Why Merge and Center Cells?
The most popular reason to merge and center cells in Excel is for titles or headings. By merging cells, you can create a larger space for your text, which can make it easier to read. Centering the text can also help with this. If you do this above a table, you can give it a title that’s easy to see. This is a great way to organize data if there are multiple tables on one sheet.
Manual Instructions for How to Merge and Center in Excel
A word of caution first: merging cells will cause all their data to be lost except for the contents of the top left cell. Only do this on empty cells or cells that contain data you don’t need. How to do it manually? Open your spreadsheet and follow these instructions on how to merge and center in Excel.
- First, select the cells that you want to merge. To do this, click on the first cell and then drag your mouse until all of the cells are selected. They need to be adjacent to each other.
- Once the cells are selected, go to the “Home” tab and find the “Alignment” group.
- In this group, there will be a button that says “Merge and Center.” Click this button and the cells will merge into one.
If you can’t find the button under “Alignment,” you can also look for the “Merge” icon underneath “Wrap Text.” When you click on it, “Merge and Center” will appear on a drop-down menu. Once you’ve successfully merged the cells, the text from the upper-left cell will be centered in the new, larger cell.
How to Unmerge the Cells
If you change your mind and want to unmerge the cells, it’s very easy to do. Just click on the merged cell and then open the “Home” tab. Next to the option “Merge and Center,” you’ll see an arrow that you can click to open a drop-down menu. From this menu, select “Unmerge” and the cells will go back to how they were before. They’ll be empty – you can now enter new data into them.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Merging and Unmerging Cells
If you want to know how to merge and center in Excel quickly, there are some keyboard shortcuts you can use on Windows. To merge cells without centering, select them and press Alt + H, M, M (without letting go of Alt). This will automatically merge the selected cells. If you want to center the text as well, press Alt + H, M, C instead.
To unmerge cells, select the merged cell and press Alt + H, M, U. This will unmerge the cells and put them back to how they were before. Try these shortcuts a few times, and you’ll soon get the hang of them!
Enjoy Your Well-Organized Spreadsheet!
Now that you know how to merge and center in Excel, you can start using this technique to organize your data. It’s a great way to make things look neater and more organized, especially if you have a lot of data on one sheet. Give it a try today!
Did you find this article helpful? Let us know in the comments below. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask them there as well! We’re always happy to help.
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