How to Combine Text in Excel - Office 365
Combining text from multiple cells into one cell is a common task in Excel, especially when managing data that includes names, addresses, or any information spread across several columns. The TEXTJOIN function, introduced in Excel 2016 (Office 365), revolutionizes the way we concatenate text by offering more flexibility and control compared to its predecessors like CONCATENATE or &. It allows for easy and efficient combination of text strings with a specified delimiter, handling empty cells gracefully, and without the need for complex formulas.
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Benefits
- Efficiency and Simplicity: Streamlines the process of merging text from multiple cells, reducing manual work and complexity.
- Custom Delimiters: Offers the option to include a delimiter of your choice, such as commas, spaces, or any text, between combined strings.
- Skip Empty Cells: Automatically ignores empty cells in the range without additional formulas.
- Dynamic Data Consolidation: Ideal for dynamically consolidating data for reports, labels, or data visualization.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Understanding TEXTJOIN Syntax
1. Syntax Overview: The TEXTJOIN function has the following syntax: TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)
- delimiter: The character or text string to separate each text item in the result.
- ignore_empty: A TRUE or FALSE value indicating whether to ignore empty cells.
- text1, [text2], ...: The cells or ranges of cells to be joined.
Step 2: Preparing Your Data
2. Arrange Your Data: Ensure your text data is ready in separate cells/columns that you wish to combine.
Step 3: Using TEXTJOIN to Combine Text
3. Apply TEXTJOIN: Use the TEXTJOIN function to merge text according to your specified criteria.
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Example
Scenario
You have a list of employees' first names in column A, middle initials in column B (some might be missing), and last names in column C. Your goal is to combine these into a full name in column D, with spaces between names and ignoring any missing middle initials.
Sample Data:
- Column A: First Names (A2:A10)
- Column B: Middle Initials (B2:B10)
- Column C: Last Names (C2:C10)
Steps:
1. Select the Destination Cell:
- Click on cell D2, where you will place the first combined full name.
2. Enter the TEXTJOIN Formula:
- Type the following formula into D2:
=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2, B2, C2)
- Here, " " is the delimiter (a space), TRUE tells Excel to ignore any empty cells (for missing middle initials), and A2, B2, C2 are the cells to combine.
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3. Copy the Formula:
- Drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom right corner of cell D2) down to fill the formula into the remaining cells in column D.
4. Results:
- Column D now displays the full names of employees, neatly combined with a space between the first name, middle initial (if present), and last name, automatically skipping any empty middle initials.
Advanced Tips:
1. Dynamic Ranges: For dynamic data, consider using TEXTJOIN with named ranges or table references that automatically adjust as your data changes.
2. Custom Delimiters: Beyond spaces, you can use custom delimiters such as commas, semicolons, or even text phrases. For example, using ", " as a delimiter to separate values with a comma and a space.
3. Combining Multiple Rows: To combine text from multiple rows into one cell, you might need to pair TEXTJOIN with an array formula (entered with Ctrl+Shift+Enter in older Excel versions) or use it in a script for more complex scenarios.
4. Handling Special Characters: If your text includes special characters that you wish to use as delimiters, ensure they are correctly encoded in the formula to prevent errors.
5. Error Checking: Use IFERROR with TEXTJOIN to handle any potential errors gracefully, especially when dealing with dynamic or external data sources.
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