How to Merge Cells in Excel
Merge cells, merge and center, and combine the text of several cells without losing any of it.
Merge cells step by step
- Select the cells you want to join.
- Go to Home and click the arrow next to Merge & Center.
- Choose Merge & Center, Merge Across or Merge Cells.
- Merge & Center joins the cells and centers the text.
- Merge Across merges each row of the selection separately.
- Merge Cells joins them without centering.
Merging keeps only the value in the upper-left cell. Excel warns you before it deletes the rest.
Merge text from several cells without losing it
Use a formula to combine the content first:
TEXTJOIN joins a whole range with a separator and can skip empty cells. Copy the result and use Paste Special > Values if you need plain text.
Alternative: Center Across Selection
Merged cells cause trouble with sorting, filtering and pivot tables. To get the same look without merging, select the cells, press Ctrl+1, open the Alignment tab and set Horizontal to Center Across Selection.
Keyboard shortcut
Press Alt, H, M, C one after another to merge and center the selected cells.
How to find merged cells
Press Ctrl+F, click Options > Format > Alignment, tick Merge cells and click Find All.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Merge and Center greyed out?
The sheet may be protected, the workbook shared, or the cells are inside an Excel Table. Convert the table to a range or unprotect the sheet.
Does merging cells delete data?
Yes. Only the upper-left value is kept. Combine the text with a formula first if you need all of it.
How do I unmerge cells in Excel?
Select the merged cell and click Merge & Center again, or choose Unmerge Cells from the dropdown.
Why should I avoid merged cells?
They break sorting, filtering, copying and pivot tables. Center Across Selection gives the same look without those problems.
Is there a shortcut to merge cells?
Press Alt, H, M, C in order to merge and center.
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