To merge cells in Google Sheets, follow these steps:
- Select the cells you want to merge.
- Go to the top menu and click Format.
- Hover over Merge cells.
- Choose the type of merge you want:
- Merge all : Combines all selected cells into one single cell.
- Merge horizontally : Merges cells in each row across the selected columns.
- Merge vertically : Merges cells in each column down the selected rows.
Alternatively, you can use the Merge cells icon on the toolbar to access these options directly. To unmerge cells, select the merged cell, then go to Format > Merge cells > Unmerge
Important Notes:
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When merging cells that contain data, only the content of the top-left (or top-most) cell will be kept; the other data will be lost unless you merge the data separately using formulas.
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To merge data from multiple cells into one without losing information, you can use formulas like
CONCAT,CONCATENATE, or the ampersand (&) operator. For example:=CONCAT(A1, " ", B1, " ", C1)
This combines the contents of A1, B1, and C1 with spaces between them
Keyboard Shortcut to Open Merge Menu:
- On Windows: Select cells, then press Alt + O , then M.
- On Mac: Select cells, then press Control + Option + O , then M.
Then choose the merge option you want
This method is mostly used for formatting purposes, such as creating titles or headers that span multiple cells. Keep in mind merging cells can limit some spreadsheet functions like sorting or filtering
