5 Easy Steps to Merge 2 Columns in Excel

Uninterested in manually copying and pasting knowledge from a number of columns right into a single one? Uncover a seamless resolution to merge columns in Microsoft Excel, saving you effort and time. With the Merge Columns characteristic, you may effortlessly mix knowledge from completely different columns right into a consolidated column, eliminating the necessity for tedious and error-prone guide work. Furthermore, this characteristic permits you to specify varied choices to customise the merged knowledge, guaranteeing it meets your particular necessities.

To unlock the ability of the Merge Columns characteristic, navigate to the Information tab within the Excel ribbon and find the Information Instruments group. Click on on the Merge icon and comply with the intuitive steps to pick the columns you want to merge. Excel supplies flexibility in selecting how you can mix the information. You may choose to separate the merged values with a delimiter of your alternative, resembling a comma, house, or some other character. Moreover, you will have the choice to disregard clean cells or skip hidden cells in the course of the merging course of, guaranteeing that solely the related knowledge is included.

The Merge Columns characteristic empowers you to boost the effectivity and accuracy of your knowledge administration. By automating the duty of merging columns, you may reduce the chance of errors which will come up from guide knowledge manipulation. Moreover, this characteristic permits you to create consolidated reviews or summaries by combining knowledge from a number of sources, enabling you to achieve beneficial insights and make knowledgeable selections. Embrace the Merge Columns characteristic and expertise a transformative enchancment in your Excel workflow.

Combining Information from Two Columns

Merging columns in Excel is a robust approach that permits you to mix knowledge from a number of sources right into a single, cohesive column. That is notably helpful when you might want to consolidate info from completely different tables or worksheets right into a single, complete view. There are a number of approaches to merging columns in Excel, and the most effective technique will depend on the particular necessities of your knowledge.

Utilizing the Method Bar

One of the simple methods to merge columns is by utilizing the system bar. This technique includes making a system inside one of many merged cells that references the values from the 2 unique columns. Here is an instance of how to do that:

1. Choose the cell the place you need the merged knowledge to look.

2. Within the system bar, enter the next system: =A1&” “&B1

3. Press Enter.

The system will concatenate the values from cells A1 and B1 into the present cell, with an area character in between. If you wish to merge knowledge from a number of cells in every column, you should utilize extra ampersand characters to concatenate the values collectively. For instance, the next system would merge the values from cells A1, B1, C1, and D1 right into a single cell:

=A1&” “&B1&” “&C1&” “&D1

Utilizing the CONCATENATE Operate

An alternative choice for merging columns is to make use of the CONCATENATE perform. The CONCATENATE perform takes a number of textual content values as arguments and combines them right into a single worth. To make use of the CONCATENATE perform to merge columns, comply with these steps:

1. Choose the cell the place you need the merged knowledge to look.

2. Within the system bar, enter the next system: =CONCATENATE(A1, ” “, B1)

3. Press Enter.

The CONCATENATE perform will concatenate the values from cells A1 and B1 into the present cell, with an area character in between.

Utilizing Energy Question

Energy Question is a robust instrument in Excel that can be utilized to remodel and merge knowledge from a number of sources. To merge columns utilizing Energy Question, comply with these steps:

1. Choose the information you wish to merge.

2. Go to the Information tab within the Excel ribbon.

3. Click on on the “Get & Rework” button.

4. Within the Energy Question Editor, choose the 2 columns you wish to merge.

5. Go to the “Rework” tab within the Energy Question Editor.

6. Click on on the “Merge Columns” button.

7. Within the Merge Columns dialog field, choose the next choices:

Possibility	Description
Merge as new column	Creates a brand new column that incorporates the merged knowledge.
Delimiter	The character that separates the values within the merged column.
Prefix	The textual content that’s added to the start of the merged column.
Suffix	The textual content that’s added to the top of the merged column.

8. Click on on the “OK” button.

Energy Question will create a brand new column that incorporates the merged knowledge from the 2 chosen columns.

Merging Textual content with the CONCAT Operate

The CONCAT perform is a robust instrument that permits you to merge textual content from a number of cells right into a single cell. This may be helpful for quite a lot of functions, resembling creating full names from first and final names or combining addresses from completely different columns. The CONCAT perform takes two or extra textual content strings as arguments and returns a single textual content string that’s the concatenation of the arguments. The syntax of the CONCAT perform is as follows:

=CONCAT(text1, text2, …, textn)

the place:

text1, text2, …, textn are the textual content strings that you simply wish to concatenate.

For instance, the next system concatenates the primary and final names in columns A and B to create a full title in column C:

=CONCAT(A2, ” “, B2)

The next desk reveals the outcomes of utilizing the CONCAT perform to concatenate textual content from completely different columns:

Column A	Column B	Column C
John	Doe	John Doe
Jane	Smith	Jane Smith
Mary	Jones	Mary Jones

Merging Textual content and Numbers

Merging textual content and numbers in Excel is a standard process that can be utilized to mix knowledge from completely different sources or to create customized formatting. To merge textual content and numbers, you should utilize the CONCATENATE perform.

The CONCATENATE perform takes two or extra arguments and returns a single textual content string that’s the results of becoming a member of the arguments. The arguments could be textual content, numbers, or different features that return a textual content string.

For instance, the next system will merge the textual content string “Hi there” with the quantity 123:

Method Consequence

=CONCATENATE(“Hi there”, 123)

Hello123

You can even use the CONCATENATE perform to merge a number of columns of knowledge.

For instance, the next system will merge the information within the A and B columns:

Method Consequence

=CONCATENATE(A1, B1)

[Value in A1][Value in B1]

The CONCATENATE perform is a flexible instrument that can be utilized to merge textual content and numbers in quite a lot of methods. By understanding how you can use the CONCATENATE perform, it can save you time and enhance the accuracy of your knowledge.

Utilizing the & Operator

On this technique, we concatenate the values of the 2 columns utilizing the ampersand (&) operator. The result’s a single column that incorporates the mixed values.

For example we have now the next knowledge in two columns, Column A and Column B:

Column A	Column B
John	Doe
Jane	Smith
Peter	Parker

To merge these two columns utilizing the & operator, we will use the next system in a 3rd column, say Column C:

=A1&" "&B1

This system concatenates the values from Column A and Column B, and provides an area between them. The consequence could be:

This technique is easy and simple, but it surely has a limitation: it does not enable for any extra formatting or customization of the merged knowledge. For instance, when you needed to alter the font or coloration of the merged knowledge, you would need to do it manually.

Merging Columns with Totally different Information Sorts

When merging columns with completely different knowledge varieties, Excel sometimes treats the information as textual content. Nonetheless, you may specify the information kind of the merged column to take care of the unique knowledge varieties. Here is how:

1. Choose the columns to be merged.

2. Go to the “Information” tab within the Excel ribbon.

3. Click on the “Merge & Middle” button within the “Information Instruments” group.

4. Within the “Merge & Middle” dialog field, choose the “Customized” choice.

5. Within the “Customized” dialog field, choose the next choices:

Merge Kind:	Merge cells throughout choice
Merge throughout:	Complete row
Information Operation:	Select the information kind of the merged column (e.g., Textual content, Quantity, Date)

After getting chosen the specified choices, click on “OK” to merge the columns. The info within the merged column will probably be transformed to the desired knowledge kind.

Ignoring Clean Cells within the Merge

When merging two columns, you could not wish to embrace the clean cells. This may be achieved by utilizing the IFERROR perform. IFERROR checks if a cell incorporates an error, and in that case, returns a specified worth. On this case, we will use IFERROR to examine if a cell is clean, and in that case, return an empty string.

To disregard clean cells within the merge, use the next steps:

Choose the cells that you simply wish to merge.
Click on on the "Information" tab.
Click on on the "Merge & Middle" button.
Within the "Merge & Middle" dialog field, choose the "Ignore clean cells" checkbox.
Click on on the "OK" button.

Right here is an instance of how you can use the IFERROR perform to disregard clean cells within the merge:

Instance

Column A	Column B	Merge
Worth A	Worth B	Worth AValue B
Worth A		Worth A
Worth A	Worth C	Worth AValue C
	Worth D

On this instance, the IFERROR perform is used to examine if the cells in Column B are clean. If a cell is clean, the IFERROR perform returns an empty string. Because of this, the clean cells should not included within the merge.

The next desk reveals the outcomes of the merge:

Column A	Column B	Merge
Worth A	Worth B	Worth AValue B
Worth A		Worth A
Worth A	Worth C	Worth AValue C
	Worth D	Worth D

Concatenating A number of Columns

If you might want to merge greater than two columns, you should utilize the CONCATENATE perform. This perform takes two or extra textual content strings as arguments and returns a single textual content string that’s the concatenation of the arguments. For instance, the next system concatenates the contents of cells A1, B1, and C1 right into a single cell, D1:

=CONCATENATE(A1, B1, C1)

You can even use the & operator to concatenate textual content strings. The & operator is equal to the CONCATENATE perform. For instance, the next system is equal to the earlier system:

=A1 & B1 & C1

To concatenate a number of columns right into a single column, you should utilize the next steps:

Create a brand new column in your worksheet.
Within the first cell of the brand new column, enter the next system:
=CONCATENATE(A1, B1, C1)
Press Enter.
Choose the cell that incorporates the system.
Drag the fill deal with all the way down to the top of the column.
The system will probably be copied to the remaining cells within the column, and the contents of the desired columns will probably be concatenated into the brand new column.
If you might want to concatenate greater than three columns, you may add extra arguments to the CONCATENATE perform or use the & operator.

Right here is an instance of how you can use the CONCATENATE perform to concatenate a number of columns:

Column A	Column B	Column C	Column D
John	Doe	123 Major Avenue	=CONCATENATE(A2, ” “, B2, “, “, C2)
Jane	Smith	456 Elm Avenue	=CONCATENATE(A3, ” “, B3, “, “, C3)
Invoice	Jones	789 Oak Avenue	=CONCATENATE(A4, ” “, B4, “, “, C4)

On this instance, the CONCATENATE perform is used to concatenate the contents of columns A, B, and C right into a single cell in column D. The ensuing textual content string consists of the primary title, final title, and handle of every individual.

Formatting the Merged Information

After getting merged the 2 columns, you could must format the merged knowledge to make sure it’s in keeping with the remainder of your spreadsheet. Listed here are the steps to format the merged knowledge:

1. Choose the Merged Cells

Use your mouse to pick the cells that you’ve merged.

2. Select the Formatting Choices

From the Residence tab within the Excel ribbon, choose the suitable formatting choices in your knowledge. This will likely embrace altering the font, dimension, coloration, alignment, or quantity format.

3. Apply the Formatting

After getting chosen the specified formatting choices, click on the Apply button to use the adjustments to the merged knowledge.

4. Alter the Row Top or Column Width

If mandatory, you may modify the row peak or column width to accommodate the merged knowledge. Choose the merged cells and use the mouse to pull the borders of the row or column till it reaches the specified dimension.

5. Use Textual content Wrapping

If the merged knowledge is simply too lengthy to suit inside the cell, you should utilize textual content wrapping to show it throughout a number of traces. Choose the merged cells and click on the Wrap Textual content button on the Residence tab.

6. Merge and Middle

To heart the merged knowledge inside the cell, choose the merged cells and click on the Merge & Middle button on the Residence tab.

7. Use Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting permits you to robotically format the merged knowledge based mostly on sure standards. Choose the merged cells and use the Conditional Formatting instrument on the Residence tab to use conditional formatting guidelines.

8. Use a Desk

For a extra structured and customizable format, you may convert the merged knowledge right into a desk. Choose the merged cells and click on the Insert > Desk button on the Residence tab. This can create a desk with the merged knowledge because the heading.

Formatting Possibility	Description
Font	Modifications the font of the merged knowledge
Measurement	Modifications the dimensions of the merged knowledge
Shade	Modifications the colour of the merged knowledge
Alignment	Aligns the merged knowledge inside the cell
Quantity Format	Applies a selected quantity format to the merged knowledge (e.g., forex, share, and so forth.)

Troubleshooting Merged Column Errors

In case your merged column is exhibiting errors, listed here are some frequent troubleshooting steps to resolve them:

1. Guarantee Information Compatibility: Confirm that the information being merged is appropriate. Incompatible knowledge codecs (e.g., textual content and numbers) can disrupt the merging course of.

2. Verify Cell Referencing: Double-check the cell references used within the merge system. Incorrect cell references can result in inaccurate merges.

3. Clear Hidden Cells: Generally, hidden cells intervene with merging. Unhide any hidden cells and take a look at merging once more.

4. Take away Invalid Characters: Non-printable characters, resembling areas or line breaks, can disrupt merging. Examine the information for any such characters and take away them.

5. Confirm Vary Consistency: Be certain that the vary of cells being merged is adjoining and contiguous. Overlapping or non-contiguous ranges may cause merging errors.

6. Use the Merge Cells Command: Alternatively, use the built-in “Merge Cells” command on the Residence tab. This characteristic is much less susceptible to errors than guide merging.

7. Convert Formulation to Values: If the merged columns include formulation, convert them to static values earlier than merging. Formulation can intervene with the merging course of.

8. Verify Regional Settings: Regional settings can have an effect on how knowledge is interpreted. Be certain that Excel’s regional settings align along with your knowledge format.

9. Errors in Merging Information from A number of Workbooks: If you’re merging knowledge from completely different workbooks, confirm that the information codecs and column headers in each workbooks are constant. Inconsistent codecs or headers may cause merging errors.

Superior Merging Strategies

10. Merge A number of Columns Utilizing Energy Question

Energy Question is a robust Excel instrument that permits you to manipulate knowledge and carry out complicated transformations. You should utilize Energy Question to merge a number of columns by following these steps:

Choose the columns you wish to merge.
Click on on the “Information” tab after which “Get & Rework Information.”
Within the Energy Question Editor, click on on the “Merge Columns” button.
Choose the “Delimiter” you wish to use to separate the merged values (e.g., comma, house).
Click on on the “OK” button.

Your chosen columns will now be merged right into a single column. Energy Question additionally supplies superior choices for dealing with duplicate values and merging columns of various knowledge varieties.

Superior Merging Strategies

1. Merge Information Throughout A number of Rows

To merge knowledge throughout a number of rows, use the “CONCATENATE” perform. This perform takes a number of ranges as arguments and combines them right into a single textual content string.

2. Merge Information with Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting permits you to apply formatting guidelines based mostly on sure situations. You should utilize conditional formatting to merge knowledge that meets particular standards.

3. Merge Information Utilizing VBA Macros

VBA macros are highly effective instruments that permit you to automate duties in Excel. You should utilize VBA macros to merge knowledge from a number of cells or ranges.

4. Merge Information with PivotTables

PivotTables are interactive tables that permit you to summarize and analyze knowledge. You should utilize PivotTables to merge knowledge from a number of sources.

5. Merge Information with a Method

You should utilize a system to merge knowledge from a number of cells right into a single cell. For instance, the next system merges the contents of cells A1 and B1:

6. Merge Information Utilizing Flash Fill

Flash Fill is a characteristic in Excel that implies patterns and fills knowledge based mostly in your enter. You should utilize Flash Fill to merge knowledge that follows a constant sample.

7. Merge Information with Textual content to Columns

The Textual content to Columns characteristic permits you to convert textual content into columns. You should utilize this characteristic to merge knowledge that’s saved as textual content in a single cell.

8. Merge Information Utilizing Energy Question

Energy Question is a robust instrument that permits you to rework and manipulate knowledge. You should utilize Energy Question to merge knowledge from a number of sources.

9. Merge Information with Energy Pivot

Energy Pivot is a knowledge modeling instrument that permits you to create knowledge fashions. You should utilize Energy Pivot to merge knowledge from a number of tables.

How To Merge 2 Columns In Excel

Merging two columns in Excel is an easy course of that may be accomplished in a number of steps. Listed here are the steps:

1. Choose the 2 columns that you simply wish to merge.
2. Click on the “Information” tab within the Excel ribbon.
3. Click on the “Merge & Middle” button within the “Information Instruments” group.
4. A dialog field will seem. Choose the “Merge Throughout” choice and click on “OK.”

The 2 columns will now be merged right into a single column. The info from the 2 columns will probably be concatenated, with an area separating the values.

Individuals additionally ask about How To Merge 2 Columns In Excel

How do I merge two columns in Excel with out shedding knowledge?

To merge two columns in Excel with out shedding knowledge, you should utilize the CONCATENATE perform. The CONCATENATE perform permits you to mix the values from two or extra cells right into a single cell. Listed here are the steps:

1. Choose a clean cell subsequent to the 2 columns that you simply wish to merge.
2. Kind the next system into the cell: =CONCATENATE(A1, ” “, B1)
3. Press Enter.

The CONCATENATE perform will mix the values from cells A1 and B1 into the cell that you simply chosen. The ” ” character between the 2 cell references is used so as to add an area between the values.

How do I merge two columns in Excel based mostly on a standard worth?

To merge two columns in Excel based mostly on a standard worth, you should utilize the VLOOKUP perform. The VLOOKUP perform permits you to search for a worth in a single column and return a corresponding worth from one other column. Listed here are the steps:

1. Choose a clean cell subsequent to the 2 columns that you simply wish to merge.
2. Kind the next system into the cell: =VLOOKUP(A1, B:C, 2, FALSE)
3. Press Enter.

The VLOOKUP perform will search for the worth in cell A1 within the vary B:C. If an identical worth is discovered, the VLOOKUP perform will return the worth from the second column within the vary (column C). If an identical worth will not be discovered, the VLOOKUP perform will return an error.