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How To Merge Cells in Excel: A Step-By-Step Guide

Saniya Farokhi

Merging cells is one of those time-saving tricks to make your spreadsheets look sleek. Whether you’re a newbie to Excel or you need a refresher, this guide reveals how to merge cells in Excel in a few simple steps.

Guide To Merge Cells in Excel

TL;DR

Excel Functions

  • Windows: Select cells > go to the Home tab > click Merge & Center.
  • MacOS: Select cells > go to the Home tab > click Merge & Center.
  • Web: Select cells > go to Home tab > click Merge & Center.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Windows: ALT H+M+M
  • MacOS: Shortcuts aren’t available. Set a custom shortcut with the Customize Keyboard function.
  • Web: ALT H+M+M

Steps To Merge Cells in Excel

Keep your MacBook ready or fire up the desktop, and let’s dive into the steps for merging cells.

Windows

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel and the worksheet where you want to merge cells.

Step 2: Select the adjacent cells you want to merge. Click and drag to select multiple cells, or hold the Ctrl key while clicking each cell one at a time.

Step 3: Next, locate the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.

Step 4: In the Alignment group, click the dropdown arrow next to the Merge & Center button.

Step 5: Select Merge Cells.

Choose Merge & Center to merge and center the content or Merge Across to merge cells only within each row.

It’s as simple as three steps, and cells A1 and B1 are merged.

Note: This method only preserves the data in the leftmost cell (in this case, A1). If B1 or any adjacent cells have data, move them elsewhere before merging to prevent data loss.

MacOS

Step 1: Open the Excel worksheet and select the cells you want to merge.

Step 2: Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.

Step 3: In the Merge & Center group, click Merge Cells.

Web

You can access Excel Online with a Microsoft 365 plan or an Outlook account. Now, let’s see how to merge cells using Excel Online:

Step 1: Log in to your Microsoft Office 365 Online or Outlook account and open the Excel Online worksheet.

Step 2: Select the cells you want to merge.

Step 3: In the Home tab, click on Merge Cells to automatically merge and center cells.

Tip: Click on the dropdown button for more merging options.

Merging Multiple Cells Without Losing Data

Only the content of one cell appears in the merged cell while the rest gets deleted. You may wonder, “What if I want to merge multiple cells without losing data?” We have an answer to that, too.

There are two methods to merge multiple cells: the CONCATENATE and ampersand methods:

CONCATENATE Formula

Step 1: Select the cell where you want the merged data to appear. This cell should not be part of your merge selection.

Step 2: Type the CONCATENATE formula in the cell you want the merged data to appear. This formula is =CONCATENATE.

Step 3: Select the cells with the values you want to merge. Add ” ” in the formula to ensure adequate spacing between the merged values.

Here’s an example of how your formula should appear: =CONCATENATE(A2, ” “, B2).

Step 4: Hit Enter when you are ready. The cells in your formula will merge into the selected cell.

Note: Drag the fill handle (a small square at the bottom-right corner of the selected cell) to apply the formula to other adjacent cells. This will populate them with the concatenated values.

Ampersand Method

Step 1: Type = in the cell you want the merged data.

Step 2: Select the first cell to combine and type &. Add ” ” to add space between the existing data.

Step 3: Select the second cell and press Enter.

Here’s an example of how your formula should appear: =A2&” “&B2.

Step 4: The two data points will combine and appear in the selected cell.

Step 5: Click on the fill handle option under the cell with the new value. Drag the formula down to get the same result for adjacent cells.

How to Unmerge Cells

Now that we’ve covered all the tricks of merging cells, it’s time to look at unmerging. Follow the steps below to unmerge cells without a hitch.

Step 1: Select the merged cells.

Step 2: In the Home tab, click on the dropdown list next to the Merge & Center icon.

Step 3: Select the Unmerge Cells option from the dropdown list.

The cells will switch back to their regular shape and size. However, the data will be lost.

Shortcuts

Repeatedly clicking Merge Cells in a crowded spreadsheet can seem like a never-ending chore. Save time with these handy shortcuts. First, select your cells, then use one of these combos:

Windows

  • Merge Cells: ALT H+M+M
  • Merge Across: ALT H+M+A
  • Merge & Center: ALT H+M+C
  • Unmerge: ALT + H + M + U

Mac

Since Apple keyboards lack the ALT key, the shortcuts for merging cells vary slightly:

  1. Launch Excel then click on Tools in the navigation bar.
  2. Click on Customize Keyboard.
  3. A dialog box with the header Specify a Command will appear. Select the Home Tab from Categories and Merge Cells from Commands.
  4. Type a shortcut combination of your choice in the text box and click Ok.

Limitations

While knowing how to merge cells in Excel is essential, it’s important to know the limitations that follow. Merging cells can stir up trouble, especially when you move data around:

  • Excel only retains data from the upper-left cell after merging and deletes the rest.
  • The Merge & Center option combines cells visually but doesn’t merge the values within those cells.
  • Excel’s Sort command doesn’t work directly on ranges with merged cells; you need to unmerge cells before sorting them.

The Wrap-Up

Now that you know how to merge cells in Excel, you can forget wrestling with manual row sorting. All that’s left to do is grab your device and follow the instructions for smoother workbooks and saved time.

Now we turn the mic over to you: Which method helped you the most? Let us know in the comments below!

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