How to merge text in Excel

You can watch a video tutorial here.

In Excel, you will frequently need to manipulate both numerical and text data. You may need to combine the text of two cells, for example, the first and last name. There are two ways of doing this, one uses the ampersand (&) character, and the other uses the CONCAT() function. The syntax of the function is:

CONCAT(text1, text 2,….)

• text1, text2, etc.: any pieces of text

Option 1 – Use the ampersand (&) character

Step 1 – Create the formula with &

• Select the cell in which the result is to appear
• Type the formula using cell references:

= First Name & “ “ & Last Name

• Press Enter

Note: The “ “ introduces a space between the names

Step 2 – Copy the formula and check the result

• Using the fill handle from the first cell, drag the formula to the remaining cells

OR

1. Select the cell with the formula and press Ctrl+C or choose Copy from the context menu (right-click)
2. Select the rest of the cells in the column and press Ctrl+V or choose Paste from the context menu (right-click)

• The cells are added correctly

Option 2 – Use the CONCAT() function

Step 1 – Create the formula with CONCAT()

• Select the cell in which the result is to appear
• Type the formula using cell references:

= CONCAT(First Name,“ “, Last Name)

• Press Enter

Note: The “ “ introduces a space between the names

Step 2 – Copy the formula and check the result

• Using the fill handle from the first cell, drag the formula to the remaining cells

OR

1. Select the cell with the formula and press Ctrl+C or choose Copy from the context menu (right-click)
2. Select the rest of the cells in the column and press Ctrl+V or choose Paste from the context menu (right-click)

• The First and Last names have been merged with a space in between