How to merge two cells in excel

Answer

To merge two cells in Excel, select the cells you want to combine, navigate to the Home tab, click the Merge & Center button in the Alignment group, and choose your preferred merge option.

Methods for Merging Cells

Excel provides three primary methods for merging cells: using the Ribbon interface, keyboard shortcuts, and the Format Cells dialog box.

Using the Ribbon Interface:

1. Select the two cells you want to merge by clicking the first cell and dragging to the second cell
2. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon
3. Locate the Alignment group
4. Click the Merge & Center dropdown arrow
5. Choose from four options: Merge & Center, Merge Across, Merge Cells, or Unmerge Cells

Using Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Windows: Select cells and press Alt + H + M + C for Merge & Center
• Mac: No default keyboard shortcut exists, but you can create custom shortcuts through System Preferences

Using Format Cells Dialog:

1. Select the two cells
2. Right-click on the selected cells
3. Choose Format Cells from the context menu
4. Click the Alignment tab
5. Check the Merge cells checkbox
6. Click OK

Types of Cell Merging Options

Merge & Center: Combines selected cells into one cell and centers the content horizontally. This option retains data from the upper-left cell only.

Merge Across: Merges cells in each row individually when multiple rows are selected. Each row maintains separate merged cells.

Merge Cells: Combines selected cells without centering the content. Text alignment remains unchanged.

Unmerge Cells: Splits previously merged cells back into individual cells. Content appears in the upper-left cell after unmerging.

Important Considerations When Merging

Excel preserves data from the upper-leftmost cell only. Data in other cells gets deleted permanently. Save your workbook before merging cells containing important data.

Merged cells cannot be sorted properly within data ranges. Tables and PivotTables do not support merged cells. Excel displays error messages when attempting these operations with merged cells.

Formulas referencing merged cells require special attention. The merged cell uses the reference of the upper-left original cell. Formulas in other workbooks linking to merged cells may produce unexpected results.

Alternative Solutions to Merging

Center Across Selection: Achieves centered appearance without merging:

1. Select the cells
2. Open Format Cells dialog (Ctrl+1 on Windows, Cmd+1 on Mac)
3. Choose Alignment tab
4. Select "Center Across Selection" from Horizontal dropdown
5. Click OK

CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN Functions: Combine cell contents without losing data:

• CONCATENATE combines up to 255 text strings
• TEXTJOIN (Excel 2019 and Microsoft 365) includes delimiters between combined text
• CONCAT (Excel 2016 and later) replaces CONCATENATE with improved functionality

Flash Fill: Excel 2013 and later versions recognize patterns and combine data automatically. Type the desired result in an adjacent column, and Excel suggests completing the pattern.

Troubleshooting Common Merge Issues

Cannot merge cells in protected worksheets: Unprotect the worksheet first by clicking the Review tab, then Unprotect Sheet.

Merge option appears grayed out: Verify the worksheet is not in Page Break Preview mode. Switch to Normal view through the View tab.

Lost data after merging: Use Undo (Ctrl+Z on Windows, Cmd+Z on Mac) immediately after merging to recover lost data.

Cannot merge cells in Excel tables: Convert the table to a regular range first. Right-click the table, select Table, then Convert to Range.

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