How to add text or character to every cell in Excel
In some cases, you need to add certain text to existing cell value in Excel. And you may spend too much time in manually typing text in the existing cell value. This article provides two methods to help you easily add text to cell value in Excel.
Add text to cell value with formulas
Add text to cell value with Kutools for Excel
Which method should you use?
Add text to cell value with formulas
You can use formulas to add text to cell value with the following formulas.
If you want to add text at the beginning and end of cell value, the concatenate function can help you: =CONCATENATE("text ",A1," text").
For example, I want to separately add text “Local” at the beginning, and add text “Grade 3” at the end of cell A2.
1. Select a blank cell, enter formula into the Formula Bar, and then press the Enter key. Then you can see the certain texts are added to the specified location of the existing cell value as below screenshot shown.
=CONCATENATE("Local ",A2," Grade 3")
Notes:
Add text to cell value with Kutools for Excel
If you'd prefer an easier method, you can use the Add Text utility of Kutools for Excel.
1. Select the cells you need to add text to, then click Kutools > Text > Add Text.
2. In the Add Text dialog box, if you just need to add text before the cell value, enter the certain text into the Text box, select the Before first character option and then click the OK button. See screenshot:
For adding text at the end of cell value, please check the After last character option.
Note: If you want to separately add text at the beginning and end of cell value, please first select the Before first character option, and then click the Apply button. Change the text in the Text box, and choose the After last character option, and finally click the OK button to finish.
You can see the texts are added to selected cell value as below screenshot shown.
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Which method should you use?
Both methods can add the same text to multiple cell values, but they work differently. Use the comparison below to choose the method that best fits your task.
Both formulas and Kutools for Excel can add text to cell values, but they are better suited to different situations. The table below can help you quickly choose the right method for your task.
| Method | Best for | Original data | Text placement | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula | Creating dynamic results that update when the source values change | Keeps the original cells unchanged | Flexible, but more complex positions may require longer formulas | Requires some formula knowledge |
| Kutools for Excel | Quickly adding text to many existing cells at once | Updates the selected cells directly | Multiple built-in positions, including the beginning, end, specified position, or before/after specific text | Very easy — no formulas required |
Recommendation: Use a formula if you need dynamic results or want to keep the original cell values unchanged. For most tasks where you simply need to add the same text to multiple existing cells, however, Kutools for Excel provides a faster and more convenient approach. It lets you edit the selected cells in bulk without creating helper columns or writing formulas, while also giving you more control over where the text is inserted.
Demo: Add text to cell value with Kutools for Excel
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