If you’re finding yourself here, I’m guessing you need a little guidance on how to use Microsoft Excel.
While I’ve previously covered things like Excel formulas, how to subtract in Excel, how to multiply in Excel, and how to lock cells in Excel, this particular article will cover how to merge cells in Excel in Microsoft Excel 2020.
There are several ways to combine cells in Excel. In this article we will discuss:
Merging cells in Excel allows you to combine the contents of several cells into one cell with one cell reference (the upper-left cell reference). By merging cells, only the content from the upper-left cell in the range will be retained.
The Merge & Center button, located on the top banner of the HOME tab, includes the following merging options:
Let’s talk about each option and go through a few examples along the way.
Start by selecting the range of cells that you want to merge into a single cell. In this example, cells A9 through A11 will be merged.
Once you’ve selected the range that you want to merge, navigate to the drop-down menu next to the ‘Merge & Center’ button and click the arrow.
Your merging options will appear and you should select ‘Merge Cells.’
Once you’ve selected to ‘Merge Cells,’ an ‘Alert’ will pop up reminding you that merging the cells will only keep the content that’s in the upper-left cell of the range. If you’d like to proceed, click ‘OK.’
Now your cells should be merged! Cells A9 through A11 have been merged into one cell and now have one cell reference, A9.
Notice that the cell content is not centered here.
Merge and centering cells is very similar to what we just covered, but instead, the cell content will be centered horizontally once you’re done.
To start, select the cells you want to merge. In this case, cells A13 and A14.
After you’ve highlighted the cell range, navigate to the top banner on the HOME tab and click the ‘Merge & Center’ button.
Just as in the example above, an ‘Alert’ will pop up to ensure you want to merge cell content. Press ‘OK.’
Your cells are now merged and centered! Notice the difference between the cells that were merged and those that were merged and centered.
While there is no need to merge across data in this specific example, the data in the following example won’t be correct. But for the purposes of showing you how to use the merge across feature, see below.
Just like the previous examples, you’ll start by highlighting the range of cells you want to merge across.
NOTE: Merging across will combine each row in the selected range across the columns in this range. This will not merge the data into one cell.
Once you’ve selected the range that you want to merge, navigate to the drop-down menu next to the ‘Merge & Center’ button and click the arrow.
Your merging options will appear and you should select ‘Merge Across.’
An ‘Alert’ will pop up for each row to ensure you want to merge cell content. So in this particular example, the alert populated three times because I highlighted three rows. Press ‘OK’ for each.
Your cells are now merged and centered! Notice that each row was merged across each column selected.
In some cases, you might want to unmerge the cells that have been previously merged. To do so, select the cell reference that you want to unmerge. In this example, cell A9.
Once you’ve selected the range that you want to merge, navigate to the drop-down menu next to the ‘Merge & Center’ button and click the arrow.
Your merging options will appear and you should select ‘Unmerge Cells.’
And voilá! Your cells are now separated once again.
| TIP: Interested in more Excel tips? Learn how to divide in Excel |
You’re ready to merge cells in Excel!
In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know about how to merge and unmerge cells in Excel! Now grab your computer and dive into Excel to give it a try for yourself!
Did you enjoy this article? Read how to make a line graph in Excel and how to add in Excel. You should also check out how project management can help you manage all of your Excel-based projects.
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