Joining columns or cells in a spreadsheet is something that experienced users do all the time, but may be challenging for a new user.

Have no fear, joining cells or columns is simple to do using the CONCATENATE function in Numbers.

There are two ways to use the CONCATENATE function:

First you can type =CONCATENATE(A1,A2,…)

Where A1, A2, … are the cells you wish to join.

The second method – the one I prefer – is to use the ampersand (&) as a shortcut. In this case, you would use a formula such as =A1&A2 to join the contents of cell A1 and A2 into one cell.

Experienced users will immediately notice a problem with that example: there will be no space between the joined cells. This may, in fact, be exactly what you are looking for. But, if you are trying to join names, you would want a space between the joined cells.

No problem. Simply concatenate a space between the cells by using a formula like: =A1&” “&B1. This will give you the necessary space between the joined elements. You can see this exact technique in the screenshot above.

FYI:Â The CONCATENATE function uses the same format on Excel as Numbers.

For more information: Numbers Function Reference: CONCATENATE