MS Excel: Working with CONCATENATE Explained
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
The CONCATENATE function in Excel is used to combine text from multiple cells into one cell. It is a simple yet powerful function that helps organise and structure data more effectively.
In newer versions of Excel, CONCAT is used instead of CONCATENATE — but both perform the same task.
What Does CONCATENATE Do?
CONCATENATE joins text strings together.
For example, if:
Cell A1 contains John
Cell B1 contains Smith
Using the formula:
=CONCATENATE(A1," ",B1)
Excel will return:
John Smith
The quotation marks with a space (" ") ensure there is a space between the two words.
Using CONCAT (Modern Version)
In newer Excel versions, you can use:
=CONCAT(A1," ",B1)
This works in the same way and is now the recommended function.
Why Is CONCATENATE Useful?
It is commonly used to:
✔ Combine first and last names
✔ Create email addresses
✔ Build invoice references
✔ Join department codes with employee numbers
✔ Prepare data for reporting
For example:
=CONCAT("INV-",A1)
This could automatically generate invoice numbers.
Alternative Method
You can also combine text using the & symbol:
=A1 & " " & B1
This is often quicker and widely used in professional spreadsheets.
Final Thoughts
CONCATENATE (or CONCAT) is a simple function that makes your spreadsheets more structured and automated. It reduces manual typing and helps maintain consistency across reports.
If you regularly work with names, codes, or references in Excel, this is a must-know function.
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