How to Unmerge Cells in Excel

If you’ve ever found yourself working on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet where cells have been merged, you know how frustrating it can be. Merged cells often cause data to be misplaced, formulas to malfunction, and can even hinder the overall functionality of your spreadsheet. Unfortunately, unmerging cells in Excel isn’t always a straightforward process. But fear not, this blog post will provide a step-by-step guide on how to unmerge cells in Excel, so you can get back to working on your spreadsheet efficiently and effectively.

Step 1: Select Merged Cells

The first step to unmerge cells in Excel is to select the merged cells you want to unmerge. To do this, click and drag your mouse over the merged cells. You can also hold down the Ctrl key while you click on each merged cell if they’re not next to each other. Once you have all the merged cells selected, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Click ‘Merge & Center’

Next, click on the “Home” tab in the Excel ribbon, and locate the “Merge & Center” button in the “Alignment” group. Click on the arrow next to it and select “Unmerge Cells” from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “ALT + H + M + U” to unmerge the cells.

Step 3: Choose Directionality

When you click on “Unmerge Cells,” a new dialog box will appear, giving you the option to choose which direction you want to unmerge the cells. You can choose to either unmerge the cells completely or unmerge them and copy their contents across all the cells. Select your preferred option and click “OK.”

Step 4: Verify the Results

Once you’ve clicked “OK,” the cells should be unmerged, and you can verify this by checking if the borders have disappeared between the cells. To avoid any issues, also make sure to verify that the data is correct in each cell.

Conclusion

Unmerging cells in Excel can seem daunting, but the process is relatively straightforward and can save you from having to redo countless errors caused by merged cells. By following these simple steps, you can unmerge cells quickly and efficiently, ensuring that your spreadsheet works as intended.

Why Unmerge Cells?

Merged cells can be useful for presenting data in a more visually appealing manner, such as centering titles or headers across multiple columns. However, merging cells can also cause issues when manipulating data or formulas, and can even prevent certain features from working properly. Unmerging cells can help avoid these problems and make it easier to work with your data.

Unmerging Cells with Data Validation

When dealing with merged cells that have data validation applied, unmerging those cells may result in data validation dropping out of some cells. In this case, you’ll need to reapply the data validation after unmerging the cells. To do this, select the cells in question and go to the “Data” tab in the ribbon. From there, click on “Data Validation” and choose the desired data validation criteria for the selected cells.

Unmerging Cells with Conditional Formatting

Similar to data validation, merged cells with conditional formatting applied might also cause issues when unmerged. As a result, be sure to verify that your conditional formatting remains intact after unmerging the cells. It may be necessary to reapply the conditional formatting for the unmerged cells.

Copying Data from Merged Cells

If you want to copy data out of merged cells, you’ll need to first unmerge the cells and then copy the data as necessary. This is because Excel prevents copying data from merged cells by default. If you try to copy data from a merged cell, Excel will only copy the data from the top-left cell in the merge range.

Final Thoughts

Unmerging cells can be a small but important step towards ensuring your data is accurate and easy to work with in Excel. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can quickly and efficiently unmerge cells and avoid potential issues. Be aware of any potential complications, such as data validation or conditional formatting, and make sure to double-check your data as needed.

FAQs About Unmerging Cells in Excel

Here are some frequently asked questions about unmerging cells in Excel:

Can I still unmerge cells if they contain data?

Yes, you can unmerge cells that contain data as long as the cells aren’t protected. To do this, select the merged cell and follow the steps outlined in this post. If you want to keep some or all of the data in the merged cells, be sure to choose the appropriate unmerge option.

Why won’t Excel let me copy data out of merged cells?

By default, Excel prevents copying data from merged cells. If you want to copy data out of a merged cell, you first need to unmerge the cells and then copy the data from individual cells as needed.

Can I unmerge cells that have conditional formatting applied?

Yes, you can unmerge cells that have conditional formatting applied. However, you’ll need to make sure that the conditional formatting remains intact for the unmerged cells. It may be necessary to reapply the formatting for the new cells.

What happens to data validation when I unmerge cells?

Unmerging cells that have data validation applied may result in the validation dropping out of some cells. In this case, you’ll need to reapply the data validation after unmerging the cells. Follow the steps outlined earlier in this article to do this.

Can I unmerge cells without losing data?

Yes, you can choose to unmerge cells and keep the data in all the cells by selecting the “Unmerge Cells and Keep Data” option. This option allows you to retain the data and separate the merged cells without losing any important information.