Merge or unmerge cells

Merging table cells combines adjacent cells into a single cell. You can unmerge cells as well, and all the data is retained in the new top-left cell.

Note: You can only unmerge cells that were previously merged; you can’t split a cell.

Merge cells: Select two or more cells, then choose Format > Table > Merge Cells (from the Format menu at the top of your screen).
These are the results of merging cells:
- If only one of the cells contains content prior to merging, the merged cell retains the content and formatting of that cell.
- If multiple cells contain content before merging, all the content is retained, but cells with a specific data format, such as numbers, currency, or dates are converted to text.
- If a fill color is applied to the top-left cell, the merged cell takes on the fill color.
Unmerge cells: Select the cell, then choose Format > Table > Unmerge Cells.
All of the content from the previously merged cell is added to the first unmerged cell.

You can’t merge cells from different areas in the table—for example, a body cell and a header row cell.

Tip: Merged cells are treated specially in formulas:

Refer to the cell directly in a formula by using the address of the merged cell’s top-left corner.
You can’t include only part of a merged cell in a cell range that’s used in a formula.
If you refer to a cell in a formula, then merge the cell with cells that are outside the formula’s intended range, the formula may result in an error.