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Excel guide · 2 min read

How to concatenate with a space in Excel

Quick answerPut a space in quotes between the cells: =A2&" "&B2. With functions, use =CONCAT(A2," ",B2), or =TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,A2:C2) to add a space between every cell in a range and skip empty ones.

Sample data

Every result on this page was calculated from this sheet by the same spreadsheet engine the Cellwise app uses.

ABCDEF
1StreetCityStateZipDue dateAmount
212 Oak StSalemOR97301460321499.5
3480 Pine AveDayton454024604587
49 Elm CtMesaAZ8520146051260.25

Method 1: & with " "

The & operator joins text. A space is just text, so put one between double quotes and join it in like any other piece.

You can chain as many pieces as you need. Each separator gets its own pair of quotes. It works in every version of Excel, which makes it the safest choice for shared files.

=B2&" "&C2&" "&D2

Result: Salem OR 97301

Returns "Salem OR 97301".

Method 2: CONCAT

CONCAT (Excel 2019 and later) takes each piece as an argument. The space is one of the arguments. CONCATENATE works the same way in every version but cannot take a range.

=CONCAT(A4,", ",B4)

Result: 9 Elm Ct, Mesa

Returns "9 Elm Ct, Mesa". Swap the comma-space for any separator you like.

Method 3: TEXTJOIN for ranges and blanks

TEXTJOIN (Excel 2019 and later) puts the separator between every item for you. Set the second argument to TRUE and it skips empty cells, so a missing state does not leave a double space.

=TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,B3:D3)

Result: Dayton 45402

Returns "Dayton 45402" with one space, even though C3 is empty.

Keep number and date formats

Joining a date or currency gives the raw value, so 46032 shows up instead of a date and 1499.5 loses its trailing zero. Excel stores dates as serial numbers, and joining throws the cell formatting away.

Wrap the value in TEXT with the format you want. Common codes are "mm/dd/yyyy" or "mmm d, yyyy" for dates, "#,##0.00" for money, and "0%" for percentages.

="Due "&TEXT(E2,"mmm d, yyyy")&" for $"&TEXT(F2,"#,##0.00")

Result: Due Jan 10, 2026 for $1,499.50

Returns "Due Jan 10, 2026 for $1,499.50".

A line break instead of a space

To stack an address on separate lines inside one cell, join with CHAR(10), the line-break character: =A2&CHAR(10)&B2. Then turn on Home > Wrap Text, or you will not see the break.

TEXTJOIN works too: =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,A2:D2).

Common mistakes

No quotes around the space

Write " " with the space between double quotes. A bare space in a formula is not text.

Dates turn into numbers

Wrap them in TEXT, like TEXT(E2,"mm/dd/yyyy"), before joining.

Double spaces where a cell is blank

Use TEXTJOIN with TRUE as the second argument to skip blanks.

CONCATENATE ignores a range

CONCATENATE(A2:C2) does not join a range the way you expect. Use CONCAT or TEXTJOIN, which accept ranges.

FAQ

How do I add a space between two cells in Excel?

Use =A2&" "&B2. The " " is a space inside quotes, joined between the two cells.

How do I concatenate with a comma and space?

Use ", " as the separator: =A2&", "&B2, or =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:C2) for a whole range.

What is the difference between CONCAT and TEXTJOIN?

CONCAT joins exactly what you give it, so you add separators yourself. TEXTJOIN adds one separator between every item and can skip blanks.

Can I concatenate a whole column with spaces?

Yes. =TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,A2:A100) joins every non-blank cell in the column into one cell, with a space between each value.

Why does my concatenated number lose its leading zero?

Numbers do not store leading zeros. Store the zip as text, or use TEXT(D2,"00000") when joining.

Functions used

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