How to Combine a Column into One Cell in Excel
You need a column of names turned into one "Ann, Bob, Cy" string — for an email, a tag list, an SQL IN (…). Here's the TEXTJOIN way, and a one-click way that also de-duplicates.
Last updated: August 2026
| Column | One cell | |
|---|---|---|
| Ann | → | Ann, Bob, Cy |
| Bob | → | |
| Cy | → |
Method — TEXTJOIN
- In an empty cell:
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A100)— joins the range with a comma and skips blanks (theTRUE). - Want distinct only? Wrap the range:
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, UNIQUE(A2:A100))(Microsoft 365). - Copy the cell and Paste Special > Values so it survives.
TEXTJOIN needs Excel 2019 or 365; UNIQUE needs 365. On older versions this gets impractical fast.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet
Join Column to One Cell collapses a column into one delimited cell without a formula. Pick the separator (comma, semicolon, pipe, space, or new line), optionally skip blanks and keep only distinct values. Select several columns and it joins each into its own cell. The result is written to a new sheet, so nothing is overwritten. Works on any Excel version, including the web. The reverse is Split Text into Rows.
Frequently asked questions
How do I combine a column into one cell?
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A100) and paste as a value, or Tellsheet's Join Column to One Cell with no formula.
How do I join and remove duplicates?
Wrap the range in UNIQUE (365), or flip on "distinct values only" in Join Column to One Cell.
What if I don't have TEXTJOIN?
It needs Excel 2019+. Join Column to One Cell works on any version, including Excel on the web.
Can I join several columns at once?
Yes — select multiple columns and each becomes its own joined cell.
Related Excel guides
Join a column in one click
Join Column to One Cell collapses a column into one delimited cell — skip blanks, keep distinct, right inside Excel.
Get Tellsheet free See pricing