How to merge cells in excel

Merge and unmerge cells

You can’t split an individual cell, but you can make it appear as if a cell has been split by merging the cells above it.

Merge cells

Select the cells to merge.

Select Merge & Center.

Important: When you merge multiple cells, the contents of only one cell (the upper-left cell for left-to-right languages, or the upper-right cell for right-to-left languages) appear in the merged cell. The contents of the other cells that you merge are deleted.

Unmerge cells

Select the Merge & Center down arrow.

Select Unmerge Cells.

You cannot split an unmerged cell. If you are looking for information about how to split the contents of an unmerged cell across multiple cells, see Distribute the contents of a cell into adjacent columns.

After merging cells, you can split a merged cell into separate cells again. If you don’t remember where you have merged cells, you can use the Find command to quickly locate merged cells.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns.

In the example here, cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Merge two or more cells by following these steps:

Select two or more adjacent cells you want to merge.

Important: Ensure that the data you want to retain is in the upper-left cell, and keep in mind that all data in the other merged cells will be deleted. To retain any data from those other cells, simply copy it to another place in the worksheet—before you merge.

On the Home tab, select Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you’re not editing a cell—and the cells you want to merge aren’t formatted as an Excel table. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings.

To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells.

Unmerge cells

If you need to reverse a cell merge, click onto the merged cell and then choose Unmerge Cells item in the Merge & Center menu (see the figure above).

Split text from one cell into multiple cells

You can take the text in one or more cells, and distribute it to multiple cells. This is the opposite of concatenation, in which you combine text from two or more cells into one cell.

For example, you can split a column containing full names into separate First Name and Last Name columns:

Follow the steps below to split text into multiple columns:

Select the cell or column that contains the text you want to split.

Note: Select as many rows as you want, but no more than one column. Also, ensure that are sufficient empty columns to the right—so that none of your data is deleted. Simply add empty columns, if necessary.

Click Data > Text to Columns, which displays the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.

Click Delimited > Next.

Check the Space box, and clear the rest of the boxes. Or, check both the Comma and Space boxes if that is how your text is split (such as «Reyes, Javiers», with a comma and space between the names). A preview of the data appears in the panel at the bottom of the popup window.

Click Next and then choose the format for your new columns. If you don’t want the default format, choose a format such as Text, then click the second column of data in the Data preview window, and click the same format again. Repeat this for all of the columns in the preview window.

Click the button to the right of the Destination box to collapse the popup window.

Anywhere in your workbook, select the cells that you want to contain the split data. For example, if you are dividing a full name into a first name column and a last name column, select the appropriate number of cells in two adjacent columns.

Click the button to expand the popup window again, and then click the Finish button.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns. For example, here cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Click the first cell and press Shift while you click the last cell in the range you want to merge.

Important: Make sure only one of the cells in the range has data.

Click Home > Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is dimmed, make sure you’re not editing a cell or the cells you want to merge aren’t inside a table.

Tip: To merge cells without centering the data, click the merged cell and then click the left, center or right alignment options next to Merge & Center.

Unmerge cells

To unmerge cells immediately after merging them, press Ctrl + Z. Otherwise do this:

Click the merged cell and click Home > Merge & Center.

The data in the merged cell moves to the left cell when the cells split.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Merge and unmerge cells

You can’t split an individual cell, but you can make it appear as if a cell has been split by merging the cells above it.

Merge cells

Select the cells to merge.

Select Merge & Center.

Important: When you merge multiple cells, the contents of only one cell (the upper-left cell for left-to-right languages, or the upper-right cell for right-to-left languages) appear in the merged cell. The contents of the other cells that you merge are deleted.

Unmerge cells

Select the Merge & Center down arrow.

Select Unmerge Cells.

You cannot split an unmerged cell. If you are looking for information about how to split the contents of an unmerged cell across multiple cells, see Distribute the contents of a cell into adjacent columns.

After merging cells, you can split a merged cell into separate cells again. If you don’t remember where you have merged cells, you can use the Find command to quickly locate merged cells.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns.

In the example here, cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Merge two or more cells by following these steps:

Select two or more adjacent cells you want to merge.

Important: Ensure that the data you want to retain is in the upper-left cell, and keep in mind that all data in the other merged cells will be deleted. To retain any data from those other cells, simply copy it to another place in the worksheet—before you merge.

On the Home tab, select Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you’re not editing a cell—and the cells you want to merge aren’t formatted as an Excel table. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings.

To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells.

Unmerge cells

If you need to reverse a cell merge, click onto the merged cell and then choose Unmerge Cells item in the Merge & Center menu (see the figure above).

Split text from one cell into multiple cells

You can take the text in one or more cells, and distribute it to multiple cells. This is the opposite of concatenation, in which you combine text from two or more cells into one cell.

For example, you can split a column containing full names into separate First Name and Last Name columns:

Follow the steps below to split text into multiple columns:

Select the cell or column that contains the text you want to split.

Note: Select as many rows as you want, but no more than one column. Also, ensure that are sufficient empty columns to the right—so that none of your data is deleted. Simply add empty columns, if necessary.

Click Data > Text to Columns, which displays the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.

Click Delimited > Next.

Check the Space box, and clear the rest of the boxes. Or, check both the Comma and Space boxes if that is how your text is split (such as «Reyes, Javiers», with a comma and space between the names). A preview of the data appears in the panel at the bottom of the popup window.

Click Next and then choose the format for your new columns. If you don’t want the default format, choose a format such as Text, then click the second column of data in the Data preview window, and click the same format again. Repeat this for all of the columns in the preview window.

Click the button to the right of the Destination box to collapse the popup window.

Anywhere in your workbook, select the cells that you want to contain the split data. For example, if you are dividing a full name into a first name column and a last name column, select the appropriate number of cells in two adjacent columns.

Click the button to expand the popup window again, and then click the Finish button.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns. For example, here cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Click the first cell and press Shift while you click the last cell in the range you want to merge.

Important: Make sure only one of the cells in the range has data.

Click Home > Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is dimmed, make sure you’re not editing a cell or the cells you want to merge aren’t inside a table.

Tip: To merge cells without centering the data, click the merged cell and then click the left, center or right alignment options next to Merge & Center.

Unmerge cells

To unmerge cells immediately after merging them, press Ctrl + Z. Otherwise do this:

Click the merged cell and click Home > Merge & Center.

The data in the merged cell moves to the left cell when the cells split.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Merge and unmerge cells

You can’t split an individual cell, but you can make it appear as if a cell has been split by merging the cells above it.

Merge cells

Select the cells to merge.

Select Merge & Center.

Important: When you merge multiple cells, the contents of only one cell (the upper-left cell for left-to-right languages, or the upper-right cell for right-to-left languages) appear in the merged cell. The contents of the other cells that you merge are deleted.

Unmerge cells

Select the Merge & Center down arrow.

Select Unmerge Cells.

You cannot split an unmerged cell. If you are looking for information about how to split the contents of an unmerged cell across multiple cells, see Distribute the contents of a cell into adjacent columns.

After merging cells, you can split a merged cell into separate cells again. If you don’t remember where you have merged cells, you can use the Find command to quickly locate merged cells.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns.

In the example here, cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Merge two or more cells by following these steps:

Select two or more adjacent cells you want to merge.

Important: Ensure that the data you want to retain is in the upper-left cell, and keep in mind that all data in the other merged cells will be deleted. To retain any data from those other cells, simply copy it to another place in the worksheet—before you merge.

On the Home tab, select Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you’re not editing a cell—and the cells you want to merge aren’t formatted as an Excel table. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings.

To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells.

Unmerge cells

If you need to reverse a cell merge, click onto the merged cell and then choose Unmerge Cells item in the Merge & Center menu (see the figure above).

Split text from one cell into multiple cells

You can take the text in one or more cells, and distribute it to multiple cells. This is the opposite of concatenation, in which you combine text from two or more cells into one cell.

For example, you can split a column containing full names into separate First Name and Last Name columns:

Follow the steps below to split text into multiple columns:

Select the cell or column that contains the text you want to split.

Note: Select as many rows as you want, but no more than one column. Also, ensure that are sufficient empty columns to the right—so that none of your data is deleted. Simply add empty columns, if necessary.

Click Data > Text to Columns, which displays the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.

Click Delimited > Next.

Check the Space box, and clear the rest of the boxes. Or, check both the Comma and Space boxes if that is how your text is split (such as «Reyes, Javiers», with a comma and space between the names). A preview of the data appears in the panel at the bottom of the popup window.

Click Next and then choose the format for your new columns. If you don’t want the default format, choose a format such as Text, then click the second column of data in the Data preview window, and click the same format again. Repeat this for all of the columns in the preview window.

Click the button to the right of the Destination box to collapse the popup window.

Anywhere in your workbook, select the cells that you want to contain the split data. For example, if you are dividing a full name into a first name column and a last name column, select the appropriate number of cells in two adjacent columns.

Click the button to expand the popup window again, and then click the Finish button.

Merging combines two or more cells to create a new, larger cell. This is a great way to create a label that spans several columns. For example, here cells A1, B1, and C1 were merged to create the label “Monthly Sales” to describe the information in rows 2 through 7.

Merge cells

Click the first cell and press Shift while you click the last cell in the range you want to merge.

Important: Make sure only one of the cells in the range has data.

Click Home > Merge & Center.

If Merge & Center is dimmed, make sure you’re not editing a cell or the cells you want to merge aren’t inside a table.

Tip: To merge cells without centering the data, click the merged cell and then click the left, center or right alignment options next to Merge & Center.

Unmerge cells

To unmerge cells immediately after merging them, press Ctrl + Z. Otherwise do this:

Click the merged cell and click Home > Merge & Center.

The data in the merged cell moves to the left cell when the cells split.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

How to Merge Cells in Excel Without Losing Data (Step-by-Step)

There are various ways you can merge cells in Excel.

One of the most used ways is using the Merge & Center option in the Home tab.

The issue with using Merge & Center is that it can merge the cells, but not the text within these cells (i.e., you lose some data when you merge the cells).

Let’s say we have a data set as shown below:

If I select cell A1 and B1 and use the Merge & Center option, it will keep the text from the left-most cell (A1 in this case) and but you will lose the data from all other cells.

Excel is not completely ruthless though – it warns you before this happens.

If you try and merge cells which have text in it, it shows a warning pop-up letting you know of this (as shown below).

If you go ahead and press OK, it will merge the two cells and keep the text from the leftmost cell only. In the above example, it will merge A1 and B1 and will show the text John only.

This Tutorial Covers:

Merge Cells in Excel Without Losing the Data

If you don’t want to lose the text in from cells getting merged, use the CONCATENATE formula. For example, in the above case, enter the following formula in cell C1: =CONCATENATE(A1,” “,B1)

Here we are combining the cells A1 and B1 and have a space character as the separator. If you don’t want any separator, you can simply leave it out and use the formula =CONCATENATE(A1,B1).

Alternatively, you can use any other separator such as comma or semi-colon.

This result of the CONCATENATE function is in a different cell (in C1). So you may want to copy it (as values) in the cell which you wanted to merge.

You can also use the ampersand sign to combine text. For example, you can also use =A1&” “&B1

The Benefit of Not Merging Cells in Excel

When you use Merge & Center option to merge cells, it robs you of the ability to sort that data set. If you try and sort a data set that has any merged cells, it will show you a pop-up as shown below:

Alternative to Using Merge & Center

If you want to merge cells in different columns in a single row, here is an alternative of Merge & Center – the Center Across Selection option.

Here is how to use it:

This would merge the cells in a way that whatever you enter in the leftmost cell gets centered, however, you can still select each cell individually. This also does not show an error when you try and sort the data.

NOTE: For Center to Across to work, make sure only the leftmost cell has data.

You May Also Like the Following Excel Tutorials:

How to merge and unmerge cells in Microsoft Excel in 4 ways, to clean up your data and formatting

Twitter LinkedIn icon The word «in».

LinkedIn Fliboard icon A stylized letter F.

Flipboard Facebook Icon The letter F.

Email Link icon An image of a chain link. It symobilizes a website link url.

Merging cells is an easy task in Excel, and there are several different default merge styles. You can «Merge and Center» (ideal for a title), «Merge Across» (which merges a cell across columns), or «Merge Cells» (which combines cells across both columns and rows).

In all cases, this will only bring over the content of the cell on the upper-leftmost cell. If there’s other data across the cells you’re trying to merge, you’ll receive a warning saying that merging cells only keeps the upper-left values and discards all others.

How to merge cells in Excel

How to merge and center

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge and center.

2. Click on «Merge & Center,» which should be displayed in the «Alignment» section of the toolbar at the top of your screen.

3. The cells will now be merged with the data centered in the merged cell.

How to merge across

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Scroll down to click on «Merge Across.»

4. The value on the far-left will now be the sole value for the merged cells, though it’ll keep previous alignments steady. For example, a left-aligned value will stay in the left side of the fully merged cell.

How to merge cells

1. Highlight the cells you want to merge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Scroll down to click on «Merge Cells».

4. This will merge the content of the upper-left cell across all highlighted cells.

How to unmerge cells

1. Highlight the combined cell you want to unmerge.

2. Click on the arrow just next to «Merge and Center.»

3. Click on «Unmerge.»

4. Note that unmerging cells won’t bring back data previously erased by the merging.