In this article we will show you how to merge cells in Google Sheets without losing data in just a few simple steps.
Merging cells using the cell merge feature in Google Sheets is not possible when there is a need to retain data, instead we can merge cells using a function.
For the purpose of this demonstration an example datasheet has been used. Click here to access the link and follow along at home.
Select an empty cell next to the cells you want to merge.
In our example we will merge the cells next to the data we want to keep.
In the merged cell we can use the CONCATENATE formula to preserve the data.
The formula to use is:
=CONCATENATE(Cell1, “ ”, Cell2, “ ”, Cell3 …)
Formula Breakdown:
=CONCATENATE: This function is used to indicate to merge the data from the specified cells.
Cell1: This is the first cell reference. The text from this cell will appear at the start of the merged data.
“ ”: To separate the data values the separator must be contained between double quotations. This can be a space, other punctuation or specific text values.
Cell2: This is the second cell reference. The text from this cell will appear after the data from Cell1
Cell3 … : Any additional cell references can be added to the formula and will add to the end of previous cell referenced data.
In our example we will use the following formula to merge the data:
=CONCATENATE(C4," ",D4," ",E4)
Alternatively, you can use the JOIN formula to combine the data from multiple cells into a single cell. For example, if you want to merge cells C4,D4 and E4 and preserve the data from each cell, you can use the JOIN formula to combine the data.
To do this, enter the following formula in the merged cell:
=JOIN (“ “,Cell1,Cell2,Cell3…)
In our example we would enter:
=JOIN(" ",C4,D4,E4)
The results are populated in the merged cell.
In both cases you can customize the formula to combine the data from the cells in any way you want, using any separator you want. The important thing is that you use a formula to combine the data from the cells you are merging, so that you don't lose any data.
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