Combine Two Columns in Google Sheets

In Google Sheets, there are two ways to combine two columns. The first one combines two columns into a single cell, and the second one is to combine them into a new column. In this tutorial, we will learn to write formulas for this. So, let’s get started.

Combine Two Columns in a Single Cell

For this, we can use two functions, JOIN or TEXTJOIN. Both functions work in different ways.

JOIN

1. Enter JOIN in a cell and type the starting parentheses in a cell.
2. Enter the delimiter “-“ in the first argument of the function.
3. Refer to the first column, and then refer to the second column.
4. In the end, close the function and hit enter to get the result.

And the moment you hit enter, it returns all the values from both columns into the cell where you have all the values from the first column and then all the values from the second column.

=JOIN("-",A1:A6,B1:B6)

TEXTJOIN

1. First, enter TEXTJOIN in a cell, and enter the starting parentheses.
2. Now, in the first argument, the delimiter “-“.
3.  After that, in the second argument, enter TRUE to ignore the blank cell.
4. Next, in the third argument, refer to both columns in a single range.
5. Ultimately, enter the closing parentheses and hit enter to get the result.

When you hit enter, it returns all the values from both columns.

Unlike JOIN, TEXTJOIN returns values correspondingly: the first value of the first column, first value from the second column, the second value from the first column, and so on.

Combine Two Columns in a Third Column

And if you want to combine two columns in a third column, you can write a simple formula.

1. First, enter “=”.
2. Next, refer to the first cell of the first column.
3. After that, enter an ampersand and specify a delimiter with double quotation marks.
4. Now, refer to the first cell of the second column.
5. In the end, hit enter.

Once you hit enter, drag the formula up to the last cell with the value. Or, you can use the autofill suggestion to fill the rest of the cells with the formula.

=A1&"-"&B1

Apart from this, you can also use:

• =CONCAT(A1,B1)
• =CONCATENATE(A1,”-“,B1)
• =TEXTJOIN(“-“,TRUE,A1:B1)
• =JOIN(“-“,A1,B1)

All the above formulas work the same way combing values from two columns into a single column.

Quick Combine Columns with ArrayFormula and Ampersand

1. First, in a cell, enter the ArrayFormula function.
2. After that, refer to the first column.’
3. Next, enter an ampersand operator and a double quotation mark (“”) to specify the delimiter.
4. Now, again enter an ampersand and then refer to the second column.
5. In the end, enter the closing parentheses to close the function and then hit enter to combine both columns.

=ARRAYFORMULA(A1:A8&" - "&B1:B8)

And if you have three columns, you need to refer to the third column and use a delimiter between the second and third columns.

=ARRAYFORMULA(A1:A8&" - "&B1:B8&" - "&C1:C8)

It is one of the easiest ways to combine two or more columns. With this formula, you don’t need to drag the formula down to all the cells in the column.

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