Combining Text with the & Symbol

Why This Feature Matters

In most spreadsheets, text information is often split across different columns—such as First Name in Column A and Last Name in Column B, or Area Code and Phone Number. When creating customer invoices, name badges, or reports, you frequently need to combine these separate pieces into one complete text string.

Spreadsheets let you join text easily using the ampersand symbol (&). Think of & as spreadsheet glue that connects words and numbers together.

How Text Joining Works

Whenever you want to add static characters (like spaces, hyphens, or words), always put them inside double quotation marks " " so Excel knows they are text:

Step-by-Step Practice Guide

Follow these steps to assemble full employee roster labels:

Practice 1 — Combining First and Last Name (Row 2)

In cell D2, join First Name (A2) and Last Name (B2) with a space.

=A2 & " " & B2

Practice 2 — Adding a Prefix to an ID Number

In cell E2, add the prefix "EMP-" in front of the ID code in cell C2.

="EMP-" & C2

Practice 3 — Creating a Complete Badge Label

In cell F2, combine the Full Name in D2 with Department in G2 wrapped in parentheses.

=D2 & " (" & G2 & ")"

Practice 4 — Combining Names for Jane Smith (Row 3)

In cell D3, join First Name (A3) and Last Name (B3) with a space.

=A3 & " " & B3

Remember that forgetting the quotes around spaces (e.g. typing =A2 & & B2) will cause a formula error. Always wrap any space or punctuation inside double quotes like " ".