When working in Excel, you might want to merge text from different cells but display each piece on a new line. This is where concatenating with a line break comes in handy. It helps organize information clearly in a single cell, such as combining names, addresses, or product details while keeping each item on a separate line.
In this article, you’ll learn how to concatenate text with line breaks in Excel using formulas, including how to enable line wrapping so your results display neatly.
Here’s how to concatenate with a line break in Excel:
➤ Open your dataset in Excel.
➤ Click on cell C2, where you want the result to appear.
➤ Enter the following formula:
=A2 & CHAR(10) & B2
➤ Press Enter. At first, you might not see the line break.
➤ To make it visible, go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text.
➤ Now, each cell will display the customer name on one line and the city on the next line.
Using Ampersand and CHAR Function to Concatenate with a Line Break in Excel
In the following dataset, we have a list of customers and their addresses. Column A contains the Customer Names and Column B contains their City Names. Column C is currently empty and labeled Combined Text.
We’ll apply different formulas in Column C to combine both values into one cell with a line break between them.
The easiest way to insert a line break inside a concatenated text is by using the Ampersand (&) Operator and CHAR(10) function. This character represents a line break in Windows.
Concatenate Two Columns with a Line Break
Here’s how to do it step by step:
➤ Open your dataset in Excel.
➤ Click on cell C2, where you want the result to appear.
➤ Enter the following formula:
=A2 & CHAR(10) & B2
➤ Press Enter. At first, all the text appears on the same line, so the line break isn’t visible yet.
➤ To make it visible, go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text.
➤ Now, each cell will display the customer name on one line and the city on the next line.
➤ Drag the fill handle down to copy the formula for the rest of the rows.
Concatenate Multiple Columns with Line Breaks
Here’s how to do it step by step:
➤ Add a new column in Column C and enter Country names.
➤ Click on cell D2, where you want the result to appear.
➤ Enter the following formula:
=A2 & CHAR(10) & B2 & CHAR(10) & C2
➤ Press Enter.
➤ Next, go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text
➤ Now, each cell will display the customer name on one line, the city on the next line, and the country on the next line.
➤ Drag the fill handle down to copy the formula for the rest of the rows.
Using CONCAT Function to Concatenate with a Line Break in Excel
The CONCAT function is another modern way to combine text in Excel. It works like the traditional CONCATENATE function but supports range references and can be paired with CHAR(10) to insert line breaks between text values.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
➤ Open your dataset in Excel.
➤ Click on cell D2, where you want the combined text to appear.
➤ Enter the following formula:
=CONCAT(A2, CHAR(10), B2, CHAR(10), C2)
➤ Press Enter. You’ll notice that the text still appears on one line, as the line break isn’t applied yet.
➤ Go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text to show the text properly across multiple lines.
➤ Now, Excel will display each part of the data Customer Name, City, and Country, on separate lines inside one cell.
Note:
The CONCAT function is available in Excel 2019 and Microsoft 365. If you’re using an older version of Excel, you can use CONCATENATE instead with the same formula structure. Also, remember to enable Wrap Text so the line breaks appear correctly inside each cell.
Concatenate Multiple Cells with Line Breaks Using TEXTJOIN Function
Another simple and efficient way to join multiple cells with a line break is by using the TEXTJOIN function.
In the following example, we’ll use the same dataset containing Customer Name, City, and Country, and combine them into one cell with each value appearing on a new line.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
➤ Open your dataset in Excel.
➤ Click on cell D2, where you want to display the combined result.
➤ Enter the following formula:
=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2:C2)
➤ Press Enter. Initially, the entire text will appear in a single line without showing the line break.
➤ Go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text to make the line breaks visible.
➤ Now, Excel will display all three pieces of information Customer Name, City, and Country each on a separate line within the same cell.
Applying VBA to Concatenate with a Line Break in Excel
If you need to combine text with line breaks across many rows automatically, using VBA can save you a lot of time. Instead of typing formulas for each row, a short VBA script can merge values with line breaks and place the results in a new column instantly.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
➤ Open your Excel workbook and press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
➤ In the VBA window, click Insert >> Module.
➤ In the new module window, paste the following code:
Sub ConcatenateWithLineBreak()
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim lastRow As Long
Dim i As Long
Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1") 'Change sheet name if needed
lastRow = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row
For i = 2 To lastRow
ws.Cells(i, 4).Value = ws.Cells(i, 1).Value & vbLf & _
ws.Cells(i, 2).Value & vbLf & _
ws.Cells(i, 3).Value
ws.Cells(i, 4).WrapText = True
Next i
End Sub 
➤ Close the VBA window and return to Excel.
➤ Press Alt + F8 , select ConcatenateWithLineBreak, and click Run.
➤ The script will automatically fill Column D with concatenated results from Columns A, B, and C, each separated by a line break.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the line breaks not showing after concatenation?
Line breaks exist, but they’re hidden unless you enable Wrap Text. Go to the Home tab and click Wrap Text to make them visible.
Can I concatenate with a line break using the CONCATENATE function?
Yes. If you’re using an older version of Excel, replace CONCAT with CONCATENATE in your formula. For example:
=CONCATENATE(A2, CHAR(10), B2)
Then enable Wrap Text to show each value on a new line.
How do I add a line break manually without a formula?
Double-click inside the cell, place the cursor where you want the break, and press Alt + Enter . This inserts a manual line break between text parts.
Wrapping Up
Concatenating with a line break in Excel helps keep your data organized and readable inside a single cell. It’s especially useful when preparing lists, combining addresses, or formatting detailed information for reports.
Using formulas like CHAR or TEXTJOIN functions gives you flexibility to merge multiple text pieces neatly, while enabling Wrap Text ensures the results look clean and easy to read.
