Excel - How to Merge Cells

This document explains how to merge cells within all versions of Microsoft Excel.

Merging cells is often used when a title is to be centered over a particular section of a spreadsheet. When a group of cells is merged, only the text in the upper-leftmost box is preserved.

Note that merging cells in Excel can lead to issues with calculations and other cell manipulation. To avoid merging but still attain the same formatting, view Excel - How to Center Across Selection

To merge a group of cells:

  1. Highlight or select a range of cells.
  2. Right-click on the highlighted cells and select Format Cells....
  3. Click the Alignment tab and place a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Merge cells.

To merge a group of cells and center the text, you can also use the Merge and Center button on the Excel tool bar. Again, this will only preserve the text in the upper-leftmost cell.

  1. Highlight or select a range of cells.

Click the Merge and Center button on the toolbar.

Excel 2016:
Merge in Excel 2016

Excel 2013
Excel 2013 Merge and Center button

Excel 2011 (Mac)

Excel 2011 Mac Merge and Center button

Excel 2010

Excel 2010 Merge and Center button

Excel 2008 (Mac)

Excel 2008 Merge and Center button

Excel 2007
Excel 2007 Merge and Center button

Excel XP and Excel 2003
Excel XP and 2003 Merge and Center button



    Keywordsexcel xp mac 2003 2007 2008 2010 2011 2013 microsoft office merge merging combine combining center centering two multiple many cells rows columns chart spreadsheet worksheet xlsx   Doc ID939
    OwnerHelp Desk KB TeamGroupDoIT Help Desk
    Created2001-03-13 19:00:00Updated2022-06-16 13:39:49
    SitesDoIT Help Desk, New Mexico State University, University of Illinois Unified
    Feedback  76   59