How to Merge cells in Google Sheets ? In 5 Steps

Tired of messy and cluttered data in your Google Sheets documents? An easy way to improve the look and clarity of your spreadsheet is to combine cells.

We’ll talk about how to merge cells in Google Sheets, and when to use this feature and how to use it properly. Let’s get started.

When should you merge cells in Google Sheets ?

You should merge cells in google sheets mainly for formatting purposes, to readability and presentation of your spreadsheet. Here you can check when you can use better way.

• Creating Heading or Title : Merging cells is a great way to create a clear and prominent title that spans multiple columns. You can format the text to stand out, making it the centerpiece of your sheet.
• Combining related information: If you have data points that are naturally linked, merging their cells can improve readability. For instance, you might merge cells for “First Name” and “Last Name” into a single “Full Name” cell.
• Aligning labels:  Sometimes, you might have labels that don’t quite fit within a single cell. Merging a few cells allows you to center the label properly and make your sheet look tidier.

However, it’s important to remember that merging cells can also introduce challenges:

• Data loss: When you merge cells, only the data from the top-left cell is preserved. The rest is discarded. Be sure you don’t need that information before merging.
• Formatting limitations: Merged cells can be trickier to format. You can’t apply borders or shading to individual sections of a merged cell.
• Data analysis problems: Sorting and filtering data can become more difficult with merged cells.

If your main concern is data integrity and analysis, it’s generally better to keep cells separate. But for improving the visual presentation of your spreadsheet, merging cells can be a useful tool.

Here’s an example: 

Let’s Imagine TheInfoPlus collects data from your Paid Subscribers Details, including names, email addresses, contact details and payment method. Maybe you want to create a title at the top of the sheet which is where merging cells comes in.

You need to select cells in the upper row where you have written title (paid subscriber details), use the merge cell option by selecting “A1:D1” with title of paid subscriber details. It will be easy to read for everyone.

How to merge cells in Google Sheets (Desktop) ?

In the five steps you can merge cells in Desktop

1. Open Google Sheet and select cells which you want to merge
2. Select cells which you want to merge 
3. Click “Format” option in menu bar
4. Select merge cells 
5. click on merge all option you can see your result

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut key “Ctrl+Shift+M” to quickly merge selected cells or doing a right click of selected cells and clicking the “merge cells” option from the menu that appears.

How to merge cells in Google Sheets (Mobile) ?

In the five steps you can merge cells in Mobile Device

1. Open the google sheets on your mobile app.
2. Open the file that you want to merge cells
3. Tap the cells which you want merge
4. Tap on the fodmap option on top menu bar
5. Tap the cells option from menu
6. Do “Merge cells” to on when prompt click OK

How to unmerge cells in Google Sheets ?

By doing merge cells by horizontal or vertically, if you feel it’s wrongly done, don’t worry you can unmerge easily with in 3 steps only

1. Select merge cells which you want to unmerge
2. Click the Format option in top Menu
3. Select merge cells in the drop-down menu.

Click the “Unmerge” button when the “Merge cells” dialogue box displays. By doing this, the chosen cells will be separated and returned to their initial state.

Conclusion – Merge Cells in Google Sheets

To merge cells in google sheets is a great way to organize and present your data in a proper manner. Knowing how you can save time, proper workflow management and more work efficiency.