What Does it Mean to Use Concatenate in Excel [+ Why It Matters]

Copy and paste shortcuts are useful till you will have tons of of information factors to manually mix and reformat.

Fortuitously, you should use the CONCATENATE Excel perform to avoid wasting time (and curb carpal tunnel) when becoming a member of data from cells, rows, or columns.

Which means “to hitch collectively” or “to mix,” concatenate is a method to unite the contents of two or extra cells into one cell.

The perform means that you can mix information from columns, cells, ranges, and rows into no matter format you need, making it simple to shortly be a part of names and addresses or correctly show dates and occasions.

There are numerous methods to arrange the CONCATENATE system in Excel, so we’ll stroll by the steps required to make use of this perform and obtain your worksheet targets.

The best way to Concatenate in Excel

Whereas there are a number of methods to mix textual content in Excel worksheets, we’ll be specializing in the CONCATENATE perform.

It combines the contents of two or extra cells into one cell with out bodily altering the form of the cell and is usually used to hitch items of textual content (known as textual content strings or strings) from particular person cells into one cell. The ensuing textual content string is the mixture of all strings in your CONCATENATE system.

Here is a have a look at how one can concatenate in Excel:

For instance you will have a listing of consumers whose first and final names are separate. You want everybody’s full names to construct a retargeting marketing campaign, so that you wish to be a part of textual content from column A (First Identify) with the textual content from column B (Final Identify).

Earlier than utilizing the CONCATENATE perform, it’s a must to create a brand new column in your mixed textual content. Within the instance under, it is column C (Full Identify).

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Now, you are able to concatenate the primary and final names. To try this, you’ll want to perceive each the syntax of the perform and how one can format the textual content strings that make up the system.

Excel Concatenate Method

Like all Excel capabilities, the CONCATENATE system begins with the equals signal (=), adopted by the perform identify, an open parenthesis, and the textual content arguments. No have to get heated – on this context, arguments merely inform the system what cells to mix.

=CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)

=CONCAT(text1, [text2], …)

text1: That is the primary argument to hitch and could be a quantity, textual content, or cell reference.

text2, text3, and many others: These are the extra objects to mix. The CONCATENATE system can be a part of as much as 255 objects, with a complete of 8,192 characters.

Be aware: In all variations of Excel 2016 and past, the CONCATENATE perform has been changed with the CONCAT perform. This perform works in the very same means, with the added potential to mix textual content over a spread of cells (i.e., =CONCAT(A2:D8)). When you can nonetheless entry the CONCATENATE perform for compatibility causes, Microsoft warns that CONCATENATE will not be obtainable in future variations of Excel.

Excel Concatenate with Area

Double quotations (” “) embrace an area between the textual content arguments wherever you need one to seem. Simply keep in mind to insert a comma earlier than and after every set of quotations or else an error message will pop up and the system will not run. You will know your system is right when you hit “Enter” and the brand new textual content string seems precisely the way you need.

Within the identify instance, you wish to mix the textual content in cells A16 and B16, so add these arguments to the system. Be sure to put the arguments within the order you need them to seem. To get “First Identify Final Identify,” arrange the CONCATENATE system like this:

=CONCATENATE((B16, ” “, A16)

Be aware: If no less than one of many CONCATENATE perform’s arguments is invalid, the system will return a #VALUE! Error.

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Now it is time to apply the CONCATENATE system to each identify within the checklist. Merely hover over the mixed cell till a plus signal (+) seems within the backside right-hand nook. Then click on and maintain whereas dragging the cursor down column C, highlighting the entire cells you wish to be a part of.

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While you launch the cursor, voila! The system is utilized to every cell. This prevents you from having to sort out the system for every cell by letting you concatenate dozens of textual content strings right away.

Excel Concatenate Strings

Whether or not you mix textual content and numbers, the results of the CONCATENATE perform is at all times a textual content string. The naming instance above is a reasonably easy instance, however it’s potential to create longer, extra significant textual content strings in Excel. The important thing to doing so is to make sure your outcomes present worth to whoever is utilizing the knowledge.

For instance you are engaged on an electronic mail marketing campaign and wish to personalize the topic line with every buyer’s identify. As an alternative of manually typing out identify after identify, you should use the CONCATENATE perform to mix the textual content strings. For this instance, I used a catchy electronic mail topic line from Warby Parker.

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I write the next system, ensuring to incorporate commas and areas the place I need them to seem.

=CONCATENATE(B2,” ,”, A2, “,”,” “, C2)

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I then apply the system to all the column to generate my checklist of customized topic traces.

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As you experiment with longer textual content strings, know that each cell reference within the CONCATENATE perform should be listed individually as a result of it could’t acknowledge arrays. As an example, your system ought to seem like =CONCATENATE (B1, B2, B3, B4) slightly than =CONCATENATE(B1:B4).

Combining textual content is straightforward sufficient, however throwing dates and occasions into the combo may end up in a messy system and error-ridden outcomes.

Concatenate Date and Time in Excel

You may stop points with time and dates by embedding the TEXT perform into the CONCATENATE Excel system. It will allow you to management the formatting when combining textual content with a quantity or a date.

Let’s take a look at how one can mix all of this data. On this worksheet, I wish to document the date and time every weblog submit went dwell so I can reference the knowledge throughout my month-to-month efficiency evaluation.

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The system wanted to hitch these three strings might look difficult, however it’s easy when you resolve how one can format the date and time. I wish to depart the dates and occasions as they’re, so I embrace the date (mm/dd/yyyy) and time (hh:mm:ss) formatting into the CONCATENATE system.

=CONCATENATE(A2, TEXT(B2,”mm/dd/yyyy”), ” at”, ” “,TEXT(C3,”hh:mm:ss”))

The result’s a textual content string that gives significant context by sharing what date and time the posts went dwell.

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Apply the perform to the remainder of the worksheet utilizing the identical steps as earlier than. Drag the plus (+) signal within the backside right-hand nook of the mixed cell down the column, highlighting the cells you wish to concatenate.

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Excel Concatenate Vary

In the event you’re enthusiastic about your new Excel expertise, you’ll have the urge to leap in and manage worksheets with 1000’s of information factors. Utilizing the CONCATENATE perform can velocity up your work, however know that there are limitations.

Excel solely means that you can mix 255 objects, as much as a complete of 8,192 characters, utilizing the CONCATENATE perform. So it’s a must to work in sections if you wish to create tons of (or 1000’s) of recent textual content strings.

The CONCATENATE perform would not settle for arrays (A3:E5), so ensure that to checklist out every argument you wish to embrace within the system. If you’ll want to mix an enormous vary of tens or tons of of cells, check out one in every of these shortcuts.

Use the CONTROL key.

1. Kind within the first a part of your system =CONCATENATE(
2. Maintain down the CONTROL key and choose the person cells you wish to mix.
3. Launch the CONTROL key, sort a closing parenthesis, and hit ENTER.

Use the TRANSPOSE perform.

If you’ll want to mix tons of of cells, you do not wish to waste time clicking on every cell. As an alternative, use the TRANSPOSE perform to create an array earlier than swapping it out with the person cells.

1. Choose the cell you wish to use the CONCATENATE perform.
2. Kind within the TRANSPOSE system to generate an array of cells. It is going to look just like this: =TRANSPOSE(A1:A10)
3. With the TRANSPOSE cell chosen, press the F9 key within the system bar to switch the array with the person values to be concatenated.
4. Delete the brackets across the values so that you’re left with solely a listing.
5. Enter the CONCATENATE system earlier than the values, and shut the system with a parenthesis.
6. Hit enter to see your new textual content string.

Whereas sure heavy Excel customers say the CONCATENATE perform is changing into outdated, it is nonetheless a helpful shortcut for combining textual content strings with out impacting the remainder of your worksheet. In the event you’re new to this system, take the time to study extra about how one can use Excel and take a look at these useful keyboard shortcuts. You will be whizzing your means round worksheets and dealing extra effectively very quickly.