How to Use TEXTJOIN in Google Sheets: Comprehensive Guide

TEXTJOIN combines text from several cells or ranges into one string, with a delimiter between the pieces and an option to skip empty cells. It replaces long chains of & and CONCATENATE, and it is the clean way to build lists such as "Ana, Ben, Chloe" from a column.

Syntax

=TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [text2, ...])

delimiter: The text placed between pieces, such as ", ", " ", "-" or CHAR(10) for a line break. Use "" for no separator.
ignore_empty: TRUE skips empty cells so you do not get doubled delimiters. FALSE keeps them.
text1, text2, ...: Values, cell references or whole ranges to join.

Basic examples

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A6)

If A2:A6 contains Ana, Ben, `` (empty), Chloe, Dev, the result is Ana, Ben, Chloe, Dev. Setting ignore_empty to FALSE would produce Ana, Ben, , Chloe, Dev.

=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2, B2, C2)

Joins a first name, middle name and last name, skipping the middle name when it is blank, so you do not end up with a double space.

=TEXTJOIN("-", TRUE, "2026", "03", "15")

Returns 2026-03-15.

Joining with line breaks

=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2:A6)

Puts each item on its own line within the cell. Turn on Format > Wrap text to see the lines.

Practical patterns

Join only the items that meet a condition

Combine with FILTER:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, FILTER(A2:A100, B2:B100 = "Sales"))

This produces one cell with the names of everyone in Sales.

Join unique values

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, UNIQUE(A2:A100))

Join with a condition, without FILTER

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, IF(B2:B100 = "Sales", A2:A100, ""))

In Sheets, wrap this in ARRAYFORMULA if it doesn't evaluate as an array:

=ARRAYFORMULA(TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, IF(B2:B100 = "Sales", A2:A100, "")))

Build an address line

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2, B2, C2, D2)

Street, city, state and ZIP, skipping any that are empty.

Join a row

=TEXTJOIN(" | ", TRUE, A2:E2)

Create an email list

=TEXTJOIN("; ", TRUE, B2:B50)

Paste the result straight into an email's address field.

Build a regex or QUERY condition

=TEXTJOIN("|", TRUE, F2:F10)

Joins keywords into a|b|c for use in REGEXMATCH.

=TEXTJOIN(" or ", TRUE, ARRAYFORMULA("A='" & F2:F10 & "'"))

Builds a QUERY where clause from a list.

Join for each row

To apply it to every row, use ARRAYFORMULA over ranges that are arrays, such as =ARRAYFORMULA(A2:A & " " & B2:B). TEXTJOIN merges everything into one cell, so for per-row joins, use & or CONCATENATE.

Video Example

Numbers and dates

TEXTJOIN converts numbers and dates to text using their underlying values. A date joins as a serial number such as 46096. Format it first:

=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, ARRAYFORMULA(TEXT(A2:A6, "dd mmm yyyy")))

Likewise, format currency and percentages with TEXT before joining.

Common errors

An error about the result being too long. A cell holds at most 50,000 characters. Join fewer items.
A date appears as a number. Wrap with TEXT(..., "format").
Doubled delimiters. ignore_empty is FALSE, or cells contain "" from formulas. A cell holding an empty string from a formula can be treated as empty only when ignore_empty is TRUE.
Only one cell result when you wanted several. TEXTJOIN always returns one string. For one result per row, use &.
Wrong delimiter order. The delimiter and ignore_empty come first, and the values follow.

TEXTJOIN vs. CONCATENATE vs. the & operator

TEXTJOIN accepts ranges, adds a delimiter, and can skip blanks. It is the best choice for joining more than two or three items.
CONCATENATE joins individual items with no delimiter.
& is the shortest for two or three pieces: =A2 & " " & B2.

Frequently asked questions

Can TEXTJOIN take a whole column? Yes, TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A:A) joins all non-empty cells, but a bounded range such as A2:A100 is faster.

What is the opposite of TEXTJOIN? SPLIT.

Can I use more than one range? Yes: TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:A10, C2:C10).

What is the length limit? A cell can hold up to 50,000 characters.

Related Functions

CONCATENATE: Join text with no delimiter.
SPLIT: Divide text at a delimiter.
FILTER: Return only the rows that meet a condition.
UNIQUE: Return distinct values.
TEXT: Format a number or date as text.

TEXTJOIN