How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data

Trying to merge cells in Google Sheets only to watch your carefully organized data disappear can be incredibly frustrating. The standard "Merge cells" button seems promising, but it has a major flaw: it only keeps the data from the top-left cell, deleting everything else. This article cuts straight to the solution, showing you three simple and effective formula-based methods to combine data from multiple cells into one without losing a single piece of information.

Why You Can't Just "Merge" Cells (And What Happens When You Try)

First, let's clarify the purpose of the built-in "Merge cells" feature in Google Sheets. You'll find it on the toolbar, looking like two arrows pointing toward each other within a rectangle. This tool is designed purely for formatting and visual styling, not for data manipulation.

Its main job is to create larger cells for headings or labels that span across several columns or rows. For example, you might merge cells A1 through D1 to create a single, wide cell for a report title like "Q3 Sales Performance."

The problem arises when you try to use it on cells that all contain data you want to keep. Imagine you have a contact list with first names in column A and last names in column B.

• Cell A1: Amelia
• Cell B1: Rivera

If you select both cells and click the "Merge cells" button, Google Sheets will show you a warning: "Merging cells will only preserve the top-leftmost value." If you proceed, you’ll be left with a single merged cell containing only "Amelia." The name "Rivera" is permanently deleted.

This is why you need a different approach. The goal isn't just to make the cells look combined, but to actually combine the data within them into a new cell. To do this, we turn to formulas.

Method 1: Combine Cells with CONCATENATE or CONCAT

The most straightforward way to join text in Google Sheets is by using functions built specifically for this purpose: CONCATENATE and its newer, shorter sibling, CONCAT.

Using the CONCATENATE Function

CONCATENATE is the classic function for joining text from two or more cells (or "strings" of text). The name itself means "to link together in a chain or series."

The syntax is simple:

=CONCATENATE(string1, [string2, ...])

Let’s go back to our name example. We want to combine "Amelia" (in A2) and "Rivera" (in B2) into a new cell, C2.

1. Click on cell C2 to select it.
2. Type the following formula: =CONCATENATE(A2, B2)
3. Press Enter.

The result in C2 will be "AmeliaRivera." While technically correct, it's missing a space. To add separators like spaces, commas, or dashes, you need to include them in the formula as text strings enclosed in double quotes.

To add a space between the first and last name, modify the formula like this:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)

Now, cell C2 will correctly display "Amelia Rivera." You can click and drag the small blue square (the fill handle) at the bottom-right corner of cell C2 downwards to apply this formula to the rest of the names in your list.

Using the CONCAT Function

CONCAT is a more modern function that does the same thing as CONCATENATE, but it's shorter and slightly more versatile. For combining individual cells, it works identically.

In our previous example, the formula would be:

=CONCAT(A2, " ", B2)

The main advantage of CONCAT comes when you want to join a range of cells. While CONCATENATE requires you to list each cell individually (e.g., CONCATENATE(A2, B2, C2)), CONCAT can accept a range (e.g., CONCAT(A2:C2)). This makes it more efficient for joining data across several adjacent columns.

Method 2: A Faster Approach with the Ampersand (&) Operator

If you prefer a more visual and often quicker way to combine cells, you can use the ampersand (&) character. This symbol acts as a direct substitute for the CONCAT function, telling Google Sheets to "join this with that."

The structure is straightforward: value1 & value2.

Using our "First Name" and "Last Name" example again, the formula using the ampersand would be:

=A2 & B2

Just like with the formulas, this would produce "AmeliaRivera." To add a space, you simply insert it as another text string in your chain:

=A2 & " " & B2

The result is a perfectly formatted "Amelia Rivera."

Many spreadsheet users prefer the ampersand method for combining a few cells because it can be easier to read and type quickly. You can easily chain together cells and custom text. For example, to create a sentence like "Her name is Amelia Rivera," you could use:

="Her name is " & A2 & " " & B2

Method 3: The Most Flexible Option with the TEXTJOIN Function

The TEXTJOIN function is by far the most powerful and flexible tool for this job, especially when you're working with longer ranges of data that might contain empty cells.

Its two key advantages are:

1. It allows you to specify a single separator (or "delimiter") to be placed between every value.
2. It can automatically ignore any blank cells in your selection.

The syntax for TEXTJOIN is:

=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2, ...])

• delimiter: The character you want to use to separate the items (e.g., " ", ",", " - "). It must be in quotes.
• ignore_empty: Use TRUE to skip over any blank cells, or FALSE to include them.
• text1, ...: The cells or range of cells you want to combine.

Let's imagine you have an address spread across multiple columns, some of which might be blank (like an "Apartment Number" field).

• A1: 456 Oak Ave
• B1: (blank)
• C1: Springfield
• D1: IL
• E1: 62704

You want to combine this into a single, comma-separated address string: "456 Oak Ave, Springfield, IL, 62704".

With CONCAT or the ampersand, you would have to manually add a ", " between each cell, and you'd end up with an awkward double comma where the blank cell is: 456 Oak Ave, , Springfield...

With TEXTJOIN, it's clean and simple. Here is the formula:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A1:E1)

Breaking it down:

• ", " is our delimiter. A comma followed by a space will be placed between each piece of data.
• TRUE tells the function to ignore any blank cells it finds in the range.
• A1:E1 is the range of cells containing the address parts.

The formula automatically skips the blank cell B1 and produces a perfectly formatted result: 456 Oak Ave, Springfield, IL, 62704.

Pro Tip: Turning Your Formulas into Static Data

After using one of these methods, your new, combined cells contain formulas. This is great because they will automatically update if the source data changes. However, sometimes you want the merged data to be final and static so you can delete the original columns without breaking your formulas.

To convert your formula results into plain text values, follow these simple steps:

1. Highlight all the cells containing your new formulas (e.g., column C).
2. Copy the selected cells (Ctrl+C on Windows, Cmd+C on Mac).
3. With the same cells still highlighted, right-click and select Paste special > Values only.

The formulas will be replaced by their text results. Now you can safely delete the original columns (e.g., columns A and B) without causing a #REF! error.

Final Thoughts

While Google Sheets' "Merge cells" button is useful for creating visual headers, it's not the right tool for combining data. By using a formula-based approach with CONCAT, the ampersand (&) operator, or the powerful TEXTJOIN function, you can effortlessly combine information from multiple cells into one without any data loss.

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