Excel TEXTJOIN Function: Syntax, Examples & Tips

The TEXTJOIN function combines text from multiple cells using a delimiter, excluding empty cells for cleaner results.
Excel
=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)

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On this page
  1. Parameters
  2. What is a TEXTJOIN Formula in Excel?
  3. A Practical Example
  4. TEXTJOIN Formula
  5. Result of the Formula
  6. Why Use TEXTJOIN?
  7. Key Takeaways:
  8. Example use case

Parameters

delimiter:
The character or characters that you want to use to separate the text items in the resulting string.

ignore_empty:
A logical value (TRUE or FALSE) that specifies whether to ignore empty cells in the text items. If TRUE, empty cells are ignored; if FALSE, they are included.

text1:
The first text item or range of cells that you want to join together. This is a required parameter.

text2:
An optional additional text item or range of cells to join. You can include multiple text items or ranges by adding more parameters in the same format.

What is a TEXTJOIN Formula in Excel?

The TEXTJOIN function in Excel is a versatile tool that allows you to concatenate (join together) multiple text strings from a range or a list of values, with a specified delimiter separating each string. This function is particularly useful when you want to combine text from different cells into a single cell while controlling how the text is separated.

In simpler terms, the TEXTJOIN function helps you create a single string from multiple pieces of text, making it easier to present data in a readable format.

A Practical Example

Imagine you are compiling a list of attendees for an event, and you have the following data in an Excel spreadsheet:

Attendees Data Table:

You want to create a single string that lists all the email addresses, separated by a comma.

TEXTJOIN Formula

To concatenate the email addresses into a single string, you would use the TEXTJOIN formula as follows:

Excel
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, B2:B6)

Breakdown of the Formula:

  • ", ": This is the delimiter that separates each text string (in this case, a comma followed by a space).
  • TRUE: This argument specifies whether to ignore empty cells. Setting it to TRUE means that any empty cells in the range will be ignored.
  • B2:B6: This is the range of values that will be concatenated.

Result of the Formula

When you apply the formula, it combines the email addresses into a single string. The output would be:

Here, all the email addresses are concatenated into one string, separated by commas.

Why Use TEXTJOIN?

The TEXTJOIN function is particularly useful when you need to combine text from multiple cells into one cell without having to manually type or copy and paste each piece of text. It allows you to create clean and organized text outputs, which can be beneficial for reports, summaries, and data presentation.

Key Takeaways:

  • TEXTJOIN: Concatenates multiple text strings with a specified delimiter.
  • Efficient Data Presentation: Helps you create organized text outputs without manual effort.
  • Common Use Cases: Ideal for creating lists, summaries, and any scenario where you need to combine text data.

Understanding how to use the TEXTJOIN function can significantly enhance your data presentation capabilities in Excel, enabling you to create clear and concise text outputs from your datasets.

Happy joining!

Example use case

You have a table where Column A contains customer names and Column B contains their corresponding purchased products. You can use the TEXTJOIN function to create a single cell that lists all the products purchased by a specific customer, separated by commas. This allows for easy viewing of customer preferences and helps in tailoring marketing strategies without the need for complex data manipulation.

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