How To Merge Rows And Columns In Microsoft Excel

By Author: Sheree Schiffman
Total Articles: 5
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Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that comes standard with the Microsoft Office Suite. Being a spreadsheet program, it is extremely useful for managing information into various rows and columns. However, getting information into the Excel spreadsheet is usually a time-consuming process. As Excel operates using cells, typing information can be slow since the correct cell must be chosen each time information is entered. It can also make it difficult to edit the data within the Excel spreadsheet. Cutting, copying, and pasting can get confusing in Excel due to all of the lines that show up around the data you are copying and where it is being pasted.
One method of merging data within an Excel spreadsheet is through the use of formulas. Formulas are commands that can be entered into a cell in a spreadsheet to generate a designated result. For example, if cell A1 has the number 1 and cell A2 contains the number 2, then entering ‘ =SUM(A1:A2) ‘ in cell A3 will yield a result of 3. Similarly, moving data can be done using formulas. Let's hypothetically visualize a scenario where a single sentence ...
... has been broken up word by word from cell A1 through A3. To list this text in a row instead of a column in cell A4 can be done by entering in the formula ‘ =A1&A2&A3 ‘. This will present the data without spaces between the text. There are extra formulas for ordering data in alternate formats. The challenge arises in trying to remember all the different formulas that allow for data rearrangement.
A large productivity increase can be found from a simple stop at http://www.hothotsoftware.com/excel_join_rows_and_columns_together_software/. Simply searching for ‘How to Merge Rows or Columns of Excel Cells' yields a program specifically written to fulfill your Excel file needs. The program is actually created to operate within the Excel spreadsheet program itself, also known as a plugin. This means that after opening Microsoft Excel, you will see the application listed within a tab in the ribbon bar across the top of the Excel window. The tab that contains the plugin will say ‘Add-Ins'. The plugin will be listed as ‘Join Columns and Rows'. After choosing the plugin, a new window will show up. This window uses a classic user interface that allows even a basic computer user to understand and master the software in a short amount of time. This new window displays the commands to combine rows and columns together. First, specify whether you would like to merge rows or columns together. Then, any number of cells inside the spreadsheet can be highlighted for merging. After the desired cells have been chosen, click in the ‘Place Results here' field. Then, click in the spreadsheet to choose where you'd like the results to be pasted. This means that if you are merging rows together, the final combined row will start in the cell that you choose. This same principle holds true to merging columns of data together.
To learn more about this software, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LeJBK2r2vM. Data listed in an Excel spreadsheet is very useful for organizing and moving data. Utilize this program to rearrange that information into an organized Excel spreadsheet.