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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.

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 XP and Excel 2003
Merge and Center

Excel 2007
Merge and Center

Excel 2008 (Mac)


Excel 2010


Excel 2011 (Mac)

Excel 2013
Merge and Center



Keywords: excel 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 ID: 939
Owner: Leah S.Group: DoIT Help Desk
Created: 2001-03-13 19:00 CDTUpdated: 2014-02-10 18:35 CDT
Sites: Cornell University Test KnowledgeBase, DoIT Help Desk, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois Unified, UW Platteville, Xavier University