MS Excel: TEXTJOIN function to combine text

The TEXTJOIN function is one of Excel’s modern text functions introduced in Excel 2016. It allows you to combine (join) multiple text strings using a specified delimiter, such as a comma, space, dash, or line break. It's especially powerful because it lets you ignore blank cells, making it cleaner and more efficient than older methods like CONCATENATE or &.

This function is perfect for:

• Combining names, addresses, or categories

• Creating dynamic lists or summaries

• Simplifying formulas that join multiple values

Syntax

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

Parameters:

Argument	Description
delimiter	Required. The text (in quotes) to insert between joined values (e.g. ", ").
ignore_empty	Required. TRUE to skip empty cells; FALSE to include them.
text1, text2	One or more text items, cell references, or ranges to join.

Returns: A single text string with the joined values.

Examples

Let’s say we have the following table in A2:A6:

A

John

(blank)

Emma

Noah

(blank)

Example 1: Join with Comma, Ignore Blanks

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A6)

Result: "John, Emma, Noah"

Example 2: Join with Dash, Include Blanks

=TEXTJOIN(" - ", FALSE, A2:A6)

Result: "John - - Emma - Noah - "

Example 3: Join Names with " & "

=TEXTJOIN(" & ", TRUE, "Alice", "Bob", "", "Charlie")

Result: "Alice & Bob & Charlie"

Example 4: Using Line Breaks as Delimiters

=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2:A6)

Result: John   Emma Noah

(Make sure Wrap Text is enabled in the cell for this to display properly.)

Use Cases

Scenario	Benefit of Using TEXTJOIN
Full Name Assembly	Combine first, middle, and last names cleanly
Dynamic Lists in Dashboards	Create comma-separated lists from filtered values
Address Formatting	Join address components, skipping blanks
Reporting or Summarizing Values	Present selected values in a readable sentence

Comparison with CONCAT and CONCATENATE

Feature	TEXTJOIN	CONCAT	CONCATENATE
Supports Delimiters	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Ignores Blanks	✅ Optional	❌ No	❌ No
Accepts Ranges	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No
Modern/Preferred	✅ Yes	✅ Sometimes	🚫 Deprecated

Related Functions

Function	Use Case
CONCAT	Join text without delimiter
TEXT	Format numbers/dates before joining
FILTER	Dynamic selection of values to join
ARRAYTOTEXT	Convert arrays to text (Excel 365+)
JOIN	Not available in Excel, but similar in other tools

Notes

• If you're working with arrays or ranges with blank cells, setting ignore_empty to TRUE is recommended.

• Available in Excel 2016 and later (including Excel 365).

• For multi-line joining, use CHAR(10) and enable "Wrap Text" on the cell.

Summary

Feature	Description
Function Name	TEXTJOIN
Purpose	Combine text values with a specified delimiter
Handles Blanks	Yes (optional control)
Returns	A single, joined text string
Availability	Excel 2016 and newer

Final Thoughts

TEXTJOIN is an incredibly powerful and clean way to concatenate values—especially in dynamic models or reports where blank cells and delimiters can complicate things. If you're still using CONCATENATE, this function is a worthy upgrade.