How TEXTJOIN works in Excel? Best TEXTJOIN examples

How TEXTJOIN works in Excel? Best TEXTJOIN examples

When working with Excel, you often need to combine data from multiple cells into one. The TEXTJOIN function is a powerful tool that simplifies this process, especially when dealing with large datasets. If you’ve been struggling with concatenation formulas or manually merging text, TEXTJOIN will change the way you work. In this guide, I’ll show you how TEXTJOIN works, explore its syntax, and provide the best practical examples.

Understanding TEXTJOIN in Excel

TEXTJOIN is a built-in Excel function that allows you to join multiple text strings using a specified delimiter. Unlike the traditional CONCATENATE function, TEXTJOIN includes an option to ignore empty cells, making it far more efficient.

Here’s the basic syntax of TEXTJOIN:

=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)
  • delimiter – The character or characters inserted between text strings (e.g., a space, comma, or hyphen).
  • ignore_empty – TRUE (ignores empty cells) or FALSE (includes empty cells).
  • text1, text2, … – The text values, ranges, or arrays to be combined.

Why Use TEXTJOIN Instead of CONCATENATE?

Before Excel introduced TEXTJOIN, concatenating text required multiple & operators or the now obsolete CONCATENATE function. Here’s why TEXTJOIN is a game-changer:

  • It allows you to specify a delimiter, making formatted text easier to read.
  • It can ignore empty cells, reducing unnecessary separators.
  • It supports array formulas, merging entire ranges effortlessly.

Best TEXTJOIN Examples in Excel

Let’s go through some practical examples where TEXTJOIN can significantly improve efficiency in Excel.

1. Joining Names with a Space

Suppose you have first names in column A and last names in column B. Instead of manually combining them, you can use:

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

This formula merges the first and last name with a space while ignoring any empty cells.

2. Combining a List of Values with a Comma

If you have a list of values in A2:A6 and want to create a comma-separated list, use:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A6)

The result will look like: Apple, Banana, Mango, Orange.

3. Merging Data While Ignoring Empty Cells

One of TEXTJOIN’s best features is its ability to ignore empty cells. If you have some missing values in a range and still want a clean result, set the second argument to TRUE:

=TEXTJOIN(" - ", TRUE, A2:A6)

Excel will automatically skip empty cells, avoiding extra separators.

4. Combining Data from Multiple Columns

You can merge entire columns using a single formula. If A2:A6 contains first names and B2:B6 contains last names, the following formula merges them with commas:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A6, B2:B6)

The output list will be formatted like: John Doe, Jane Smith, Adam Green.

5. Converting a Range into a Sentence

Need to generate human-readable text from a list? Use the following formula:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A5) & " and " & A6

For a list like:

A
Apples
Bananas
Cherries
Dates
Elderberries

You get: Apples, Bananas, Cherries, Dates and Elderberries.

Common Errors and Troubleshooting TEXTJOIN

Even though TEXTJOIN is simple to use, you might run into some common issues:

  1. #VALUE! error: This usually happens if one of the arguments is incorrect. Double-check your input types.
  2. Incorrect delimiters: Ensure your delimiter is enclosed in quotes (e.g., "," instead of ,).
  3. Not available in older Excel versions: TEXTJOIN is available in Excel 2016 and later. If you have an earlier version, you’ll need to use CONCATENATE or &.

Final Thoughts

TEXTJOIN is an incredibly useful function when combining text in Excel. It eliminates the hassle of unnecessary delimiters, handles empty cells efficiently, and allows you to work with entire ranges effortlessly. Whether you’re dealing with names, product lists, or complex datasets, TEXTJOIN significantly simplifies text concatenation.

 

Other interesting article:

How CONCAT works in Excel? Best CONCAT examples