You merged cells in Excel, and now you need them separate again. Excel’s built-in unmerge command handles a single merged area or an entire worksheet. There’s one catch: unmerging does not restore contents deleted by the original merge.
Unmerge cells from the Home tab
Cells behave as one larger cell because they’ve been merged.
Select the merged cell or a range containing the merged cells you want to separate.
On the Home tab, open the down arrow next to Merge & Center.
Choose Unmerge Cells. This works in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 on Windows and Mac.
The surviving value stays in the leading cell of the former merged area. The other cells are left empty. Excel does not copy that value into each one.
Separate every merged cell on a worksheet
Click the Select All button at the intersection of the row and column headings.
Open the Merge & Center down arrow on the Home tab.
Select Unmerge Cells to separate all merged areas on that sheet.
Repeat the process on any other worksheets you want to change.
Tip: On Windows, press Ctrl+A to select the sheet, pressing it again if the first press selects only the current data region.
Reverse a merge in Excel for the web
Excel for the web uses its merge control to separate an existing merged cell.
Open the workbook for editing.
Select the merged cell you want to separate.
Choose Home > Merge & Center > Merge Cells to reverse the merge. If your ribbon labels the control Merge, select that instead.
If this method fails, open the workbook in desktop Excel and use Home > Merge & Center down arrow > Unmerge Cells.
Undo a recent merge to restore its contents
Contents missing after unmerging were deleted by the original merge.
To reverse a merge you just made, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or in Excel for the web, or Command+Z on Mac. The merge must still be available in undo history.
Alternatively, select Undo on the desktop Quick Access Toolbar or the web ribbon.
Undoing actions between the merge and your current work reverses those changes too. Ordinary unmerging does not recover the contents deleted by the merge.
Use Format Cells on Windows
With the merged cells selected, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells. This checkbox method works in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 on Windows.
Select the Alignment tab.
Under Text control, clear the Merge cells checkbox.
Select OK to separate the cells.
Remove worksheet protection when it blocks the change
Worksheet protection blocks changes to merged cells when it restricts the required editing.
On Windows, choose Review > Changes > Unprotect Sheet.
Enter the password if requested.
Select OK to confirm.
In Excel for the web, open Review > Manage Protection instead.
Turn off Protect sheet.
With your target cells selected, use Home > Merge & Center down arrow > Unmerge Cells on Windows.
For the web, use Home > Merge & Center > Merge Cells, or Merge when that’s the displayed label.
Removing protection enables editing. You still need the unmerge command to separate the cells.
Find merged cells hidden across a sheet
Excel’s format search locates merged cells so you can unmerge specific areas on Windows.
Choose Home > Find & Select > Find.
Expand Options if the Format button is hidden.
Select Format.
Open the Alignment tab.
Select the Merge cells checkbox.
Confirm with OK or Close, depending on the dialog.
Select Find All.
Choose a search result to select its merged cell.
Close the search dialog.
Choose Home > Merge & Center down arrow > Unmerge Cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a merge in Excel on my phone or tablet?
With an external keyboard connected, press Command+Z in Excel for iPhone or iPad, or Ctrl+Z in Excel for Android. The merge must still be available as an undo action.
Why can’t I use the Merge cells checkbox inside a PivotTable?
PivotTables use a separate setting for merged outer row and column labels. On Windows, click inside the PivotTable. Open PivotTable Analyze > Options > Layout & Format. Under Layout, clear Merge and center cells with labels. On Mac, use the corresponding Layout tab. Confirm the dialog.
Can I keep an unmerge button on the toolbar?
Yes, in Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 on Windows. Open the Merge & Center down arrow on the Home tab. Right-click Unmerge Cells. Choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar. To use it, select your target cells, then click the added Unmerge Cells command.