CONCATENATE in Excel: combine text strings, cells and columns

In this article, you will learn various ways to concatenate text strings, numbers and dates in Excel using the CONCATENATE function and "&" operator. We will also discuss formulas to combine individual cells, columns and ranges.

In your Excel workbooks, the data is not always structured according to your needs. Often you may want to split the content of one cell into individual cells or do the opposite - combine data from two or more columns into a single column. Common examples are joining names and address parts, combining text with a formula-driven value, displaying dates and times in the desired format, to name a few.

In this tutorial, we are going to explore various techniques of Excel string concatenation, so you can choose the method best suited for your worksheets.

What is "concatenate" in Excel?

In essence, there are two ways to combine data in Excel spreadsheets:

  • Merging cells
  • Concatenating cells' values

When you merge cells, you "physically" join two or more cells into a single cell. As a result, you have one larger cell that is displayed across multiple rows and/or columns.

When you concatenate cells in Excel, you combine only the contents of those cells. In other words, concatenation in Excel is the process of joining two or more values together. This method is often used to combine a few pieces of text that reside in different cells (technically, these are called text strings or simply strings) or insert a formula-calculated value in the middle of some text.

The following screenshot demonstrates the difference between these two methods: Merge and concatenate in Excel

Merging cells in Excel is the subject of a separate article, and in this tutorial, we'll discuss the two main ways to concatenate strings in Excel - by using the CONCATENATE function and the concatenation operator (&).

Excel CONCATENATE function

The CONCATENATE function in Excel is used to join different pieces of text together or combine values from several cells into one cell.

The syntax of Excel CONCATENATE is as follows:

CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)

Where text is a text string, cell reference or formula-driven value.

The CONCATENATE function is supported in all versions of Excel 365 - 2007.

For example, to concatenate the values of B6 and C6 with a comma, the formula is:

=CONCATENATE(B6, ",", C6)

More examples are shown in the image below: Excel CONCATENATE function

Note. In Excel 365 - Excel 2019, the CONCAT function is also available, which is a modern successor of CONCATENATE with exactly the same syntax. Although the CONCATENATE function is kept for backward compatibility, Microsoft does not give any promises that it will be supported in future versions of Excel.

Using CONCATENATE in Excel - things to remember

To ensure that your CONCATENATE formulas always deliver the correct results, remember the following simple rules:

  • Excel CONCATENATE function requires at least one "text" argument to work.
  • In one formula, you can concatenate up to 255 strings, a total of 8,192 characters.
  • The result of the CONCATENATE function is always a text string, even when all of the source values are numbers.
  • Unlike the CONCAT function, Excel CONCATENATE does not recognize arrays. Each cell reference must be listed separately. For example, you should use CONCATENATE(A1, A2, A3) and not CONCATENATE(A1:A3).
  • If any of the arguments is invalid, the CONCATENATE function returns a #VALUE! error.

"&" operator to concatenate strings in Excel

In Microsoft Excel, the ampersand sign (&) is another way to concatenate cells. This method comes in very handy in many scenarios since typing an ampersand is much faster than typing the word "concatenate" :)

For example, to concatenate two cell values with a space in-between, the formula is:

=A2&" "&B2

How to concatenate in Excel - formula examples

Below you will find a few examples of using the CONCATENATE function in Excel.

Concatenate two or more cells without separator

To combine the values of two cells into one, you use the concatenation formula in its simplest form:

=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)

Or

=A2&B2

Please note that the values will be knit together without any delimiter like in the screenshot below.

To concatenate multiple cells, you need to supply each cell reference individually, even if you are combining contiguous cells. For example:

=CONCATENATE(A2, B2, C2)

Or

=A2&B2&C2

The formulas work for both text and numbers. In case of numbers, please keep in mind that the result is a text string. To convert it to number, just multiply CONCATENATE's output by 1 or add 0 to it. For instance:

=CONCATENATE(A2, B2)*1

Concatenating the values of two or more cells in Excel

Tip. In Excel 2019 and higher, you can use the CONCAT function to quickly concatenate multiple cells using one or more range references.

Concatenate cells with a space, comma or other delimiter

In your worksheets, you may often need to join values in a way that includes commas, spaces, various punctuation marks or other characters such as a hyphen or slash. To do this, simply put the desired character in your concatenation formula. Remember to enclose that character in quotation marks, as demonstrated in the following examples.

Concatenating two cells with a space:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)

or

=A2 & " " & B2

Concatenating two cells with a comma:

=CONCATENATE(A2, ", ", B2)

or

=A2 & ", " & B2

Concatenating two cells with a hyphen:

=CONCATENATE(A2, "-", B2)

or

=A2 & "-" & B2

The following screenshot demonstrates how the results may look like: Concatenating cells with a space, comma or other delimiter

Tip. In Excel 2019 and higher, you can use the TEXTJOIN function to merge strings from multiple cells with any delimiter that you specify.

Concatenating text string and cell value

There is no reason for the Excel CONCATENATE function to be limited to only joining cells' values. You can also use it to combine text strings to make the result more meaningful. For example:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2, " completed")

The above formula informs the user that a certain project is completed, as in row 2 in the screenshot below. Please notice that we add a space before the word " completed" to separate the concatenated text strings. A space (" ") is also inserted between the combined values, so that the result displays as "Project 1" rather than "Project1".

With the concatenation operator, the formula can be written this way:

=A2 & " " & B2 & " completed"

In the same manner, you can add a text string in the beginning or in the middle of your concatenation formula. For example:

=CONCATENATE("See ", A2, " ", B2)

="See " & A2 & " " & B2 Concatenating a text string and cell value

Join text string and another formula

To make the result returned by some formula more understandable for your users, you can concatenate it with a text string that explains what the value actually is.

For example, you can use the following formula to return the current date in the desired format and specify what kind of date that is:

=CONCATENATE("Today is ",TEXT(TODAY(), "mmmm d, yyyy"))

="Today is " & TEXT(TODAY(), "dd-mmm-yy") Concatenating a text string and a formula-driven value

Tip. If you would like to delete the source data without affecting the resulting text strings, use the "Paste special - values only" option to convert formulas to their values.

Concatenate text strings with line breaks

Most often, you would separate the resulting text strings with punctuation marks and spaces, as shown in the previous example. In some cases, however, there may be a need to separate the values with a line break, or carriage return. A common example is merging mailing addresses from data in separate columns.

A problem is that you cannot simply type a line break in the formula like a usual character. Instead, you use the CHAR function to supply the corresponding ASCII code to the concatenation formula:

  • On Windows, use CHAR(10) where 10 is the character code for Line feed.
  • On Mac, use CHAR(13) where 13 is the character code for Carriage return.

In this example, we have the address pieces in columns A through F, and we are putting them together in column G by using the concatenation operator "&". The merged values are separated with a comma (", "), space (" ") and a line break CHAR(10):

=A2 & " " & B2 & CHAR(10) & C2 & CHAR(10) & D2 & ", " & E2 & " " & F2

The CONCATENATE function would take this shape:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2, CHAR(10), C2, CHAR(10), D2, ", ", E2, " ", F2)

Either way, the result is a 3-line text string: Concatenating cells with line breaks

Note. When using line breaks to separate the combined values, you must have Wrap text enabled for the result to display correctly. To do this, press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog, switch to the Alignment tab and check the Wrap text box.

In the same manner, you can separate final strings with other characters such as:

  • Double quotes (") - CHAR(34)
  • Forward slash (/) - CHAR(47)
  • Asterisk (*) - CHAR (42)
  • The full list of ASCII codes is available here.

How to concatenate columns in Excel

To join two or more columns, just enter your concatenation formula in the first cell, and then copy it down to other cells by dragging the fill handle (the small square that appears in the lower right hand corner of the selected cell).

For example, to combine two columns (column A and B) delimiting the values with a space, the formula in C2 copied down is:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)

Or

= A2 & " " & B2 Concatenating two columns in Excel

Tip. A quick way to copy the formula down the column is to select the cell with the formula and double-click the fill handle.

For more information, please see How to merge two columns in Excel without losing data.

Combine text and numbers keeping formatting

When concatenating a text string with a number, percentage or date, you may want to keep the original formatting of a numeric value or display it in a different way. This can be done by supplying the format code inside the TEXT function, which you embed in a concatenation formula.

In the beginning of this tutorial, we have already discussed a formula that concatenates text and date.

And here are a few more formula examples that combine text and number:

Number with 2 decimal places and the $ sign:

=A2 & " " & TEXT(B2, "$#,#0.00")

Number without insignificant zeros and the $ sign:

=A2 & " " & TEXT(B2, "0.#")

Fractional number:

=A2 & " " & TEXT(B2, "# ?/???")

To concatenate text and percentage, the formulas are:

Percent with two decimal places:

=A12 & " " & TEXT(B12, "0.00%")

Rounded whole percent:

=A12 & " " & TEXT(B12, "0%") Concatenating numbers in various formats

How to concatenate a range of cells in Excel

Combining values from multiple cells might take some effort because the Excel CONCATENATE function does not accept arrays.

To concatenate several cells, say A1 to A4, you need to use one of the following formulas:

=CONCATENATE(A1, A2, A3, A4)

or

=A1 & A2 & A3 & A4

When combining a fairly small group of cells, it's no big deal to type all the references. A large range would be tedious to supply, typing each individual reference manually. Below you will find 3 methods of quick range concatenation in Excel.

Method 1. Press CTRL to select multiple cells

To quickly select several cells, you can press and hold the Ctrl key while clicking on each cell you want to include in the formula. Here are the detailed steps:

  1. Select a cell where you want to enter the formula.
  2. Type =CONCATENATE( in that cell or in the formula bar.
  3. Press and hold Ctrl and click on each cell you want to concatenate.
  4. Release the Ctrl button, type the closing parenthesis, and press Enter.
To concatenate a range of cells, press CTRL to select multiple cells.
Note. When using this method, you must click each individual cell. Selecting a range with the mouse would add an array to the formula, which the CONCATENATE function does not accept.

Method 2. Use TRANSPOSE function to get all cell values

When a range consists of tens or hundreds of cells, the previous method may not be fast enough as it requires clicking on each cell. In this case, you can use the TRANSPOSE function to return an array of values, and then merge them together in one fell swoop.

  1. In the cell where you want the result to appear, enter the TRANSPOSE formula, for example:

    =TRANSPOSE(A1:A10)

  2. In the formula bar, press F9 to replace the formula with calculated values. As a result, you will have an array of values to be concatenated.
  3. Delete the curly braces surrounding the array. Use the TRANSPOSE function to get the range
  4. Type =CONCATENATE( before the first value, then type the closing parenthesis after the last value, and press Enter. Concatenate the values.

Note. The result of this formula is static as it concatenates the values, not cell references. If the source data changes, you will have to repeat the process.

Method 3. Use the CONCAT function

In Excel 365 and Excel 2021, this simple formula will concatenate a range of cells in a blink:

=CONCAT(A1:A10)

Method 4. Use the Merge Cells add-in

A quick and formula-free way to concatenate any range in Excel is to use the Merge Cells add-in with the "Merge all areas in selection" option turned off, as demonstrated in Combining values of several cells into one cell.

Excel "&" operator vs. CONCATENATE function

Many users wonder which is a more efficient way to join strings in Excel - CONCATENATE function or "&" operator.

The only real difference is the 255 strings limit of the CONCATENATE function and no such limitation when using the ampersand. Other than that, there is no difference between these two methods, nor is there any speed difference between the CONCATENATE and "&" formulas.

And since 255 is a really big number and you will hardly ever need to combine that many strings in real work, the difference boils down to comfort and ease of use. Some users find CONCATENATE formulas easier to read, I personally prefer using the "&" method. So, simply stick with the technique you feel more comfortable with.

Opposite of CONCATENATE in Excel (splitting cells)

The opposite of concatenate in Excel is splitting the contents of one cell into multiple cells. This can be done in a few different ways:

You can also find useful information in this article: How to unmerge cells in Excel.

Concatenate in Excel with Merge Cells add-in

With the Merge Cells add-in included in Ultimate Suite for Excel, you can efficiently do both:

  • Merge several cells into one without losing data.
  • Concatenate the values of several cells into a single cell and separate them with any delimiter of your choosing.

The Merge Cells tool works with all Excel versions from 2016 to 365 and can combine all data types including text strings, numbers, dates and special symbols. Its two key advantages are simplicity and speed - any concatenation is done in a couple of clicks.

Combine values of several cells into one cell

To combine the contents of several cells, you select the range to concatenate and configure the following settings:

  • Under What to merge, select Cells into one.
  • Under Combine with, type the delimiter (a comma and a space in our case).
  • Choose where you want to place the result.
  • Most importantly, uncheck the Merge all areas in the selection box. It is this option that controls whether the cells are merged or their values are concatenated.
Combine the values of several cells into one cell.

Combine columns row-by-row

To concatenate two or more columns, you configure the Merge Cells' settings in a similar way but choose to merge columns into one and place the results in the left column.

Concatenating columns into one.

Join rows column-by-column

To combine data in each individual row, column-by-column, you choose:

  • Merge rows into one.
  • Use a line break for the delimiter.
  • Place the results in the top row.

The result may look similar to this: Concatenating multiple rows into one.

To check how the Merge Cells add-in will cope with your data sets, you are welcome to download a fully functional trial version of our Ultimate Suite for Excel below.

That's how to concatenate in Excel. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!

Available downloads

Concatenation formula examples (.xlsx file)
Ultimate Suite 14-day trial version (.exe file)

Table of contents

447 comments

  1. When i concatenate =1&2&3&4&5 it gives 12345
    In my program i want to remove any one of the items, say 4
    and it should show 1235.
    Can any one guide me how to do it?
    Thank you

    • Just minus 11110

    • concatenate =1&2&3&4&5 it gives 12345
      then integer =int (12345) above value-11110
      your answer will be there.

  2. Hello,

    If there a way to Concatenate and use Right at the same time?

    Ex: 123456 to ***456

    Doing so with on one column, ID number is 123456 then ID number 2 would be ***456

    Thank You

  3. hi am trying use double code text file to be upload.

    pls refer.below sample format.
    "IH","INV-3456","2007-11-20","1","1","TESTING","2","1","AED","1000","CIF","","","",""
    "ID","1234","03056980","NormalHSCode","N","kg","1","kg","1000","m","","1000","US","123456789012345","1","12352","","","11"

    please help

  4. Can u Please help me??

    How can we find Price(numbers) from letters?
    eg.A B C D
    a 1 ab 12
    b 2
    c 3 bc 23
    .....................
    In column D i want the values of merged letters...
    please help me

  5. Can u Please help me??

    How can we find Price(numbers) from letters?
    eg.A B C D
    a 1 ab 12
    b 2
    c 3 bc 23

    In column D i want the values of merged letters

  6. Sub Code()
    ' Range("C17").Select
    ' Selection.Copy
    ' Sheets("Sheet2").Select
    ' Range("B10").Select
    ' ActiveSheet.Paste

    For x = 2 To 24
    con = ""
    Sheets("BB").Select
    state1 = Cells(x, 9).Value
    district1 = Cells(x, 10).Value
    village1 = Cells(x, 12).Value
    Sheets("AA").Select
    For y = 2 To 60
    state2 = Cells(y, 10).Value
    district2 = Cells(y, 11).Value
    village2 = Cells(y, 13).Value
    If state2 = state1 And district2 = district1 And village2 = village1 Then
    con = Cells(y, 15).Value = Cells(y, 15).Value + ("y14", " , ","x15")
    'Sheets("BB").Select
    Cells(x, 16).Value = Cells(x, 16).Value + ", "

    End If
    Next
    Next
    End Sub

    y there is an error in concentation
    thank u

  7. how to add a space between word and number (Ex:ACT222) In a single cell.
    Thank You.

    • If the text and numbers are always in blocks of 3 and 3 (e.g. ACT222, BOB876 etc.) then (assuming data is in cell A1):

      =CONCATENATE((MID(A1,1,3))," ",MID(A1,4,3))

  8. Hi Svetlana,

    Great website. Is there vba formula that could help sort my text strings like this:

    House1
    House2
    House3
    Truck1
    Truck2
    Truck3

    Result

    House1|House2|House3
    Truck1|Truck2|Truck3

    Thank you.

    • Hello, Preston,

      we don't build VBA formulas, but we can provide another option which you may find useful.
      If your data starts in A1, enter the next formula in B1:
      =INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()*3-2,1))&" | "&INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()*3-1,1))&" | "&INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW()*3,1))
      This will return House1|House2|House3
      and copy the formula to the row(s) below (read how do to it here) to apply for other group(s) of the data.
      Hope it helps!

  9. Hi,
    After concatenation I want any part (any one of the cells to be concatenated) of the result as BOLD ITALIC. How to do it with VB and without VB?
    Thanks.

  10. How to connect text string for varing range given below
    Input:
    ST1 Cataract
    ST2 Macular degeneration
    AMD
    ARMD
    ST3 Diabetic retinopathy
    nonproliferative retinopathy
    diabetic eye disease
    leaking blood vessels
    ST4 vitreous hemorrhage
    extravasation of blood
    leakage of blood
    ST5 Macular hole
    macular break

    Output:
    ST1 Cataract
    ST2 Macular degeneration OR AMD OR ARMD
    ST3 Diabetic retinopathy OR nonproliferative retinopathy OR diabetic eye disease OR leaking blood vessels
    .....
    Since range is not fixed for each output how to use CONCATENATE or any other function

  11. How can I concatenate two dates?

    Column A: 3/1/17
    Column B: 3/5/17

    What I want for Column C: 3/1/17 - 3/5/17

    Is there a formula for this? I seem to only be able to find formulae for text and not dates.

    • Nevermind I found it :)

      =CONCATENATE(TEXT(A1,"dd/mm/yyyy")," - ",TEXT(B1,"dd/mm/yyyy"))

  12. I have two columns with dates. Most times each column has data but some do not. I want to concatenate the two date columns into a single column. Here is what I am using: =TEXT(D2, "m/d")&" - "&TEXT(E2, "m/d"). This is working perfectly except when one of the columns is blank I get this result: 10/31 - 1/0. I want the formula to return just the single date when one column cell is blank. Help?

    • =IF(E2="",TEXT(D2, "m/d"),TEXT(D2, "m/d")&" - "&TEXT(E2, "m/d"))

  13. Hi,
    I have 3 columns, each column have a text. But there are cells which does not have any text and when I concatenate it leave two spaces. Please help how this can be sorted.
    Thanks.
    For example.
    how are you how are you
    how you how you

  14. I want to perform set theory operation like A union B and A intersection B operation on two cells containing comma separated numerical values in two cells without repeating the values.

    Kindly help me

  15. Hi,
    I have data in 2 column, same values repeated in both column need unique concatenate value for combination ex-
    ColumnA ColumnB
    A B =CONCATENATE(A2,"_",B2)
    B A
    C D
    D C
    Required unique concatenate A_B(for B_A also)
    Result should
    A_B
    A_B
    C_D
    C_D

    Pease help for given concatenate and vlookup formula
    Thanks

    • =IF(B2>A2,CONCATENATE(A2,"_",B2),CONCATENATE(B2,"_",A2))

  16. Hi,
    the value are 4.89 &
    this value in separate (not decimal place) Ans : = 4.00
    how to use formula in this value..

    thanx..

  17. Hi,

    A B
    1 BMW 2010
    2 2001 4.6L
    3 2002 1999
    4 2003 Honda
    5 Chevy 1978
    6 3.5L 602384
    7 128435 2008

    I want to keep just the data that looks like an YEAR from the 2 columns(A,B).

    I tried to write a function that looks at A1 and see if it's a number with the character limit lower than 5, and if YES, to bring over the cell, if NOT to leave a blank space.

    =if(ISNUMBER(LEN(A1)<5), A1, " ")

    I tried something more complicated like this.

    =if(ISNUMBER(LEN(A1)<5), A1, if(ISNUMBER(LEN(B1)<5), B1," "))

    I wanted to look at A1 to see if it's a number with length<5, and if yes to bring over the cell, if NOT to look at B1 if it's number with length<5 and bring it over, and if NOT to leave a blank space.
    Still didn't work.

    I've tried this way as well using the & in the argument.

    =if(ISNUMBER(A1)&LEN(A1)<5, A1, " ") or

    =if(ISNUMBER(A1)&LEN(A1)<5, A1, if(ISNUMBER(B1)&LEN(B1)<5, B1, " "))

    Still NO luck.

    What am I doing wrong? :(((

    Thank you in advance for any tip :D

  18. name S/O, D/O
    saira ali khan
    mehboob ali ghulam ali

    how i use formula concatenate here ? please help

  19. Hi All,

    It would be great help if you can suggest me best formula for below report.

    [My Data is like....]

    Name Visited Planned Date
    ------ ------- ------------
    Red Yes 07/10/2016
    Blue Yes 09/10/2016
    Red Yes 10/10/2016
    Green Yes 11/10/2016
    Green No 12/10/2016
    Red No 13/10/2016
    Blue Yes 14/10/2016

    [I need report like below....]
    Name Visit Dates
    ------ ------------
    Red 07/10/2016; 10/10/2016
    Blue 09/10/2016; 14/10/2016
    Green 11/10/2016

    Please suggest best formula to create report. Data will be added regularly in my data tracker. And report will be updated automatically.

    Please help. Thanks in advance.

  20. Hi All,

    I have formula =(C21-D21)/C21.
    I want to change C and D in the formula based on some other cell value like.
    Ex: cell H20 and I20 , if i enter A in H20 and B in I20 then formula should become =(A21-B21)/A21. 21 is dynamic(Range is 21 to 678 in table)

    Thanks in Advance

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