How to Use CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN in Excel with Easy Examples

When working with Excel, sometimes you don’t just need to calculate numbers you also need to combine text, numbers, or even dates into one cell. For example, maybe you have a list of first names and last names in separate columns, and you want to merge them into one column that shows the full name. Or maybe you want to create a sentence from different data points in your sheet.

For tasks like this, Excel has two super handy functions: CONCATENATE (the old classic) and TEXTJOIN (the newer, smarter function). Both of them help you merge text, but each works a little differently. In this article, we’ll go step by step to understand how they work, when to use them, and which one is better for your needs.

Grab a coffee and let’s dive in.

1. Why Do We Need CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN?

Imagine you have this data in Excel:

First Name	Last Name
John	Smith
Sarah	Johnson
David	Lee

Now, you want to make it look like:

Full Name
John Smith
Sarah Johnson
David Lee

You could type them manually, sure. But what if you had 10,000 rows? That’s where functions like CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN save you hours of work.

2. The CONCATENATE Function

Syntax:

=CONCATENATE(text1, text2, …)

• text1, text2, etc. are the items you want to merge.

• They can be cell references, text, numbers, or even symbols.

Example 1: Joining First and Last Name

If A2 = John and B2 = Smith, you can write:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)

Result:

John Smith

Notice we added " " (a space) between A2 and B2 so the names don’t stick together as JohnSmith.

Example 2: Adding Text in Between

Let’s say you want:
John Smith is a student
Formula:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2, " is a student")

Result:

John Smith is a student

Pretty cool, right?

Note: In modern Excel versions (Excel 2016+), CONCATENATE has been replaced with CONCAT. It works the same way but with a shorter name.

3. The TEXTJOIN Function

While CONCATENATE is useful, it has some limitations. That’s why Excel introduced TEXTJOIN, which is way more powerful.

Syntax:

=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, text2, …)

• delimiter → what separates your text (space, comma, dash, etc.).

• ignore_empty → TRUE or FALSE (TRUE means it skips blank cells).

• text1, text2, … → the values or ranges you want to join.

Example 1: Joining First and Last Name with a Space

=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2, B2)

Result:

John Smith

Example 2: Joining Multiple Columns

Suppose you have data like this:

City	State	Country
New York	NY	USA

Formula:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:C2)

Result:

New York, NY, USA

Notice how we didn’t have to manually add commas in between. TEXTJOIN handles that for us!

Example 3: Skipping Empty Cells

If A2 = John, B2 = (empty), and C2 = Smith, using:

=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2:C2)

Result:

John Smith

But if you set ignore_empty = FALSE:

=TEXTJOIN(" ", FALSE, A2:C2)

Result:

John  Smith

(Notice the double space because of the empty cell in the middle).

4. CONCATENATE vs TEXTJOIN: Which Should You Use?

Feature	CONCATENATE	TEXTJOIN
Easy for simple merging	✅	✅
Supports delimiters automatically	❌	✅
Can join entire ranges	❌	✅
Ignores blank cells	❌	✅
Future-proof in Excel	❌ (replaced)	✅

If you’re just starting and only need to join two or three cells, CONCATENATE is fine.
But if you’re working with big data, multiple columns, or need flexibility, TEXTJOIN is the winner.

5. Real-Life Use Cases

Let’s look at some scenarios where CONCATENATE or TEXTJOIN really shine.

Case 1: Creating Full Names from Separate Columns

You already saw this—combine First Name and Last Name into a Full Name column.

Case 2: Formatting Phone Numbers

If A2 = 123, B2 = 456, C2 = 7890, you can use:

=TEXTJOIN("-", TRUE, A2:C2)

Result:

123-456-7890

Case 3: Making Sentences from Data

If A2 = Sarah, B2 = 25, C2 = New York, you can write:

=CONCATENATE(A2, " is ", B2, " years old and lives in ", C2)

Result:

Sarah is 25 years old and lives in New York

Case 4: Combining Email Usernames with Domains

If A2 = john.smith and B2 = gmail.com:

=CONCATENATE(A2, "@", B2)

Result:

john.smith@gmail.com

Case 5: Joining Tags or Categories

If you have a list of categories like Tech, AI, Excel in cells A2:A4, you can use:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A4)

Result:

Tech, AI, Excel

6. Pro Tips for Using CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN

• Use CONCAT instead of CONCATENATE in newer Excel versions—it’s shorter and future-proof.

• Always think about delimiters (spaces, commas, dashes). Without them, your text may look squished.

• Combine with other functions like UPPER, LOWER, or PROPER to control text formatting.

  • Example:

  =TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, PROPER(A2), PROPER(B2))
  

  This makes sure the names look like John Smith instead of john smith.

• Use TEXTJOIN with ranges when working with large data it saves time compared to CONCATENATE.

7. Wrapping It Up

Both CONCATENATE and TEXTJOIN are like glue for your Excel text. They help you merge names, numbers, sentences, categories, and more without breaking a sweat.

• If you’re doing something simple: CONCATENATE (or CONCAT) will do the job.

• If you want flexibility, power, and efficiency: TEXTJOIN is your best friend.

Mastering these functions means you’ll spend less time typing and more time analyzing data making you look like an Excel wizard to your boss or colleagues.

So the next time you see separate cells with text that should be combined, remember: CONCATENATE is the old-school tool, but TEXTJOIN is the modern, smarter solution.