Combine a row of values into one delimited string — an address, a tag list — without stray delimiters where cells are empty. TEXTJOIN with ignore-empty set to TRUE handles the gaps.
The example
City, "", State, Zip → clean line.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parts | Joined |
| 2 | Dallas, , TX, 75201 | Dallas, TX, 75201 |
The formula
The formula:
How it works
How it works:
TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, range)joins values with your separator.- Set ignore_empty to TRUE so blank cells don’t leave “, ,” gaps.
- It accepts ranges directly — no need to list each cell like CONCATENATE.
- Available from Excel 2019/365; older versions need the CONCATENATE + IF workaround.
TEXTJOIN beats CONCATENATE for messy data. CONCATENATE (or &) blindly includes every cell, so an empty middle field leaves a doubled delimiter you then have to clean up. TEXTJOIN with ignore-empty handles optional fields — address line 2, a middle name, a missing tag — in one formula, which is exactly what real-world data needs.
Try it: interactive demo
Comma-separated parts (leave gaps with empty items).
Variations
Include blanks
Keep gaps:
Conditional join
Only matching rows (365):
Pre-2019 fallback
No TEXTJOIN:
Pitfalls & errors
TRUE skips blanks. Set ignore_empty to TRUE or you get doubled delimiters.
2019+ only. Older Excel lacks TEXTJOIN — use the CONCATENATE workaround.
Spaces aren’t blank. A cell with a space is joined — TRIM or clean first.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I join cells and skip blanks in Excel?
How is TEXTJOIN better than CONCATENATE?
What if I don't have TEXTJOIN?
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