How to Combine 2 Columns in Excel

This tutorial takes about 2 minutes to complete.

Introduction

This tutorial shows how to combine two columns into a single column using Excel's CONCAT function — a quick way to join first and last names, address components, or any other paired text fields. It takes about two minutes and works on Excel 2016 and later, including Excel for the Web.

Step 1: Label your combined column

Click on cell C1 and type a heading like Full Name to label the new column where the combined result will go. This keeps your spreadsheet organized and easy to read.

Step 2: Enter the CONCAT formula

Click on cell C2 — this is where the combined result for the first row will appear. Type this formula:

=CONCAT(A2, " ", B2)

Here's what each part does:

• A2 — the first value to combine (e.g., first name)
• " " — a space separator, so the result reads naturally (without it, the values would be squished together like "JohnDoe")
• B2 — the second value to combine (e.g., last name)

Press Enter. Cell C2 will now display the combined text with the two values separated by a space.

Step 3: Fill the formula down to all rows

Your formula only works for row 2 right now. To apply it to every row in your list, click on cell C2 and look at the bottom-right corner of the selected cell — you'll see a small black plus sign (called the fill handle).

Double-click that fill handle, and Excel will automatically copy the formula down to match the last row with data in columns A and B. All your records are now combined.

That's it — your two columns are now combined into one, properly formatted with spaces between each value.