How to Merge Two Columns in Excel – Formula & Online Tool

2026-08-07

  • Excel
  • merge columns
  • concatenate
  • TEXTJOIN
  • tutorial

What “merge two columns” means

How to merge two columns in excel usually means joining cell text—e.g. first name + last name—into one column. It is not the same as merging multiple workbooks (file combine) or merging cells visually (center across).

Desktop Excel: Ampersand formula

  1. Insert a new column (e.g. column C).
  2. In C2 enter: =A2&" "&B2
  3. Double-click the fill handle to copy down.
  4. Optional: Copy → Paste Values so formulas become plain text.

Use "-" or "," instead of " " when you need another separator.

Desktop Excel: TEXTJOIN (Excel 365 / 2019+)

=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2, B2)

TRUE skips empty cells—useful when some middle names are blank.

Flash Fill (no formula)

Type the desired full value in the first result cell, start typing the second row, then Data → Flash Fill (or Ctrl+E). Review a few rows before trusting the pattern.

Online: merge columns without formulas

For large CSV/XLSX exports—or when you need three or more columns—use ComTools Excel Column Merge:

  1. Open /excel-column-merge.
  2. Upload .xlsx / .csv.
  3. Enter column indexes (e.g. 1,2), delimiter (space, -, etc.), and new header name.
  4. Preview, then download the result.

The tool builds a new first column from the selected fields and keeps other columns.

Merge columns vs merge files vs merge cells

Goal Use
Join A + B text Formula / Flash Fill / Column merge
Combine many workbooks Excel Merge
Visually center a title Merge & Center (layout only—avoid in data tables)
Split one column into many Column split

After you concatenate