Why split cells in Excel?

Splitting cells in Excel is essential for better data organization and analysis. It breaks down combined data into separate parts, simplifying the process of screening, sorting and analysis. Whether it is name, address, date or structured information, splitting cells can improve the clarity and availability of data.

Useful scenarios for splitting cells

• Create an employee schedule
• Full name: Split the full name into first and last name for easy personalized communication and sorting.
• Address: Split the address into street, city, state and postal codes for efficient mapping and analysis.
• Date and Time: Divide date and time information into separate cells for accurate calculations.
• Keywords or tags: Extract individual keywords or tags from a single cell for better classification.

You may also want to check out this article about FAQs in Excel! Don't forget to take advantage of this free Microsoft Excel online course - from beginners to advanced courses, 20+ hours!

Download the following Excel workbook and follow the steps to learn how to split cells in Excel -
Download Excel workbook Split-Cells-1.xlsx

Now, let's explore these steps one by one!

Split a single cell

When doing cell splitting in Excel, you need to introduce a new column, adjust the column width, and then merge the cells as needed.

For example, we want to create an employee schedule. Susan Forst and Aaron Torres start at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. respectively. However, David Seed's shifts started at 8:30 a.m. How do we present this information in a spreadsheet?

Select Column C.

Right-click and select Insert .

By default, the column width is set to 64 pixels. Adjust the width of columns B and C to 32 pixels .

Select B1 and C1 .

Navigate to the Home tab, locate the Alignment group, and select the down arrow next to Merge Center . Continue to select the option marked Merge Cells .

Similarly merge cells B2 and C2 , as well as B4 and C4 .

Change the background color of cell B3 to no fill .

Look! Employee time manifests in a 30-minute increment will be displayed.

Text to column

Using Excel's text-to-column function to split cells is a convenient way to divide data within a cell into columns based on delimiters such as commas, spaces, or tabs. The following are the steps:

First, select the range of cells you want to split. This can be a single column or multiple columns.

Go to the Data tab of the Excel ribbon. Click the text to the column .

In the Convert Text to Column Wizard , you will have two options: " Delimiter " and "Fixed Width". Since you want to split the cell according to a specific separator, select the separator and click Next .

Select a separator that separates data in a cell. Common options include commas, tabs, semicolons, spaces, etc. You can also select multiple delimiters if needed. In our case we will select spaces.

You will be prompted to select where to place the split data. You can choose to replace the original data or specify a new location (new column or different worksheet). In our case, let's specify $B$2 as the location.

The preview section at the bottom of the wizard will show how the data will be split depending on the separator you choose. If the preview looks correct, click the "Finish" button.

Text functions

This method is very useful when you want to split cell content based on a specific rule or condition.

• For name: =LEFT(A1, FIND(" ", A1) – 1)

• For last name: =RIGHT(A1, LEN(A1) – FIND(" ", A1))

Select ranges B2 and C2 and drag from the bottom right corner to apply the formula to other employees.

These formulas find the location of the space character and extract the text of the relevant part. Your choice method should match your data and requirements. Text-to-columns are best suited for basic splits based on delimiters, while text functions provide more control over complex splits.

Quick fill

Suppose you want to split the data into separate columns of first name , last name and respective departments .

Enter the full name in a column (for example, column A).

In adjacent columns (such as column B), start typing the pattern you want Excel to recognize for splitting. In cell B2 , enter " Susan ". In cell C2 , enter the last name " Forst ". In cell D2 , enter " Accounting ".

Highlight cell B2 and press CTRL E (Quick Fill Shortcut).

Highlight cell C2 and press CTRL E (Quick Fill Shortcut).

Highlight cell D2 and press CTRL E (Quick Fill Shortcut).

Excel will try to recognize the pattern and automatically fill the rest of the column.

Below you will find more than 120 Excel formulas and function examples, covering key formulas and functions such as XLOOKUP, VLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH, IF, SUMPRODUCT, AVERAGE, SUBTOTAL, OFFSET, LOOKUP, ROUND, COUNT, SUMIFS, ARRAY, FIND, TEXT, etc. Let's start learning for free!

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