Merging / Unmerging Cells in Excel

   Overview   

You can quickly merge or unmerge a range of cells in an Excel spreadsheet.  Note that when you merge several cells, only the upper-right cell value is maintained.

   Instructions   

  1. Step 1: Choose the first cell in the range of cells that you want to merge, then press and hold the [Shift] key.
  2. Step 2: Select the final cell from the range of cells you want to merge, then release the [Shift] key.  
  3. Step 3: Click the Merge & Center drop-down arrow.
  4. Step 4: Click the Merge & Center option.
  5. Step 5: Click the OK button.
  6. Step 6: Click the Merge & Center drop-down arrow again.
  7. Step 7: Click the Unmerge Cells option.
  8. Step 8: The selected cells are unmerged.

In this article, you will learn the steps to merge and unmerge a range of cells in an Excel worksheet.

1. Step 1

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Within a worksheet, choose the first cell in the range of cells that you want to merge, then press and hold the [Shift] key.

Example shown here: cell R2 .

2. Step 2

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From the row and column headers, select the final cell from the range of cells you want to merge, then release the [Shift] key.  

Example shown here: click cell U2 then release the [Shift] key.

3. Step 3

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The selected cells are highlighted.

On the Home tab ribbon, click the Merge & Center drop-down arrow.

4. Step 4

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From the drop-down menu, click the Merge & Center option.

5. Step 5

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A dialog message is displayed, notifying you that merging cells only keeps the upper left values and discards other values.  

In this example, only the R2 value would be saved.

To complete the process of merging the selected cells, click the OK button.

6. Step 6

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The selected cells are merged.

To unmerge the cells, click the Merge & Center drop-down arrow again.

7. Step 7

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Click the Unmerge Cells option.

8. Step 8

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The selected cells are unmerged.

Note: After unmerging the selected cells, you can edit the data in each cell.