In our everyday life, the words Merge and Combine have almost the same meaning. However, when you’re working in Microsoft Excel, there are important differences in their meanings!
Video: Merge Cells or Combine TextThis 1-minute video shows an example of the difference between merging cells, and combining cell contents in a different cell. . |
Merge vs Combine
The two screenshots below give you a quick summary of the differences between merge and combine. In both screenshots, there is a first name in one cell, and a last name in another cell.
If you merge those 2 cells, hoping to get the names into a single cell, you’ll be disappointed in the result!
After merging the cells, only the first name remains on the worksheet, and the last name was discarded. Oops!
Combine With Formula
Instead of merging, you can safely and successfully combine the text from the two original cells, if you use a simple formula in another cell. The next screenshot shows an example of that.
Here’s the formula that’s in cell C2, to combine the names into a full name, with a space between first and last name:
=A2 & " " & B2
More Ways to Combine Text
There are fancier formulas for combining text, like the examples in the next video, which combines text strings with formatted numbers.
This screenshot shows a few sample formula results, and the steps and formulas are in the video below.
NOTE: You can see the written steps, and get the sample file, on the How to Combine Cells page on my Contextures site.
Avoid Merged Cells
Merged cells can cause problems in an Excel worksheet, so I try to avoid them. There are merged cell tips and warnings on the How to Merge Cells page on my Contextures site.
This video shows one of my favourite ways to avoid merging cells – use the Center Across Selection setting instead!
NOTE: There are written steps on the Excel Worksheet Tips page.
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Should You Merge Cells or Combine Text in Excel
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