How to add a line break in a formula in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2Join CHAR(10) between the parts: =A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2, then turn on Wrap Text for the cell.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
D2, filled down toD6 - Works in
- Excel 2019 and later, including Microsoft 365
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
CHAR(10) is the line feed character, the same one Alt+Enter types. Joined between the parts, it starts a new line inside the cell. The cell has to have Wrap Text on to show the lines; otherwise they appear run together.
=A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2Result"Northwind Traders 1420 Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55401"
A2"Northwind Traders"The value in A2.
CHAR(10)" "CHAR: Character for a code number.- number
10
- number
A2&CHAR(10)"Northwind Traders "The & operator joins as text.
B2"1420 Lake St"The value in B2.
A2&CHAR(10)&B2"Northwind Traders 1420 Lake St"The & operator joins as text.
CHAR(10)" "CHAR: Character for a code number.- number
10
- number
A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)"Northwind Traders 1420 Lake St "The & operator joins as text.
C2"Minneapolis, MN 55401"The value in C2.
A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2"Northwind Traders 1420 Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55401"The & operator joins as text.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10),TRUE,A2:C2) | Northwind Traders 1420 Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55401, Contoso Ltd 88 Oak Ave Saint Paul, MN 55102, Fabrikam Inc 7 Elm Ct Madison, WI 53703… | TEXTJOIN uses the line break as its separator and skips empty parts, so a missing street doesn't leave a blank line. |
Common mistakes
- Without Wrap Text the cell looks like "Northwind Traders1420 Lake St…". Turn it on in Home > Wrap Text.
- Typing "\n" in quotes doesn't work; spreadsheets need CHAR(10).
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Add a line break in a formula
D2, build a three-line mailing label: company, street and city, each on its own line. Fill down to D6.Questions
Does CHAR(10) work in Google Sheets?
Yes. The same formula works, and Google Sheets wraps the lines when text wrapping is on.
How do I remove the line breaks again?
Replace them with a space: =SUBSTITUTE(D2,CHAR(10)," ").
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.