How to combine cells with a comma and skip blanks in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:E2)Use TEXTJOIN with TRUE as the second argument: =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:E2) puts ", " between the values and skips empty cells.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
F2, filled down toF6 - Works in
- Excel 2019 and later, including Microsoft 365
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in F2, filled down to F6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
TEXTJOIN takes the separator first, then whether to ignore empty cells, then the cells. With TRUE, a blank unit is left out entirely, so you never get ", ," in the middle of an address.
=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:E2)Result"1420 Lake St, Apt 3, Minneapolis, MN, 55401"
A2:E21 row × 5 cols: "1420 Lake St", "Apt 3", "Minneapolis", "MN", …A range: 5 cells in one row.
TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:E2)"1420 Lake St, Apt 3, Minneapolis, MN, 55401"TEXTJOIN: Joins text with a delimiter between items.- delimiter
", " - ignore_empty
TRUE - text1
A2:E21 row × 5 cols: "1420 Lake St", "Apt 3", "Minneapolis", "MN", …
- delimiter
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:E2). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| =A2&IF(B2="","",", "&B2)&", "&C2&", "&D2&", "&E2 | 1420 Lake St, Apt 3, Minneapolis, MN, 55401, 88 Oak Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, 7 Elm Ct, Suite 200, Madison, WI, 53703… | Works in Excel 2016 and earlier: add the optional part, with its comma, only when it isn't blank. |
| =A2&", "&B2&", "&C2&", "&D2&", "&E2 | 1420 Lake St, Apt 3, Minneapolis, MN, 55401, 88 Oak Ave, , Saint Paul, MN, 55102, 7 Elm Ct, Suite 200, Madison, WI, 53703…Different result | Plain joining with &. Blank units leave a double comma: "88 Oak Ave, , Saint Paul…". |
Common mistakes
- A cell with only a space isn't empty, so TEXTJOIN keeps it and you get ", ,". TRIM the source data.
- TEXTJOIN needs Excel 2019 or later. In older versions use the IF version.
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.
Combine cells with a comma and skip blanks
F2, join the address parts in A2:E2 with a comma and a space, skipping empty cells, and fill down to F6.Questions
How do I use different separators, like "City, ST 55401"?
Join the parts yourself: =TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,A2:C2)&", "&D2&" "&E2.
Does TEXTJOIN work in Google Sheets?
Yes, with the same arguments.
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.