text1 - Required. First text string, cell reference, or value to join (e.g., A1, "Hello", 123).
text2 - Optional. Optional. Additional text strings, cells, or values. Up to 255 arguments allowed.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Name | Last Name | Full Name |
| 2 | Alice | Johnson | |
| 3 | Bob | Smith | |
| 4 | Carol | Davis | =CONCATENATE(A4, " ", B4) Carol Davis |
Join A2 and B2 with a space between
If A2="John", B2="Doe" → "John Doe"
Same result, simpler syntax using ampersand
Equivalent to CONCATENATE, more concise
Join 3+ cells with custom separators
If A2="USA", B2="NY", C2="001" → "USA-NY-001"
Join range with delimiter, skip blanks (Excel 365+)
Automatically handles empty cells in range
This text function is essential for combining separate name columns into a single full name field - a must-have for customer databases, employee directories, contact lists, and mail merge operations. It serves as the foundation of data organization in HR departments, CRM systems, and marketing teams who need properly formatted names for professional communications, email campaigns, and formal documents. Use it to merge first name, middle initial, and last name fields, or combine with title and suffix fields for complete formal names.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Name | Last Name | Full Name |
| 2 | Alice | Johnson | |
| 3 | Bob | Smith | |
| 4 | Carol | Davis | =CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2) Carol Davis |
Generate unique product identifiers by combining category codes, product numbers, and variant codes into standardized SKU formats. This text joining formula enables inventory managers, e-commerce teams, and warehouse operations to create consistent product codes that follow company naming conventions. Essential for product catalog management, inventory tracking systems, barcode generation, and order fulfillment workflows where unique identifiers must follow specific patterns combining department codes, product lines, sizes, and colors into one cohesive SKU.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Category | Product # | Variant | SKU Code |
| 2 | ELEC | 1001 | BLK | |
| 3 | FURN | 2050 | WHT | |
| 4 | APPL | 3025 | SLV | =CONCATENATE(A4, "-", B4, "-", C4) APPL-3025-SLV |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A1:A5)Use TEXTJOIN instead for ranges. This function was specifically designed to join cell ranges with delimiters and can skip empty cells. For Excel versions without TEXTJOIN, you must list each cell: =CONCATENATE(A1, " ", A2, " ", A3, " ", A4, " ", A5). It requires individual cell references as separate arguments.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)Always add separators between values using quoted text: " " for spaces, ", " for commas, "-" for hyphens, etc. This function doesn't automatically add spaces - you must explicitly include them. For consistent formatting, it requires you to specify every character that should appear in the final result, including spaces, commas, and punctuation.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=A1 & " " & B1 & " " & C1The ampersand (&) operator is simpler and more readable for basic text joining. Use it instead of the function syntax for cleaner formulas. This approach is best reserved for simple scenarios or when working with 2-3 arguments. For 2-3 cells, the & operator offers the same functionality with better readability and faster typing.
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