The first few merges are harmless. Select five rows, merge. Select the next five, merge. By the tenth group, you're counting under your breath and hoping you didn't skip a row.
That's the moment Merge Tools is built for. If the rule is simple, "merge every N cells," the spreadsheet should be able to repeat it for you.
A layout rule, not a data rule
Merging every N cells is useful when the grouping comes from position. The values don't need to match. You just need every block to be the same size.
Think of a schedule where every time slot spans four rows, a printable label sheet where every label gets the same space, or a report where each section has the same number of detail lines. The work is boring because the pattern is predictable.
Predictable work should not need careful clicking.
Set the group size once
Open Extensions → Merge Tools, select the range in the sheet (for example A5:C14), choose Every N, then set Direction and Group size. A group size of 5 means each block of 5 neighboring cells becomes one merged cell.
The direction matters. Vertical merges down each column; Horizontal merges across each row. Same number, different shape.
The leftover problem
Real sheets rarely end neatly. Select 23 rows with a group size of 5 and you get four full groups, plus 3 rows at the end.
Merge Tools lets you choose what happens to that final partial group. Merge it if the visual block still makes sense. Leave it alone if the leftover rows should stay separate. That one setting saves the little cleanup job that usually follows a bulk merge.
Keep the result readable
After the merge, alignment is not a detail. A centered label reads differently from a top-left label, especially in schedules, rosters, and printable sheets.
Set horizontal and vertical alignment in the sidebar before you click Apply Merge so the output doesn't need another formatting pass.
Three quick steps
- Open Extensions → Merge Tools.
- Select the range you want to merge (for example A5:C14).
- Choose Every N, set Direction, Group size, leftover behavior, and alignment, then click Apply Merge.
See it in the examples workbook
The Merge Tools — Examples Workbook includes EveryX_Vertical, EveryX_Horizontal, and EveryX_Leftover tabs for vertical merges, horizontal merges, and leftover-row handling.
Related Merge Tools posts
If your grouping depends on repeated labels instead of a fixed size, read Merge Repeated Values in Google Sheets. For the full add-on overview, start with Merge Tools for Google Sheets.
Leave a review
If Merge Tools saved you from counting merge blocks by hand, the Google Workspace Marketplace listing is the place for a short note. Stars and a sentence or two help other people find it before they start manually merging the same pattern for the fiftieth time.