This is fairly easy, regardless of the version of Excel that you are using. First, let’s look at how to merge the cells before moving on to how to do so quickly.
Merge and Center Option
The easiest way to merge a series of cells together is to use the Merge and Center icon. First, highlight the cells, such as A1, B1, and C1, and then click the Merge and Center icon on the toolbar. It contains arrows surrounding a lower case ‘a’ similar to this: ←a→. Note that only the data contained in the leftmost cell will be retained, any data in the other cells will be overwritten.
Format Cells Option
You can also use the Format Cells command to merge the highlighted cells. You can reach this command via the Format menu or by right-clicking the highlighted cells and choosing Format Cells. Once the Format Cells dialog box opens, place a checkmark in the Merge Cells option. Faster still, once highlighted, click the Control + 1 key combination.
Tips for Faster Cell Merges
Since you have a specific layout in mind, start with a blank worksheet and set up your first row. Merge your A1, B1, and C1 cells using any of the above methods. In your case, it appears that all of your merge requirements on this first line involve three cells being merged into one, so you can simply copy your newly merged cell and begin pasting it into D and G cells. If you have other requirements, it doesn’t take too long to manually merge this first row to meet your needs.
Once you have the first row merged, apply any additional formatting that you want such as outlines or shading. If you plan on including any formulas that need to be present throughout the worksheet, add those now too.
Applying the Formatting to Additional Rows
Now that the first row is exactly how you want it, simply click on Row 1, making sure to click the actual row marker so that the entire line is highlighted and then click Control + C to copy it. Next, highlight all of the rows below row 1 where you want the formatting applied (again by clicking on the row markers located on the left side of the screen) and use the Control + V key combination to paste the contents of row 1 into these rows, formatting, merging, and all.
Celeste Stewart | December 12th, 2008
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