Choosing the right function can save you time when it comes to Excel CONCAT vs CONCATENATE. Here’s how they compare and which one is better for your needs.

If you’re handling data, knowing when to use CONCAT or CONCATENATE is like choosing between a power drill and a manual screwdriver—both get the job done, but one is more efficient.

You might struggle with this transition because CONCATENATE has been around for years, while CONCAT is its modern replacement.

If you’re confused about which one to use and why, you’re not alone. This guide makes it simple, breaking down the differences so you can apply them with confidence. Let’s dive in and master this essential Excel skill.

What Is the CONCAT Function in Excel?

The CONCAT function is the modern replacement for the earlier CONCATENATE function. You’ll use it to join multiple text strings into one.

Also, it works with both individual cell references and text values but doesn’t include delimiters like spaces or commas. However, you can add delimiters manually if you need to.

Moreover, this function is available in Excel 2016 and later. Hence making text merging faster and more efficient for handling large datasets.

CONCAT Function Syntax

Here’s the formula syntax for the CONCAT function:

=CONCAT(text1, [text2], …)

Here are the formula arguments:

• text1: The first text value or cell reference to combine. This is a mandatory value for the function to work.
• [text2]: Additional text values or cell references to join. However, this argument is optional. You’ll mostly use it when you’re combining 2 or more text strings.
• " ": Use the double quote in between arguments to insert delimiters, like space, ampersand, colon, and so on.

What Is the CONCATENATE Function in Excel?

The CONCATENATE function in Excel joins multiple text strings into a single string. It allows you to combine values from different cells, text entries, or numbers into one continuous text output. This function is useful for merging names, addresses, or any other text-based data without modifying the original values.

CONCATENATE Function Syntax

If you wish to use the CONCATENATE function, here’s the formula structure you can use:

=CONCATENATE(text1, [text2], …)

Find below the formula arguments:

• text1: The first text value or cell reference to join (required).
• [text2]: Additional text values or cell references to combine (optional).
• " ": Use this argument to add delimiters in your text strings, like spaces, tabs, ampersand, etc.

Excel CONCAT Vs CONCATENATE: A Quick Comparison

Find below a quick and easy-to-understand comparison of the CONCAT and CONCATENATE functions in Excel:

Similarities of CONCAT and CONCATENATE

Here are the common features of these two Excel functions:

Differences Between CONCAT and CONCATENATE

These are the differences between CONCATENATE and CONCAT:

How to Use the CONCAT Function in Excel

The CONCAT function accepts both individual cell addresses and cell range references to join text or numerical values.

Go to the destination cell where you wish to join texts or numerical values.

Enter the following formula into the cell:

=CONCAT(A2:D2)

The above formula will join all the content of the referred cell range in the destination cell.

Hit Enter to calculate the cell.

Excel will join the texts or numbers instantly.

Now, if you wish to add delimiters in between text strings, you need to manually enter the cell references for joining. For example, you can use this CONCAT formula syntax to add spaces between text strings:

=CONCAT(A2," ",B2," ",C2," ",D2)

Don’t forget to replace the cell references when using this formula to join texts in your dataset.

This CONCAT formula joins text strings or numbers with space as the delimiter between two text strings.

How to Use the CONCATENATE Function in Excel

CONCATENATE is the earlier version of the CONCAT formula. It doesn’t allow you to select a cell range to join multiple text strings or numbers in one go. This function is available in the latest Excel for Microosft 365 desktop and web app as a backward compatibility feature.

Suppose you have been using the CONCATENATE function in an Excel workbook created on Excel 2016 or earlier. Now, if you open the same file in Excel 2021 or Excel 365, an error message will show up if the CONCATENATE function isn’t there. Hence, you’ll still find the older function in the latest Excel desktop app,

You must manually select all the cell addresses to join text strings or numbers. It doesn’t accept a cell range for joining multiple text strings or numbers.

Suppose you want to join the text strings from A2, B2, C2, and D2 in cell B5.

The CONCATENATE function that you’ll use will look like the one shown below:

=CONCATENATE(A2,B2,C2,D2) 

When you use the above formula in your own worksheet, make sure you modify the cell references.

Hit Enter to join the input text strings.

Now, if you wish to include any delimiter when joining two or more text strings, you can use the CONCATENATE function along with double quotes for delimiters.

Here’s the formula that will add all the text strings from A2, B2, C2, and D2 and add a space between two text strings.

=CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2," ",C2," ",D2)

Replace the cell references in this formula according to your own dataset to get valid results in your worksheet.

Conclusions

This Excel CONCAT vs CONCATENATE guide has helped you to understand how these two functions differ from each other. Primarily, both of these functions let you join text strings and numbers in an Excel worksheet. However, you can use CONCAT to join text strings in a cell range, and it’s the latest version of the CONCATANATE function.

On the contrary, when you wish to add delimiters, like spaces, commas, semicolons, etc., you must manually add the cell addresses of text strings for both of these functions. So, if you need to add delimeters, you can use any of these functions.