When moving data from Excel to other systems like YouTube, you may encounter the issue of data being pasted as a single item rather than separate tags. This happens because systems like YouTube expect each tag to be separated by a comma. Fortunately, Excel provides two easy methods to solve this problem: Flash Fill and the TEXTJOIN function.
Table of contents
YouTube: Copy Multiple Tags from Excel to YouTube
Using Flash Fill to Add Commas
The first method utilizes Excel’s Flash Fill feature. Begin by copying the list of tags you want to modify. In this example, the tags are in column C. In the first cell of the new column (D), manually type the first value followed by a comma. Then, under the Data tab, click on Flash Fill (4 below). Excel will automatically detect the pattern and apply a comma to the end of each item in the list. It’s a good idea to double-check that Flash Fill has completed the task correctly.
Once done, you can copy the list, paste it into your desired location, and the system will recognize the separate tags because of the commas.
Using the TEXTJOIN Function
If you want more control, an alternative method for adding commas is through Excel’s TEXTJOIN function, which is particularly useful when formatting a large number of tags. The TEXTJOIN function allows you to specify a delimiter, in this case, a comma, and apply it across a range of cells. In the example below, we specify the delimiter by entering a comma between two inverted commas. You can also choose how to handle empty cells, though in this instance, we leave that option blank as there are no empty cells. The formula used in this example is =TEXTJOIN(“,”,,C3:C10), where C3:C10 represents the range of cells containing your tags. After applying the formula, Excel will automatically combine the tags and insert commas between each one.
Copy the result and paste it into your target system. The tags will now be recognized as individual items thanks to the commas. The image below demonstrates how the TEXTJOIN function generates the comma-separated list.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Double-check the Flash Fill results: Sometimes Flash Fill may not follow the pattern as expected, so it’s important to review the output to ensure the commas are correctly applied.
- Handling empty cells: If your list includes empty cells, you can adjust the TEXTJOIN function to handle them by setting the second argument to TRUE or FALSE based on whether you want to include or ignore empty cells.
- Custom delimiters: If you need a delimiter other than a comma, such as a semicolon, you can simply change the delimiter in the TEXTJOIN formula to match your requirements.