Merge Columns in Power Query
February 27, 2023 - by Bill Jelen
![Merge Columns in Power Query Merge Columns in Power Query](/img/excel-tips/2023/02/merge-columns-in-power-query.jpg)
Problem: I have first name in column A and last name in column B. I would like to concatenate those names and convert to proper case.
Strategy: Use Merge Columns in Power Query.
Select all of the columns that you want to merge. From the Add Column tab in the Power Query ribbon, choose Merge Columns.
![You have first name in column A and last name in column B. Select both columns in Power Query and choose Add Column, Merge Columns.](/img/content/2023/02/PE19lFig85.jpg)
The Merge dialog offers various separators to use between the colums: None, Colon, Comma, Equals Sign, Semi-colon, Space, Tab, or Custom.
Choose Space from the Delimiter drop-down menu. The default name for the new column is Merged. Type a meaningful name such as Name.
![In the Merge Columns dialog, specify the Separator is a Space and the New Column Name is Name.](/img/content/2023/02/PE19lFig87.jpg)
To convert the results to proper case, go to the Transform tab in the Power Query ribbon. Open the Format drop-down menu and choose Capitalize Each Word.
![With the names merged, select the new column and go to the Format drop-down menu. Choose Capitalize Each Word. Other choices here are lowercase, UPPERCASE, Trim, Clean, Add Prefix and Add Suffix.](/img/content/2023/02/PE19lFig86.jpg)
This article is an excerpt from Power Excel With MrExcel
Title photo by Nil Castellví on Unsplash