how to merge cells in excel without losing data of 2 cells

For example, if you are dividing a full name into a first name column and a last name column, select the appropriate number of cells in two adjacent columns.Ĭlick the button to expand the popup window again, and then click the Finish button.Merging a cell in excel refers to combining two or more adjacent cells either vertically, horizontally or both ways. Repeat this for all of the columns in the preview window.Ĭlick the button to the right of the Destination box to collapse the popup window.Īnywhere in your workbook, select the cells that you want to contain the split data. If you don't want the default format, choose a format such as Text, then click the second column of data in the Data preview window, and click the same format again. A preview of the data appears in the panel at the bottom of the popup window.Ĭlick Next and then choose the format for your new columns. Or, check both the Comma and Space boxes if that is how your text is split (such as 'Reyes, Javiers', with a comma and space between the names). Simply add empty columns, if necessary.Ĭlick Data > Text to Columns, which displays the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.Ĭheck the Space box, and clear the rest of the boxes. Also, ensure that are sufficient empty columns to the right-so that none of your data is deleted. Note: Select as many rows as you want, but no more than one column. Select the cell or column that contains the text you want to split. This is the opposite of concatenation, in which you combine text from two or more cells into one cell.įor example, you can split a column containing full names into separate First Name and Last Name columns:įollow the steps below to split text into multiple columns: You can take the text in one or more cells, and distribute it to multiple cells.

Split text from one cell into multiple cells If you need to reverse a cell merge, click onto the merged cell and then choose Unmerge Cells item in the Merge & Center menu (see the figure above). To merge cells without centering, click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings. If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you’re not editing a cell-and the cells you want to merge aren’t formatted as an Excel table.

How to merge cells in excel without losing data of 2 cells