Full address
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2, B2, C2, D2) builds city, state line from parts.
What is TEXTJOIN in Google Sheets?
TEXTJOIN merges many text values into one string with a delimiter between them. The ignore_empty argument skips blanks so you do not get double commas. It builds display labels, CSV-like rows, and summary lines from wide tables.
When to use it
Use TEXTJOIN to combine address parts, tag lists, or selected columns into one export field.
When to skip it
Skip TEXTJOIN when you need to split apart instead of join, or when QUERY GROUP_CONCAT style aggregation is clearer.
How it works
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1
Choose delimiter string such as comma, slash, or line break char.
-
2
Set ignore_empty TRUE to drop blank cells from the join.
-
3
List ranges or cells as additional arguments after the delimiter settings.
-
4
Wrap with IF when the whole join should be blank if key cell is empty.
-
5
Mind formula length limits on enormous ranges.
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6
Use BYROW with TEXTJOIN inside LAMBDA for per-row composite keys.
Examples in Google Sheets
Tag string
=TEXTJOIN(" | ", TRUE, E2:H2) merges active tag columns skipping empties.
Row label
=BYROW(A2:C, LAMBDA(r, TEXTJOIN("-", TRUE, r))) makes SKU codes per row.
Build this without starting from a blank cell
Use a Better Sheets tool for TEXTJOIN, then watch a walkthrough when you want the full pattern.
Better Sheets resources
Common mistakes
- ignore_empty FALSE leaving ugly double delimiters around blanks.
- Joining numbers without TEXT when locale adds odd formatting.
- TEXTJOIN on whole rows including ID columns you did not want exposed.
- Exceeding cell character limit on huge joins.
- Using CONCATENATE instead of TEXTJOIN when delimiter control matters.
Frequently asked questions
- TEXTJOIN vs CONCATENATE?
- TEXTJOIN adds delimiters and can ignore empty cells in one call.
- TEXTJOIN vs ampersand?
- Ampersand chains need manual delimiter logic. TEXTJOIN is cleaner for lists.
- Line break delimiter?
- Use CHAR(10) as delimiter for multi-line inside one cell.
- TEXTJOIN arrays?
- Yes across ranges; results may spill when used in array context.
- TEXTJOIN with FILTER?
- TEXTJOIN(delimiter, TRUE, FILTER(range, condition)) joins only matching rows.
- Character limit?
- Google Sheets cells cap around 50k characters. Split output if needed.
- TEXTJOIN and dates?
- Dates join as serial numbers unless wrapped in TEXT with a format.
Related Tutorials
Watch how TEXTJOIN works
How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets
Related blog posts
Guides that explain TEXTJOIN in more depth.
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Read post →Related glossary terms
SPLIT
SPLIT divides one text cell into multiple cells spilled across columns using a delimiter such as comma, space, or custom string. It is the formula version of Text to columns for live data like tags, full names, or combined codes.
Read guide →REGEXEXTRACT
REGEXEXTRACT returns the portion of text that matches a regular expression, often using capture groups to pull IDs, domains, or codes from longer strings. It replaces manual LEFT/RIGHT/MID chains when patterns repeat.
Read guide →UNIQUE
UNIQUE extracts a deduplicated list from a column or table. Optional arguments control whether duplicates appear by row, by column, or with occurrence counts. It powers dropdown source lists, category tabs, and data cleanup without manual copy-paste.
Read guide →FILTER
FILTER returns only the rows from a range that meet one or more conditions. Conditions are boolean arrays the same height as the data. FILTER spills results automatically, so it replaced many INDEX/SMALL helper-column patterns for live subsets.
Read guide →Done reading about TEXTJOIN?
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