How to Unmerge Cells in Microsoft Excel

Merged cells in Microsoft Excel is the merging of cells in adjacent columns, rows, or both. While there are ways to increase the size of cells, sometimes that is not feasible. In that case cells have to be merged together.

There are other benefits to having merged cells. When attempting to get your spreadsheet looking right, you may have to unmerge cells and then merge them back together again in a different way. Microsoft Excel allows multiple ways to do this, either through mouse clicks or keyboard shortcuts.

This article covers all you need to know about merging and unmerging cells in Excel.

Below are three easy to use methods on how to unmerge cells in Excel. They will involve:

1. Use of the "ribbon", which is the bar at the top of of the Excel program.
2. Another method is using menus to format the cells.
3. The last method involves using keyboard shortcuts.

The first method on unmerging cells in Microsoft Excel involves using the mouse and ribbon. The ribbon is the toolbar at the top of the screen with various tools, including the tool to merge and unmerge cells.

1. Click on the cell group you wish to unmerge. You will know when you have selected a group of merged cells when you see the row and column numbers change color. In the screenshot above, it shows rows 1 - 2 and columns A - U selected.
2. In the ribbon you will look for the "Merge & Center" tool. It should already be selected since the cells are already merged.
3. Simply click on the "Merge & Center" tool and the cells will unmerge. Any text in the cell will move to the first row and column of the previously merged cells. The "Merge & Center" button will also be unselected.

This method involves only a couple motions of the mouse, making it quick and easy.

The second method to unmerge cells in Microsoft Excel involves the "Format Cells" menu, which can be accessed multiple ways.

1. Click on the cell group you wish to unmerge. You will know when you have selected a group of merged cells when you see the row and column numbers change color. In the screenshot above, it shows rows 1 - 2 and columns A - U selected.
2. Open the "Format Cells" menu. The box on the right describes how you can access that menu.
3. Click on the "Alignment" tab, if necessary, and then uncheck the box next to "Merge Cells". Then click "OK". Any text in the cell will move to the first row and column of the previously merged cells.

This method takes longer, but is worth doing if you have multiple things you wish to do in the "Format Cells" menu.

The third method to unmerge cells in Microsoft Excel involves using keyboard shortcuts to unmerge the cells. For those who like to use keyboard shortcuts, this is the preferred method.

1. Click on the cell group you wish to unmerge. You will know when you have selected a group of merged cells when you see the row and column numbers change color. In the screenshot above, it shows rows 1 - 2 and columns A - U selected.
2. On your keyboard, hold down the "Alt" key. Then on your keyboard press "H", then "M", and then "U". Any text in the cell will move to the first row and column of the previously merged cells.

If you know the keys on the keyboard, this can be even faster than using the mouse.