TEXTJOIN vs CONCATENATE in Google Sheets
Short answer: Use TEXTJOIN for almost everything — it takes a delimiter once, works across a whole range, and can skip empty cells. Keep CONCATENATE only for gluing a couple of specific cells with no separator.
Copy the one most people want (TEXTJOIN)
=TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, A2:D2)
Joins A2:D2 with a comma-space, skipping blanks. The TRUE means "ignore empty cells" so you don't get stray commas.
TEXTJOIN vs CONCATENATE — the differences that matter
| Aspect | TEXTJOIN | CONCATENATE |
|---|---|---|
| Delimiter | Set once as the first argument. | None — you type separators between every cell manually. |
| Skip blanks | Yes, via the second argument (TRUE). | No — empty cells still add their separators. |
| Ranges | Accepts a whole range like A2:D2. | Best with individual cells; ranges just glue with no separator. |
| Availability | Modern Sheets/Excel. | Everywhere, but largely superseded by TEXTJOIN and &. |
Which one should you use?
Use TEXTJOIN when…
Joining many cells or a range, needing a consistent separator, or wanting to skip blanks — names into a list, address lines, CSV-style strings.
Use CONCATENATE when…
Sticking two or three specific values together with no separator, or maintaining an old sheet that already uses it. For quick joins, the & operator is often simpler still.
Same task, both formulas
Join first name (A2) and last name (B2) with a space.
=TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A2, B2)
=CONCATENATE(A2, " ", B2)
For two cells both work. Across A2:Z2 with gaps, TEXTJOIN skips the blanks cleanly while CONCATENATE would need every separator typed by hand.
FAQ
Is TEXTJOIN better than CONCATENATE?
For most jobs, yes — one delimiter, range support and skip-blanks make it cleaner. CONCATENATE survives mainly for backwards compatibility.
What about the & operator?
For a couple of values, =A2&" "&B2 is the shortest option of all. TEXTJOIN wins once you have a range or want to skip blanks.
Can CONCATENATE skip empty cells?
No. It includes every argument, so blanks leave doubled separators. Use TEXTJOIN with TRUE for that.
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