Excel Tip of the Day

By -
For non-advanced Excel users like myself, I always find the need to merge the text from two columns into one. For example, the first and last names are in separate columns but I want them to be in one. While there is no "Merge Columns" command, it is actually pretty easy to do with a simple formula.

Step 1: Create a new column where you wanted your merged data to be
Step 2: Enter a formula like this: =B1&" "&C1

B1 is where the first name is. C1 is where the last name is, and " " means you want a space between them. The & does the merging.

Comments

Jay said…
OMG, I can't believe I didn't know this tip! There have been many times when working with timecode, etc. where this function would've been AMAZING. Can you put other characters between fields? For example, if I wanted a : between?
04 February, 2009 23:50
Pete said…
Yes you can, you could even put whole words. Also if you don't want anything between the two, just use one ampersand. For example: =B1&C1
05 February, 2009 07:35
Amanda said…
This is great. What I have done in the past is copy/paste into Word and merge using the Table functions; it's sloppy but works. Thanks Pete!
10 February, 2009 19:04
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