Merge cells in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

A simple table with three columns: Name, Age, and City, and two rows of data.

Cell	Value
A1	Name
B1	Age
C1	City
A2	Alice
B2	30
C2	New York
A3	Bob
B3	25
C3	Los Angeles

Formula Trace

Merge cells A1:C1

Step 1: Select cells A1, B1, C1

Step 2: Apply merge across selected cells

Step 3: Content of merged cell

Cell Reference Map

Name

↓

Alice

↓

Bob

Cells A1, B1, and C1 are selected and merged into one cell. The content from A1 remains visible.

Result

Name

↓

Alice

↓

Bob

The top row cells A1 to C1 are merged into one big cell showing 'Name'. The other rows remain unchanged.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

After merging cells A1:C1, which cell's content is shown in the merged cell?

A Content of B1

B Content of A1

C Content of C1

D All contents combined

Key Result

Merge cells combines multiple adjacent cells into one larger cell, keeping the upper-left cell content visible.