Google Sheets is a platform that permits people to organize and share information with others. As people complete a spreadsheet, they might want to combine cells into a larger unit. In essence, knowing how to merge cells in Google Sheets can help you keep your information organized and ensure that it’s easy for others to understand. In this article, we explain how to merge cells and rows in a Google Sheet without losing data.
Overview
Merging cells in Google Sheets creates a single cell. Typically, this occurs without damaging any other cells. Merging cells in a Google Sheet can be done in three different ways: all at once, horizontally, or vertically. Therefore, you can now combine rows together in Google Sheets in addition to merging columns.
So, when you need to expand a title or text across numerous cells, merging cells is a beneficial option. It’s helpful when creating dashboards and data categories. In addition, It’s vital to remember that merging cells isn’t the same as merging texts. When you merge cells, only the first cell’s contents are preserved, however, when you combine text, all of the text’s contents are preserved.
How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets
Google Sheets easily gets the job done for most of us, be it making school projects or compiling office reports. It feels simpler to use than more traditional alternatives like Microsoft Excel, yet it offers a lot of neat tools for managing your massive sheets filled with rows and rows of numbers.
One way to handle and better present large amounts of data in your sheets is by merging cells to create headers or combining entries. In essence, the best part is that Google Sheets makes the cell merging feature available across platforms, whether you’re editing on your smartphone or one of the top Chromebooks you use for work.
How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets: Factors To Consider
Below are things to think about when combining cells
When you merge cells, you lose everything but the value in the top left cell. The contents and formatting of a merged cell are preserved when the cell is copied and pasted. Select “Paste value only” (or “Paste as text”) if you want to copy only the value of the merged cell.
It could be difficult to introduce new rows or columns if cells have been combined. Hence, you cannot insert a row or column between two rows or columns that already include merged cells. You can’t just add a new row or column to a combined cell without first unlocking it.
A data set cannot be copied and pasted without interruption due to merged cells. Given that there is a merged cell between the two columns B and C (for example, B5 and C5 are merged), and that you wish to copy and paste the formulae in cells B2 and C2 vertically by a hundred rows, you will have some difficulties. The formula in B2 is replicated in its entirety because the combined cell can only hold a single value. Once again, the cells must be unmerged before the formulas can be copied and pasted appropriately.
When deciding to combine cells, it is important to give great consideration to the timing of the operation. If you insist on consolidating cells, do it only when you won’t be making any changes to the data set (such as adding new rows or columns or putting in new formulas or values).
How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets: Detailed Guide
When combining cells in Google Sheets on a desktop computer, you might want to follow these steps:
- In order to merge cells in Google Sheets, open the file that contains the cells you wish to merge.
- To merge cells, choose them first. To select multiple cells at once, press and hold the “Shift” key while clicking on the desired cells.
- In the main menu bar, click “Format.”
- Go to the menu and pick the “Merge” option.
- Pick the merge operation that best fits your needs.
Additionally, you can use “Merge all” to combine all of the chosen cells into a single cell, “Merge horizontally” or “Merge vertically” to combine the selected cells into a single row or column, respectively.
How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets On Mobile: Detailed Guide
And what if you need to use Google Sheets when you’re out and about? When using Google Sheets on a mobile device, merge cells as follows:
- Launch the Google Sheets mobile app.
- In order to merge cells, load the file that contains them.
- To merge cells, simply tap them. (To select several cells, press and hold down on one of the cells you want to include, and then drag your finger to the other cells.)
- Select “Format” (an “A” with three lines) from the main menu.
- From the contextual menu, select “Cell.”
- Click the “Merge cells” toggle and then “OK” when prompted.
The “Merge” option, however, might not be in the main navigation bar of your device. To do this, you can merge cells by selecting them with a tap, and then using the menu button (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner of the screen. Select “Merge” from the menu that appears.
Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data
Merging cells in Google Sheets is useful when you need to create a title above several columns at once or when your main title has subheadings. Use a main title like “Revenue” and subheadings for each year if your spreadsheet is documenting ten years’ worth of financial data for your business. If you’re sharing your Google Sheets spreadsheet with others, merging cells is a great way to make sure everything is neat and easy to follow. It’s a good way to keep your spreadsheet from being too cluttered with lengthy titles.
Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data: Detailed Guide
If you want to know how to merge cells in Google Sheets without losing any of your data, read the practical instructions below. It’s a skill that will serve you well in times of stress. Hence, I will explain the several processes in detail so that you can follow along with ease.
#1. Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data: Using the Concatenate Method
Here are the steps to follow to merge cells/tables in Google Sheets using the CONCATENATE function:
Step 1: Select which cells to merge.
The first step is to select a blank cell close to the cells you want to merge.
Step 2: CONCATENATE FORMULA
Select a blank cell adjacent to the one you want to merge, and then enter the following formula on the formula tab: CONCATENATE(A2, “)
Step 3. To obtain the results
Simply put the formula into the proper field and press the enter key.
#2. Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data: Using the Join Method
You can merge tables in Google Sheets in a number of ways, not just by using the CONCATENATE function to merge cells. The JOIN operator is a common choice. The JOIN function’s strength lies in its ability to consolidate information from numerous cells into one. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Decide which cell you want to merge your data with.
The next thing to do is choose the cell that will contain the result.
Step 2. Type the Formula
Select the cell in which you want the merged result to appear, then head to the formula bar and enter the following formula:
= JOIN (“, A 2, B 2).
The formula should be entered, and then the Enter key should be pressed. The output will be displayed in the chosen cell.
#3. Merge Cells in Google Sheets Without Losing Data: Using the Shortcut Method
Even though you can’t find a “how to merge cells in Google Sheets” shortcut, there are other ways to speed up your job. This is how it is done:
- Choose the cells that you want to combine.
- Keep holding the Alt key, then click the O and M buttons. After clicking on this link, you will be brought straight to the merge choices.
- Choose to merge all of them.
How to Merge Rows in Google Sheets
We frequently work with datasets that have some values that are repeated multiple times. In this scenario, it is a time saver to merge those rows and show how they are displayed in a single cell. In the following subsections, I will walk you through how to merge rows in Excel that contain the same value. I also simplified it for you by using four different speedy approaches.
How to Merge Rows in Google Sheets: Steps
#1. Select Merge Rows with the Same Value from the Excel Ribbon
Excel’s Merge & Centre function allows you to combine rows into one. To do so, follow the steps outlined below.
- To begin, pick the rows that contain the same value so they can be combined into one.
- Then, click the Merge and Center icon on the Home tab’s Tools menu.
- Then, choose Merge & Center from the menu.
- After that, a prompt with a message will appear. The value in the top left corner is maintained, according to the text.
- Pick the OK button here.
- Because of this, you will receive combined rows in which the central value is located.
#2. Apply Consolidate Command to Merge Rows in Excel
In Excel, you can use the Consolidate command to merge rows that contain identical data. Some operations involving functions on the same values are made possible.
- Choose the cell where duplicate rows will be kept after merging.
- Select Consolidate, found under Data Tools, on the Data tab.
- A dialogue box will then appear, from which you can select among the available options. That’s why I went with the SUM option.
- The next step is to collect the cells from B5 to D14 from the Reference of the Cell.
- Add this after that to every citation.
- Finally, I’ll be adding up the Product Price and combining the numbers from the Left column, which contains the Customer Names.
- Select OK to finish.
As a result, the SUM of the Price is what you’ll end up with instead of several separate values.
#3. How to Merge Rows in Google Sheets: Using the IF Function to Merge Rows
The IF function is also useful for combining rows that have identical data. Try it out and see if it helps.
- To begin, choose a cell range.
- Then, select Sort & Filter under the Data menu.
- To do so, click the A-Z button.
- The next step is to make a column for merged rows that have identical values.
- Choose Cell E5 and enter the formula there. IF(B5=B4,E4&”, “&C5,C5)
At long last, it’s displaying the aggregated values of adjacent rows.
#4. Merge Multiple Rows with Same Value Using Excel VBA
Merging rows in Excel that contain the same value can be done more quickly using VBA. Especially when there is a lot of data to analyze. Follow these steps to complete the task at hand.
- Sort rows on which to apply VBA first.
- I chose B5:B14 to sort the Customer Name column.
- Tap Sort from the Data Tab.
- the Sort Warning dialog box appears.
- Select “option” Select and click Sort.
- Choose Customer Name as Sort by.
- Scroll down to OK.
- This gives the sorted Customer Name values.
- Next, open Microsoft Visual Basics for Applications by pressing Alt + F11.
- From Insert, select Module.
- Write this instruction in Code.
- To run the code, hit F5.
- Then click Run in Macros.
Finally, the merged rows will appear at once.
How do I merge two cells in sheets?
Step one is to choose the target cells (C2 and D2) for the merge. Choose Format in the main menu of Google Sheets. Then, From the pull-down menu, select Merge cells. The options you have for Merging are horizontally or vertically.
Why can’t I merge cells in Google Sheets?
The ability to merge all cells won’t be accessible if they aren’t continuous.
Can I merge 2 cells of data in a sheet Excel?
Yes, Join columns using the Merge Cells add-in for Excel
Select Home > Merge & Centre.
Conclusion
If you have ever had trouble merging cells or rows in Google Sheets, we are confident that today’s guide has simplified the process for you and made your work more manageable.
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