Excel - Combine multiple columns into one column

Try this. Click anywhere in your range of data and then use this macro:

Sub CombineColumns()
Dim rng As Range
Dim iCol As Integer
Dim lastCell As Integer

Set rng = ActiveCell.CurrentRegion
lastCell = rng.Columns(1).Rows.Count + 1

For iCol = 2 To rng.Columns.Count
    Range(Cells(1, iCol), Cells(rng.Columns(iCol).Rows.Count, iCol)).Cut
    ActiveSheet.Paste Destination:=Cells(lastCell, 1)
    lastCell = lastCell + rng.Columns(iCol).Rows.Count
Next iCol
End Sub

You can combine the columns without using macros. Type the following function in the formula bar:

=IF(ROW()<=COUNTA(A:A),INDEX(A:A,ROW()),IF(ROW()<=COUNTA(A:B),INDEX(B:B,ROW()-COUNTA(A:A)),IF(ROW()>COUNTA(A:C),"",INDEX(C:C,ROW()-COUNTA(A:B)))))

The statement uses 3 IF functions, because it needs to combine 3 columns:

• For column A, the function compares the row number of a cell with the total number of cells in A column that are not empty. If the result is true, the function returns the value of the cell from column A that is at row(). If the result is false, the function moves on to the next IF statement.
• For column B, the function compares the row number of a cell with the total number of cells in A:B range that are not empty. If the result is true, the function returns the value of the first cell that is not empty in column B. If false, the function moves on to the next IF statement.
• For column C, the function compares the row number of a cell with the total number of cells in A:C range that are not empty. If the result is true, the function returns a blank cell and doesn't do any more calculation. If false, the function returns the value of the first cell that is not empty in column C.

I created an example spreadsheet here of how to do this with simple Excel formulae, and without use of macros (you will need to make your own adjustments for getting rid of the first row, but this should be easy once you figure out how my example spreadsheet works):

https://docs.google.com/a/umich.edu/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuSyDFZlcRtHdGJOSnFwREotRzFfM28tWElpZ1FaR2c#gid=0

Not sure if this completely helps, but I had an issue where I needed a "smart" merge. I had two columns, A & B. I wanted to move B over only if A was blank. See below. It is based on a selection Range, which you could use to offset the first row, perhaps.

Private Sub MergeProjectNameColumns()
    Dim rngRowCount As Integer
    Dim i As Integer

    'Loop through column C and simply copy the text over to B if it is not blank
    rngRowCount = Range(dataRange).Rows.Count
    ActiveCell.Offset(0, 0).Select
    ActiveCell.Offset(0, 2).Select
    For i = 1 To rngRowCount
        If (Len(RTrim(ActiveCell.Value)) > 0) Then
            Dim currentValue As String
            currentValue = ActiveCell.Value
            ActiveCell.Offset(0, -1) = currentValue
        End If
        ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
    Next i

    'Now delete the unused column
    Columns("C").Select

    selection.Delete Shift:=xlToLeft
End Sub

Function Concat(myRange As Range, Optional myDelimiter As String) As String 
  Dim r As Range 
  Application.Volatile 
  For Each r In myRange 
    If Len(r.Text) Then 
      Concat = Concat & IIf(Concat <> "", myDelimiter, "") & r.Text 
    End If 
  Next 
End Function

I was dealing with this issue and found a solution I think is very elegant as well as expandable to more columns:

=VSTACK(FILTER(A:A,A:A<>""),FILTER(B:B,B:B<>""))