How to Use TEXTJOIN in Excel: Syntax, Examples, and Tips

Use the TEXTJOIN function in Excel to combine text from multiple cells or ranges with a specified delimiter. The syntax is TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...), where you choose a separator and decide whether to skip empty cells.

Syntax

The TEXTJOIN function combines text from multiple cells or ranges using a delimiter you specify.

• delimiter: The character(s) to put between each text item, like a comma or space.
• ignore_empty: TRUE to skip empty cells, FALSE to include them.
• text1, text2, ...: The text items or ranges you want to join.

excel

TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2], ...)

Example

This example joins the names in cells A1 to A4 with a comma and space, ignoring empty cells.

excel

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A1:A4)

Output

John, Mary, Alex

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Not setting ignore_empty to TRUE, which adds extra delimiters for empty cells.
• Using a delimiter that is missing or incorrect.
• Trying to join non-text values without converting them.

Example of wrong and right usage:

excel

=TEXTJOIN(",", FALSE, "Apple", "", "Banana")  
=TEXTJOIN(",", TRUE, "Apple", "", "Banana")

Output

Apple,,Banana
Apple,Banana

Quick Reference

Parameter	Description	Example
delimiter	Text to insert between joined items	", " (comma and space)
ignore_empty	Skip empty cells if TRUE	TRUE or FALSE
text1, text2, ...	Cells or text to join	A1:A4, "Hello", B2

Key Takeaways

TEXTJOIN combines text from multiple cells with a chosen delimiter.

Set ignore_empty to TRUE to avoid extra delimiters from blank cells.

You can join ranges and individual text items together.

Use a clear delimiter like comma, space, or dash for readability.

TEXTJOIN works well for creating lists or merging text data easily.