How to Merge Two Columns in Excel

Using the CONCATENATE Function

The CONCATENATE function in Excel allows you to join two or more text strings into one. To merge two columns using the CONCATENATE function, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell where you want the merged data to appear.
2. Type the CONCATENATE function in the formula bar, followed by an open parenthesis “(“.
3. Select the first cell you want to merge, type a comma “,” and select the second cell you want to merge.
4. Close the parenthesis “)” and press Enter.

For example, to merge the first name and last name columns into one column, you can use the following formula:

=CONCATENATE(A2,” “,B2)

This will merge the data in cells A2 and B2, and separate them with a space. The result will be displayed in the cell where you entered the formula. You can then copy the formula down to merge all the cells in the two columns.

Using the “&” Operator

The “&” operator in Excel is another way to merge two columns into one. This operator allows you to join two text strings or cell references into one without using a function. To use the “&” operator to merge two columns, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell where you want the merged data to appear.
2. Type an equal sign “=” to start the formula.
3. Select the first cell you want to merge, type the “&” operator, and select the second cell you want to merge.
4. Press Enter.

For example, to merge the first name and last name columns into one column, you can use the following formula:

=A2&” “&B2

This will merge the data in cells A2 and B2, and separate them with a space. The result will be displayed in the cell where you entered the formula. You can then copy the formula down to merge all the cells in the two columns. The advantage of using the “&” operator is that it is simpler and faster than using the CONCATENATE function.

Using the Merge Cells Feature

Excel also has a built-in feature that allows you to merge cells, including cells from different columns, into one cell. To use the Merge Cells feature to merge two columns, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells you want to merge.
2. Right-click the selection and choose “Format Cells” from the context menu.
3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Alignment tab.
4. Check the “Merge cells” checkbox and click OK.

For example, to merge the first name and last name columns into one column, you can select the cells in both columns and then merge them. The result will be displayed in the first cell of the selection.

Note that when you merge cells, the contents of the cells are combined into one cell, but the formatting of the original cells is lost. Also, if the cells you want to merge contain data from formulas or functions, the merged cell will display the result of the formula or function in the upper-left cell of the selection.

Using the Flash Fill Feature

The Flash Fill feature in Excel is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly manipulate and format data. One of the things you can do with Flash Fill is merge two columns into one. To use the Flash Fill feature to merge two columns, follow these steps:

1. Type the first few merged cells manually to show Excel what you want to do.
2. Press Ctrl + E or go to the “Data” tab and click “Flash Fill”.

For example, to merge the first name and last name columns into one column, you can type the first few merged cells manually, such as “John Doe” and “Jane Smith”. Then, when you press Ctrl + E or click “Flash Fill”, Excel will automatically fill in the remaining merged cells for you.

The advantage of using the Flash Fill feature is that it is very fast and can save you a lot of time when you need to manipulate and format large amounts of data. However, it may not work perfectly in all cases, so you should always check the results to make sure they are what you intended.

Handling Empty Cells While Merging

When you merge two columns in Excel, you may encounter empty cells in one or both columns. Depending on how you want to merge the cells, you may need to handle these empty cells differently. Here are a few options:

1. Ignore empty cells: If you want to ignore empty cells and only merge cells that contain data, you can use the CONCATENATE function or the “&” operator and add an IF statement to check if the cells are empty. For example, you can use the following formula:

=IF(A2=””,””,A2&” “&B2)

This formula checks if cell A2 is empty. If it is, the formula returns an empty string, which means the merged cell will be empty. If cell A2 is not empty, the formula merges cells A2 and B2 and separates them with a space.

2. Fill empty cells: If you want to fill empty cells with data from the adjacent cells before merging them, you can use the Fill Down feature. To do this, select the column with empty cells, go to the “Home” tab, and click “Fill Down”. Excel will automatically fill in the empty cells with data from the cells above.

3. Replace empty cells: If you want to replace empty cells with a specific value before merging them, you can use the Find and Replace feature. To do this, select the column with empty cells, press Ctrl + H or go to the “Home” tab and click “Find & Replace”. In the dialog box, type an asterisk (*) in the “Find what” field and the value you want to replace empty cells with in the “Replace with” field. Click “Replace All” to replace all empty cells with the specified value.

By handling empty cells appropriately, you can ensure that your merged data is accurate and complete.