Merge Cells in Excel in 5 Minutes or Much less

Understanding the ins and outs of Excel is crucial for organizing information, understanding analytics, and getting essentially the most out of your advertising and marketing efforts. The device is nice for shortly processing huge quantities of information, however it may be overwhelming for those who do not spend nearly all of your workday whipping up spreadsheets.

woman merging cells in Excel

Luckily, just a few primary expertise are all you’ll want to put collectively an easy-to-read spreadsheet. One is figuring out merge cells in Excel. Whether or not you are planning weblog articles for the upcoming quarter, creating an e-mail checklist for a focused marketing campaign, or designing Search engine optimization-friendly Google adverts, merging cells is a helpful approach to set up your info.

Download 10 Excel Templates for Marketers [Free Kit]

To sharpen your expertise, we’ll cowl a number of methods to mix cells.

Do not wish to begin from scratch? Use these free Excel templates as a basis on your personal advertising and marketing spreadsheets.

Tips on how to Merge Two Cells in Excel

Merging is a approach to flip two small cells into one new, massive cell. That is helpful for organizing info and creating headers, with out the necessity to resize particular person cells. Here is do it.

Step 1: Spotlight the 2 adjoining cells you wish to merge (I am merging A1 and B1 within the instance).

merging two cells in excel

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Step 2: Beneath the House tab, click on the ‘Merge’ icon and select ‘Merge Cells’.

How to merge two cells in excel

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Step 3: That is it! You’ve got merged the cells.

An example of merging cells

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Word: When combining cells, solely the info within the higher left cell is saved. Ensure to save lots of the data from the opposite cell so it isn’t misplaced. If you happen to occur to have information in each A1 and B1, Excel will not merely wipe it. This alert will pop up:

An alert when merging cells in excel

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Do not wish to delete the info? Click on ‘Cancel,’ and replica/paste the data right into a separate doc or cell earlier than merging. If you happen to solely want the data within the upper-left cell, click on ‘OK’ to merge the cells.

Tips on how to Merge and Middle Cells in Excel

Say you are constructing a advertising and marketing report and need your titles to be centered above your information. Merge and middle cells by following these steps.

Step 1: Spotlight the cells you wish to merge.

How to merge and center cells in excel

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Step 2: Beneath the House tab, click on the ‘Merge’ icon and select ‘Merge & Middle.’

How to center data in excel

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Step 3: Your cells will merge and the info can be centered throughout the cell.

merging and centering

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Tips on how to Merge Cells in Excel Shortcut

Clicking the right ‘Merge’ operate time and again generally is a drag if you’ll want to mix loads of cells. For quick merging, begin by highlighting the cells you wish to merge. Then, kind the next key combos.

Excel Shortcuts for Home windows

  1. Merge Cells: ALT H+M+M
  2. Merge & Middle: ALT H+M+C
  3. Merge Throughout: ALT H+M+A
  4. Unmerge Cells: ALT H+M+U

Excel Shortcuts for OS

The Apple working system would not have an ALT key, so you must arrange your individual shortcut to merge cells.

  1. In Excel, click on ‘Instruments’ below the navigation bar.
  2. Choose ‘Customise Keyboard.’
  3. A pop-up will seem. Beneath the header ‘Specify a Command’ there are two columns: Classes and Instructions. For Classes, choose ‘House Tab.’ For Instructions, choose ‘Merge Cells.’
  4. Choose the textual content field below ‘Press new keyboard shortcut.’ Kind the important thing mixture on your shortcut. For instance: CONTROL+M.
  5. Click on ‘OK’ to set your shortcut.
  6. Now you can use CONTROL+M to merge cells in Excel.
  7. Arrange extra shortcuts for Merge Throughout, Merge & Middle, or Unmerge.

iOS shortcuts for excel

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Tips on how to Merge A number of Cells in Excel

You already know the fundamentals, however now you wish to get artistic and merge greater than two cells. Relying in your desired spreadsheet format, you should use the Merge Throughout, Merge Cells, or Merge & Middle operate.

1. Merge Throughout

This feature is used to merge cells inside a single row. You possibly can’t use ‘Merge Throughout’ to mix cells inside a column or throughout a number of rows.

On this instance, I am establishing PPC adverts and wish to see my description copy in row 17. If I merely resize column F, my desk can have an excessive amount of area between column F and G. Merging a number of cells throughout row 17 lets me see the copy and hold the desk neat.

Step 1: Spotlight all of the cells you wish to merge throughout the row.

An examples of merge across cells

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Step 2: Beneath the House tab, click on the ‘Merge’ icon and select ‘Merge Throughout.’

select merge across from a dropdown menu

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Step 3: The cells merge throughout the whole highlighted space.

an example of merge across in excel

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2. Merge & Middle

You possibly can merge and middle a number of cells throughout rows and down columns. Simply keep in mind the info within the upper-left cell is the one info that can keep as soon as merged. Within the instance under, I exploit ‘Merge & Middle’ to mix rows 15, 16, and 17 with columns F, G, and H.

Merging and centering in excel example

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merge cells function example

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3. Merge Cells

The ‘Merge Cells’ operate is good to mix a number of adjoining cells throughout rows and columns. It really works similar to the ‘Merge & Middle’ operate, besides the info can be left-aligned as a substitute of centered after merging.

merge and center function

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Tips on how to Merge Cells in Excel With out Shedding Knowledge

Need to merge cells with out dropping info from all however the higher left cell? Simple. You need to use the ampersand (&) or the CONCATENATE operate to mix information from two or extra cells.

Within the instance under, I am creating copy for Instagram and wish to mix the caption with its corresponding hyperlink.

Ampersand

Step 1: Select the cell the place you wish to put the merged information. Ensure that is separate from the cells you are merging.

Step 2: Kind = within the clean cell and choose the primary cell to mix.

Step 3: Kind & and use ” ” to go away an area between cell information.

Step 4: Kind & once more earlier than selecting the subsequent cell. Repeat for all of the cells you wish to mix. An instance system is =D5&” “&E5.

Step 5: Hit Enter. Within the instance, you’ll be able to see how the textual content from cells D5 and E5 merged into F5.

an example of the ampersand function in excel

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CONCATENATE or CONCAT

The CONCATENATE operate (or CONCAT) is one other approach to mix two or extra textual content strings collectively.

The system in Excel is =CONCATENATE (text1,text2,…). Text1 is the primary cell to merge and generally is a textual content worth, quantity, or cell reference. Text2 is the subsequent merchandise to affix. For this operate, you’ll be able to merge as much as 255 gadgets or 8,192 characters.

Step 1: Spotlight a brand new clean cell the place you wish to merge the info.

Step 2: Within the system bar, kind =CONCATENATE(

an example of the concatenate function in excel

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Step 3: A system builder will pop up, permitting you to decide on Text1, Text2, and so forth. Choose the cells you wish to merge, so as from first to final. To incorporate areas between the cell information, you will need to embody ,” “, throughout the system. [i.e. =CONCATENATE(D5,” “,E5)]

concate function in excel example

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Step 4: Hit Enter. The information out of your chosen cells can be mixed within the CONCATENATE cell.

concatenate function example

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Why Cannot I Merge Cells in Excel?

Rather a lot can go fallacious in case your system or formatting is not arrange accurately. If you happen to’re struggling to merge cells, strive these troubleshooting ideas.

  1. Make sure you’re not actively modifying a cell you wish to merge. The ‘Merge’ icon can be shaded out for those who’re in the midst of making modifications. To repair this, merely hit ‘Enter’ to cease modifying or click on onto one other cell earlier than clicking again to the cell you’d wish to merge.
  1. Verify if one of many cells is a part of an Excel desk. Tables have a novel format that do not enable merging. You possibly can let you know’re on a Desk if the ‘Chart Design’ or ‘Format’ tabs throughout the highest of your workbook are highlighted in inexperienced and the ‘Merge’ icon is shaded out.
  1. Have a look at the sharing permissions of the Excel workbook. If it isn’t shared with you or is protected, you will not have the ability to make any modifications or merge cells.

Tips on how to Unmerge Cells

Perhaps you bought somewhat excited making an attempt out your new expertise and merged one cell too many. Do not panic. Merely unmerge your cells by following these steps.

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  1. Spotlight the cells you wish to unmerge.
  2. Beneath the House tab, click on the ‘Merge’ icon and select ‘Unmerge Cells.’
  3. Your cells will return to the unique formatting, however you should have misplaced the data from earlier than the merge.
  4. If you happen to want that info, click on ‘Command’ + Z (OS) or ‘CTRL’ +Z (Home windows) to undo your actions till you see the info pop up.

Excel Shortcuts Make Life Simpler

Whereas utilizing spreadsheets can really feel intimidating at first, with the information and shortcuts above, you will have it down very quickly. 

Editor’s word: This text was initially revealed in Might 2021 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness. 

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