This guide covers everything you need to know about the Google Sheets JOIN function, including its definition, syntax, use cases, and how to use it.
What is the JOIN Function? How Does It Work?
In Google Sheets, the JOIN function lets you combine bits of data into one text line. It uses a specific character or set of characters, called a delimiter, to separate these bits of data.
Think of JOIN as a way to link together different pieces of data. For instance, if you have separate cells for first names and last names, you can use JOIN to put them together in one cell, like “John Smith”. If you’re making an email list, you can join email addresses using a semicolon.
When using JOIN, you pick your delimiter and the data you want to combine. If you don’t pick a delimiter, JOIN will just push the data bits together without any space or character between them, just like the CONCATENATE function does.
The cool thing about JOIN is that it can work with different kinds of data like numbers, words, or data from cell ranges. But remember, it only works with straight, one-dimensional lines of data. If your data is in a grid or block, you’ll have to change it into a straight line first.
JOIN Syntax
The syntax and arguments for the function are as follows:
JOIN(delimiter, value_or_array1, [value_or_array2, …])
- delimiter: This is the character or string that will be placed between each concatenated value. This could be a comma, a space, a dash, or any other symbol or string. It’s also possible to specify the delimiter as blank, for example, JOIN(,{1,2,3}).
- value_or_array1: This is the first value or array that will be concatenated using the specified delimiter. It can be a single value or a one-dimensional array of values.
- value_or_array2, …: These optional additional values or arrays will be concatenated using the delimiter. You can add as many additional values or arrays as needed.
Here are some important notes about the syntax and arguments:
- The delimiter is required. If it’s not specified, the JOIN function will return an error.
- The values or arrays to be concatenated can be any type of data, including numbers, strings, or dates.
- If an array is provided, it must be a one-dimensional array. Two-dimensional arrays are not supported by the JOIN function.
- If the delimiter is omitted, the result of the JOIN function will be similar to that of the CONCATENATE function.
- If a value or an array contains a blank cell, the JOIN function will treat it as an empty string.
- The JOIN function can handle up to 30,000 string characters. The function will return an error if the resulting string exceeds this limit.
Examples of How to Use the JOIN Function
Here are some practical examples of how to use the JOIN function in Google Sheets:
Example #1: Joining Text Strings
If you want to join the names “John”, “Paul”, “George”, “Ringo”, and “Beatles” with commas in between, you would use:
=JOIN(“,”, “John”, “Paul”, “George”, “Ringo”, “Beatles”)
The result would be as follows: “John,Paul,George,Ringo,Beatles”.
Example #2: Joining Numbers
Suppose you have a series of numbers in column B (from B2 to B6) as follows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. If you want to join these numbers into a single string with hyphens separating each number, you would use the JOIN function like this:
=JOIN(“-“, B2:B6)
This formula will return: “1-2-3-4-5”.
Example #3: Joining Dates
Assume you have a series of dates in column C (from C2 to C6) as follows: 01/01/2020, 01/02/2020, 01/03/2020, 01/04/2020, 01/05/2020. If you want to join these dates into a single string with slashes separating each date, you could use the JOIN function as follows:
=JOIN(“/”, C2:C6)
This formula will return: “01/01/2020/01/02/2020/01/03/2020/01/04/2020/01/05/2020”.
Example #4: Joining Cells with a Space
Let’s say you have two cells, D2 and E2, with the words “Google” and “Sheets” respectively. If you want to join these two cells into a single string with a space separating the words, you would use the JOIN function like this:
=JOIN(” “, D2, E2)
This formula will return: “Google Sheets”.
Why Is JOIN Not Working? Troubleshooting Common Errors
If you have attempted to use the JOIN function in Google Sheets and it isn’t working as expected, you might be encountering one of several common errors. Understanding these errors, their causes, and their solutions can help you troubleshoot and fix the problem, ensuring that the JOIN function works correctly.
#VALUE! Error
Cause: This error usually appears when the separators or the value_or_array values in the JOIN function are not valid. For instance, if you have used a range of cells as the separator or if the value_or_array argument is missing, Google Sheets will return a #VALUE! error.
Solution: Ensure the separator is a text string and the value_or_array values are valid. The separator can be a single character or a word, but it must be enclosed in quotation marks. The array_to_join should be a valid range of cells or an array constant.
#REF! Error
Cause: This error occurs when the range or array referenced in the JOIN function is invalid. For example, if you have deleted or moved cells that were previously referenced in your function, Google Sheets will return a #REF! error.
Solution: Check the range or array referenced in your JOIN function to ensure it is valid. Update your function to include the correct references.
#N/A Error
Cause: This error appears when Google Sheets cannot find the values or range referenced in the JOIN function. This typically happens if the referenced cells are empty or if the array_to_join argument doesn’t contain any values.
Solution: Make sure the cells or range referenced in the JOIN function contain values. If the referenced cells are empty, add values to them, or select a different range that contains values.
#ERROR! Error
Cause: This is a general error and can occur due to several reasons. It might be due to an incorrect syntax, using the wrong type of arguments, or exceeding the cell character limit (50,000 characters per cell in Google Sheets).
Solution: First, check the syntax of your JOIN function to ensure it’s correct. The syntax should be: JOIN(delimiter, value_or_array1, [value_or_array2, …]). Ensure the separator is a text string and the value_or_array is a valid range or array. If the syntax is correct, check the type of arguments you’ve used.
The separator should be a text string, and the value_or_array should be a range, an array, or a series of values. If both syntax and arguments are correct, check if you exceed the cell character limit. If the joined text exceeds the limit, you’ll need to reduce the size of the text or split the function across multiple cells.
Using JOIN With Other Google Sheets Functions
Combining JOIN with other Google Sheets functions can help you to manipulate and process data in more complex ways. Here are a few examples of how you can use JOIN with other functions:
With SPLIT
Usage: The SPLIT function divides a text string into separate substrings based on a specified delimiter. You can use it in combination with JOIN to first split a string into multiple parts, perform some operations, and then join the parts back.
Example: Suppose you have a string “John-Paul-George-Ringo” in cell A2. You can use the SPLIT and JOIN functions to split this string by a hyphen and then join these parts with a comma.
Formula: =JOIN(“, “, SPLIT(A2, “-“))
Result: “John, Paul, George, Ringo”
With ARRAYFORMULA
Usage: ARRAYFORMULA function allows you to perform a range of cells’ calculations simultaneously. You can combine it with JOIN to join values from multiple cells into one string.
Example: Suppose you have a list of names in column A (from A2 to A5) as John, Paul, George, and Ringo. You can use the JOIN and ARRAYFORMULA functions to create a single string with all these names separated by a comma.
Formula: =JOIN(“, “, ARRAYFORMULA(A2:A5))
Result: “John, Paul, George, Ringo”
With INDIRECT
Usage: The INDIRECT function converts a text string into a cell reference. You can combine it with JOIN to create a string that combines values from a range of cells specified by a text string.
Example: Suppose you have a list of names in column A (from A2 to A5) as John, Paul, George, and Ringo. You can use the JOIN and INDIRECT functions to create a single string with all these names separated by a comma.
Formula: =JOIN(“, “, INDIRECT(“A2:A5”))
Result: “John, Paul, George, Ringo”
For more details on the JOIN function, check out the official documentation at the Google Docs Editors Help Center.
