enclosed.

5. Select the other cell you want to combine and hit enter. For example =A3&» «&B3.

This works only when you want to combine two cells into one cell.

Steps using the CONCAT function.

1. Open your worksheet.

2. Choose the cell you want to combine the data with.

3. Write the formula =CONCAT(

4. Select the cell you want to combine first.

You use commas to separate the cells you are combining and use quotation marks to add spaces, commas, or other text.

5. Close the formula with a parenthesis and hit enter. An e.g.     might be =concat(A2, «doctors»).

If you have more texts and you want them to fit into one cell, it’s easy. If you put the whole line into one cell, it will keep going, so what you need is a way to organize your work and fit the actual data into one cell. Mostly is done by wrapping text like a paragraph or inserting a line break within the cell.

Steps on how to wrap the text to fit into a cell.

The only thing you have to do is format the text so that the text will wrap automatically.

1. Right, click within the cell.

2. A menu will pop up.

3. Format cells, a dialog box open, move to the alignment tab, and check the box next to the wrap text.

4. The text within the cell will wrap automatically.

Inserting the line break within a cell

The line break will enable you to break every sentence when you want it and how you want them to appear.

1. Type every sentence within the cell.

2. To insert a hard return, press ALT-ENTER. (On a Mac, navigate like CTR-OPTION-ENTER. Or just hit command and enter.

To avoid readability problems, the data in a cell will be aligned at the bottom of the cell Control vertical lines.

3. Select all the cells to align.

4. Right-click and the menu pops up. As it was in the first procedure.

5. Select format cells and then go back to the alignment tab.

6. See the drop-down menu and align all the content within the cell vertically.

Combining CONCATENATE and TRANSPOSE Functions

The CONCATENATE function is a vital tool that allows you to perform various Excel operations, including combining data from different cells into one cell. Therefore, when putting multiple data into one cell, you may also want to transform the layout to fit the cell. This is where the TRANSPOSE function comes in. In this case, the TRANSPOSE function will change the data layout while the CONCATENATE function will combine the data. The syntax for both functions are:

TRANSPOSE(array) and

CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)

Steps:

1. Select the cell where you want to store the combined data from multiple cell rows.

2. Write in the following TRANSPOSE formula first:

                          =TRANSPOSE(C4:C7)

The formula indicates that you want to combine data from cells C4 to C7. That means it can change based on the range of cell rows you want to combine into one cell.

3. Press the F9 button and you will see the data in cell D4 within curly braces.

4. You can now remove the curly braces and use the CONCATENATE formula to combine all the selected rows without spaces. The CONCATENATE formula to use is:

                    =CONCATENATE(“text1”,”text2”,”…”),

where

Text1, text2, …represent the data from all cells within the column. This is the dataset you want to combine.

5. Next, you can now make the data from multiple rows clear by inserting a comma (,) and a character (and) between the last two data placed within double quotes (“ ”). The final formula will change to something like this:

                  =CONCATENATE(«text1″,» «,»text2″,» «,»text3″,» and»,»text4″).

Using the TEXTJOIN Function

The TEXTJOIN function allows you to put up to 252 strings of data in one cell. Its syntax is:

TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], …), where;

A delimiter is the text separator such as comma, space, and character

ignore-empty uses the TRUE or FALSE result. If the result is TRUE, it will ignore the empty value, while if the result is FALSE, it will include empty values.

Steps:

1.  Select the cell where you want to store the combined data. For example, if you want to combine a cell range like B4:B7, you can select cell C4.

2. Write the TEXTJOIN formula in the selected cell. You can use the following formula:

                           =TEXTJOIN(«,»,TRUE,B4:B7)

3. Alternatively, you can type in the cells one by one, but remember to use a separator (,). In this case, the formula will change to:

                         =TEXTJOIN(«,»,TRUE,B4,B5,B6,B7)

4. Press the Enter button and you will see combined data in the cell.

Using The Formula Bar

When using the Formula Bar to put multiple data in one Excel cell, you will need to copy all the data from the rows and paste them into a notepad. From here, you can now copy the rows again and paste them into your Excel formula bar. That is because the Excel sheet only copies cell by cell.

Steps:

1. Copy all the cell values or data you want to combine and paste them into the Notepad.

2. Copy the values again from the Notepad.

3. Go back to your Excel worksheet and place the cursor in the Formula Bar.

4. Right-click on your mouse to paste the copied rows in the bar and click the Enter button.

5. The step will put all the rows in one cell.

That is all, and your data will be clean and readable. To fit all the data into one cell is annoying when you don’t know how to wrap text or insert a line breaker. Sometimes it is challenging to copy and paste. That will be the next tutorial on copying and pasting the data within a cell that is embedded with hard returns.

Creating bulleted lists in Excel isn’t as simple as in Word. There is no bullet button on the ribbon’s user interface, so how can you add them to a spreadsheet? Fortunately, you don’t need a direct button to be able to create a bulleted list in Excel.

An Excel spreadsheet is already a massive list. So, all you need to add to it to create a bulleted list is bullets. In this article, we cover 7 methods for creating a bulleted list in Excel.

1. Create a Bulleted List Using Keyboard Shortcuts

The easiest way to create a bulleted list is to use the Alt key to add a bullet character into a cell. If you hold down the Alt key and enter the Numpad code, the code will convert into a symbol.

1. Select the cell where you want to add a bullet.
2. Press Alt + 7, or Alt + 0149 for a solid bullet, or Alt + 9 for a hollow bullet.

When typing numbers into these shortcuts, make sure you use the number pad on your keyboard. If you want to learn more about Alt codes, read our article on symbols you can add with the alt key.

If you have a laptop with no number pad, you might be able to turn on Num Lock to emulate one. Not all laptops have this key. If yours has one, it will usually be on one of the function keys.

You can either press Shift + Num Lock or Fn + Num Lock to activate the number pad on your laptop’s keyboard. Some letters on the right side of your keyboard will then change function and act as a number pad. If you’re having trouble activating your Numpad, then read our thorough guide on how to enable Numpad on Windows.

The following methods will show you how to enter bullets into cells without using number keys. So if you don’t have access to the Numpad, you can use those methods without worry.

2. Create a Bulleted List Using the Symbol Dialog Box

If you don’t have a number pad on your keyboard, or you forgot the keyboard shortcuts for bullets, you can use the Symbol dialog box instead. The Symbol dialog box allows you to insert symbols directly into cells without having to use any shortcuts.

1. On the Insert tab, click Symbol from the Symbols section.
2. In the Font drop-down list, you can choose the font you want to use. The default font is Calibri.
3. Select the symbol you want to use for your bullets and click Insert.
4. Once you’ve added the symbol you want, click Close.

If you’re having trouble finding the bullet icon among other symbols, you can use the bullet symbol codes. To add bullet symbols, type their hex code:

1. Open the Symbol dialog box from the Insert tab.
2. Choose Unicode (hex) from the dropdown list in the bottom right corner of the Symbol dialog box.
3. Type one of the codes shown in the image below into the Character code box.
4. Click Insert to add the symbol to your cell.
5. Copy the bullets and paste them into other cells and type your text.

Using the Fill Handle, you can quickly create a bulleted list in other cells in the same column.

1. Enter a bullet in the first cell.
2. Grab the Fill Handle and drag it down the column.

This will repeat the bullet throughout the selected cells. If you’re planning on making a list with these bullets, read our article on how to create a custom list in Excel to get a good head start.

3. Create a Bulleted List Using a Custom Format

To create a long bulleted list, you can use a custom number format to add bullets to your items faster. With this, you can create a new cell format that has a bullet in it.

1. Select your list.
2. Right-click the list.
3. Choose Format Cells from the right-click menu. You can also enter the shortcut Ctrl +1 to bring up the Format Cells window.
4. In the Numbers tab, select Custom from the Category list.
5. Put a bullet symbol in the Type box, and then add a space or two (or more) and the @ symbol.
6. Click OK to apply the new Type to the selected cells.

The new Type you just created will be saved as a new format, so you can select it from the Type list next time you want to create a bulleted list. This will automatically add bullets to the cells.

4. Create a Bulleted List in a Single Cell

Since Excel moves you to the next cell whenever you press Enter, you cannot type multiple lines in a cell by pressing Enter.

Typing multiple lines into a cell in Excel is easier if you press Alt + Enter instead. Let’s use this trick to fit a bullet list in a single cell.

1. Double-click on the cell.
2. Use a keyboard shortcut or the Symbol dialog box to insert a bullet.
3. Type your text and then press Alt + Enter to go to the next line in the cell.
4. Insert a bullet symbol and type your text.
5. Repeat until you’ve typed all the items in your bulleted list.

5. Create a Bulleted List by Pasting It From Word

If you use Microsoft Word or another word processor, you can copy and paste bulleted lists into an Excel spreadsheet from Word.

There are two ways to go about this: You could either paste the entire list into a single cell, or paste each item into a separate cell. To have the entire list in a single Excel cell:

1. Select the list in your word processor.
2. Press Ctrl + C to copy it.
3. Go to Excel and double-click your cell.
4. Press Ctrl + V to paste the list. The list will appear in a single cell.

If you want to paste the bulleted list’s items into separate cells, do the same, but instead of double-clicking the cell, just click it once and paste the list.

6. Create a Bulleted List Using a Function

To add bullets to multiple cells at once, you can use the CHAR function. It takes a code and displays the character corresponding to that code in your cell.

We’re going to work with codes in Windows. (Character codes on a Mac are different, but the CHAR function is the same).

You can use the following method to enter solid bullet characters in multiple cells in Excel for Windows:

1. Select the cells.
2. Type the formula below in the formula bar:

    =CHAR(149) 

3. Press Ctrl + Enter.

All selected cells have a solid bullet character. To use this method, you must put the text for each bulleted item in the column to the right of the bullets, as shown below.

You can also create a bulleted list in one column using the CHAR function in a formula. This method is useful for creating bulleted lists when you already have a list of items in another column without bullets.

1. Choose the cell to contain the first bulleted item.
2. Next, enter the formula below, replacing «C3» with the cell reference for the first item in the other column.

    =CHAR(149)&" "&C3 

   The formula concatenates a solid bullet character, one space, and the cell’s value with the same name (C3 in our example). You can enter more than one space between the quotes if you want.

3. Drag the AutoFill handle from the lower-right corner of the cell over the cells you want to fill.

Once you release the AutoFill handle, it will copy the formula to the cells below, and the bulleted list will appear.

The downside of this method so far is that you won’t be able to change the bulleted list content directly. Since it is a formula referencing another cell, you will need to change the reference instead. The reference cell itself will also need to remain in the datasheet since the formula will need it.

The easiest way to overcome this is by converting the formula into values:

1. Select the cells containing the formulas.
2. Press Ctrl + C to copy the cells.
3. Go to the Home tab.
4. Click the bottom half of the Paste button. This will bring up a menu.
5. On the Paste menu, click the first button in the Paste Values section and choose Values.

7. Create a Bulleted List Using Special Fonts

Windows comes with some special fonts that are only symbols, like Wingdings and Webdings. These fonts include some symbols that make nice bullets. Let’s create a bulleted list using the Wingdings font:

1. Select the cell(s) you would like to have bullets in.
2. In the Home tab, change the font to Wingdings.
3. Finally, use the image guide below to type bullets in your cells.

To use this method, you must place the bullet characters in separate cells in the column to the left of your list. Then, expand the column to the width of the bullets. You cannot have two fonts per cell in Excel.

With the Wingdings font, you can choose from more bullet symbols using the CHAR function. The following image displays the CHAR function values for various bullet characters.

Keep in mind that if you want to use the CHAR function with Wingdings font, you must type it in a non-symbol font and then change the font of the cell(s) to Wingdings.

Have Your Bulleted List Anywhere

Just because Excel doesn’t have a bullet list button doesn’t mean that you can’t create one. Now you know plenty of methods for creating a bulleted list in Excel, so if one doesn’t work, you can use the others.

Bulleted lists aren’t all there is to Excel lists, though. There are other list types, and it’s a certain advantage to master them as well.

EDIT:

With the new dynamic array formula TEXTSPLIT() we can shorten this:

=LET(arr,TEXTSPLIT(A1,","),MAX(arr)-INDEX(arr,,A1)*(A3/SUM(arr))

Original

A cell can not hold an array. It can hold a number or a string or an error. you will need to parse the string to create an array in the formula itself.

using FILTERXML to create an array from a string:

=(MAX(FILTERXML("<t><s>"&SUBSTITUTE(A1,",","</s><s>")&"</s></t>","//s"))-FILTERXML("<t><s>"&SUBSTITUTE(A1,",","</s><s>")&"</s></t>","//s["&A2&"]"))  *  (A3/SUM(FILTERXML("<t><s>"&SUBSTITUTE(A1,",","</s><s>")&"</s></t>","//s")))

If one does not have FILTERXML:

=(MAX(--TRIM(MID(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",REPT(" ",99)),(ROW($ZZ1:INDEX($ZZ:$ZZ,LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",""))+1))-1)*99+1,99)))-INDEX(TRIM(MID(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",REPT(" ",99)),(ROW($ZZ1:INDEX($ZZ:$ZZ,LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",""))+1))-1)*99+1,99)),A2))  *  (A3/SUM(--TRIM(MID(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",REPT(" ",99)),(ROW($ZZ1:INDEX($ZZ:$ZZ,LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,",",""))+1))-1)*99+1,99))))

This is an array formula and must be confirmed with Ctrl-Shift-Enter instead of Enter when exiting edit mode