How to Use Enter in Concatenate Formula in Excel

When working with Excel, you often need to combine text from different cells into one cell. The CONCATENATE function, now largely replaced by the CONCAT and TEXTJOIN functions, allows for this. However, incorporating line breaks (the equivalent of pressing Enter) within your concatenated text can be a bit tricky. Here's how to do it effectively:

1. Understanding CONCATENATE
The CONCATENATE function takes multiple arguments and combines them into a single text string. For example, =CONCATENATE(A1, B1) combines the text in cells A1 and B1. However, this function does not allow for direct line breaks between these strings.

2. Using CHAR(10) for Line Breaks
To include a line break in your concatenated result, you can use the CHAR function, which returns a character specified by a code number. For Windows, the line break character is represented by CHAR(10). Thus, to concatenate text with a line break, you can use:
=A1 & CHAR(10) & B1
This formula combines the text in A1 and B1, inserting a line break between them.

3. Ensure Cell is Formatted for Text Wrap
After you apply the formula, make sure the cell is formatted to wrap text. To do this:

• Select the cell with the formula.
• Go to the Home tab in the Ribbon.
• In the Alignment group, click on "Wrap Text."
  This will ensure that the text appears on separate lines as intended.

4. Example of a Practical Application
Imagine you have a list of names and addresses in your spreadsheet:

• Cell A1 contains "John Doe"
• Cell B1 contains "123 Main St"
  Using the formula =A1 & CHAR(10) & B1 results in:

css
John Doe
123 Main St

5. Using CONCAT and TEXTJOIN
If you're using Excel 2016 or later, you can also use the CONCAT function or the TEXTJOIN function for more flexibility.

• The CONCAT function works similarly to CONCATENATE, but with a more modern approach.
• TEXTJOIN allows you to specify a delimiter and ignore empty cells, making it ideal for larger ranges. For example:
  =TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A1:B1)
  This will also yield the same result with a line break.

6. Troubleshooting Common Issues
If your formula returns the text without line breaks:

• Double-check that you've used CHAR(10) correctly.
• Ensure that the cell is formatted to wrap text.
• If using Mac, remember that the line break is CHAR(13) instead.

In summary, using the Enter key within the CONCATENATE formula in Excel can be achieved through CHAR(10) for line breaks, combined with ensuring the correct cell formatting. With these techniques, you can create visually appealing and organized text outputs in your spreadsheets.