Power Query Append Tables in Excel: How to Combine Rows

Yes. In Excel for Microsoft 365, Power Query appends tables by stacking their rows into one result: load each table as a query, then in Power Query Editor choose Home > Append Queries, or choose Append Queries as New to keep the original queries unchanged. Power Query matches fields by column name, not by their position, so tables with different layouts can still be combined—but any fields that are absent from a source appear as blank values in those rows.

What appending tables means

Appending is a vertical combination. Imagine one table contains January orders and another contains February orders, with both using the columns OrderID, Date, Customer, and Amount. Appending puts February’s records beneath January’s records in a single query result. It does not match records together or calculate totals; it adds rows to the combined dataset.

This is useful when the tables represent the same kind of information collected at different times, from different branches, or in separate files. For example, a business might receive a weekly sales table from each store. An append query can bring the tables into one dataset for a PivotTable, chart, or other analysis.

Appending does not require the columns to appear in the same order. Power Query identifies columns by their headers. If one table has a column named Amount and another has Amount in a different position, those values go into the same output column. A spelling difference, extra space, or genuinely different header can instead create separate columns.

Prepare Excel tables and queries

Power Query appends queries, rather than arbitrary worksheet selections. A reliable starting point is to format each source range as an Excel table, give it a clear header row, and create a query for it. Select a cell in the source and choose Data > From Table/Range. If the range is not already a table, Excel prompts you to confirm the range and whether it has headers.

Use descriptive names for both tables and queries, such as Sales_January and Sales_February. Query names are what you select in the append dialog, and understandable names make a workbook easier to maintain when it contains many sources. Check that the header row contains field names rather than data, and remove introductory title rows or blank rows before combining.

Keep the same meaning for like-named fields. A column called Date should represent a date in every source, not a date in one table and a comment in another.
Use consistent headers, including spelling and spacing. Region and Sales Region are different names to Power Query.
Check data types, especially for dates, numbers, and identifiers. An account number with leading zeroes may need to remain text.
Decide whether repeated records are legitimate. Append retains rows; it does not automatically remove duplicates.

These checks are not mandatory for opening the append dialog, but they prevent confusing results later. You can also make corrections in the query editor, and those transformation steps will run again when the query refreshes.

Append two tables in Power Query

Create a query for each source with Data > From Table/Range. In Power Query Editor, use Home > Close & Load when you are ready to return to Excel, or continue preparing the queries before loading.
Open a query in Power Query Editor. On the Home tab, open the Append Queries menu and choose Append Queries to add rows to the current query.
In the dialog, choose Two tables, then select the current table and the table to append from the available query list. Confirm with OK.
Review the preview. Confirm that the expected records appear and that fields from both sources line up under the correct headers.
Choose Home > Close & Load to load the result to Excel. To select a destination or change load behavior, use the Close & Load options and choose Close & Load To….

The Append Queries option changes the current query by adding an append step. If you want a separate combined query while preserving both source queries as they are, select Home > Append Queries > Append Queries as New. In the dialog, choose the two queries and confirm. The new query becomes the combined result; the originals remain available for other work.

Append three or more tables

For several sources, choose Home > Append Queries > Append Queries as New and select Three or more tables. Select each query in the available tables list and add it to the list of tables to append. After confirming, Power Query creates one result containing the rows from all selected queries.

For example, if January, February, and March sales are separate queries, append all three in one operation to create a quarterly sales query. This is easier to maintain than making a chain of separate two-query appends, particularly when the combined result is intended to be one reusable dataset.

If the sources are separate worksheets in the same workbook, each worksheet range or Excel table can be brought into Power Query as a separate query. If monthly data arrives in separate files, a folder-based import may be more maintainable than manually adding another query every month. Folder combining has its own setup requirements: files generally need a consistent structure, and you should filter out unrelated files before combining them.

How Power Query handles columns and missing data

Power Query builds the output from the union of the column names in the selected queries. Suppose the first table has Product, Date, and Quantity, while the second has Product, Date, Quantity, and Warehouse. The combined result has all four columns. Rows from the first table have a null value in Warehouse because that field was not present in that source. In a worksheet, nulls commonly display as blank cells.

The same behavior matters when a header is inconsistent. If one query calls a field ProductID and another calls it Product ID, Power Query treats those as separate columns rather than deciding they mean the same thing. Rename one of them before or during the query steps if they represent the same field. Conversely, do not rename distinct fields to the same header just to make the preview look tidy; that can obscure differences in meaning.

Data types deserve a separate check. A value may be numeric in one source and text in another, or a date may be imported as text. The append can bring the values together, but a type-conversion step in a query may then produce errors or unexpected blanks for values that do not fit the chosen type. Review the type icons in the column headers and inspect any errors. For identifiers such as ZIP codes, product codes, and account numbers, text is often appropriate because arithmetic is not intended and leading zeroes may matter.

Refresh, load, and maintain the combined result

An append query is a set of repeatable transformation instructions, not a one-time paste. When its source tables change, refresh the query to recalculate the output. In Excel, use Data > Refresh All to refresh workbook queries, or right-click a loaded query table and choose Refresh. The combined result updates from the sources included in the query.

Refreshing does not automatically discover every new worksheet table or file you create. If you append a fixed list of queries, a newly created monthly query must be added to that append operation. If the source is a folder-combine setup, new files may be included when they meet the query’s folder and file filters and have the expected structure. Check those filters and refresh behavior before relying on an automated monthly process.

Choose where to load the final query based on how it will be used. A worksheet table is convenient for inspection and formulas, while a connection-only query can avoid placing a large intermediate result on a sheet. Loading to the Data Model is useful for some analysis workflows. The available load choices depend on the workbook and Excel environment; the query itself can still be edited in Power Query Editor.

Append versus merge

Append and merge solve different problems. Append adds rows from similar datasets. Merge joins columns from related datasets by matching one or more key fields, much like looking up information from one table using an ID in another. For example, append two monthly order tables to build a longer order history; merge an order table with a customer table to bring customer details onto each order.

In Power Query Editor, a merge is started with Home > Merge Queries or Merge Queries as New. The selected matching columns and join kind determine which records are included. An append has no matching-key step: it simply combines rows and aligns fields by header. Choosing the wrong operation can produce a result with the wrong shape, so ask whether the new information belongs on additional rows or as additional fields on existing rows.

Common append problems

Columns split unexpectedly: Compare header spelling, spaces, and punctuation in the source queries. Rename equivalent fields consistently.
Blank cells appear: Check whether a source lacks that column, or whether its data was converted to null in an earlier step.
Errors appear after combining: Inspect data types and the Changed Type step. A value such as text in a numeric column may not convert cleanly.
Rows seem duplicated: Append preserves every source row. Decide whether duplicates are errors before using a remove-duplicates step, since identical-looking rows can be valid repeated transactions.
New data is missing after refresh: Check whether the source query includes the new table or file. Refresh updates included sources; it does not necessarily add newly created sources to a fixed append list.
The output looks incomplete: Inspect filters, removed rows, and other applied steps in each source query as well as in the append query.

For Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the ribbon paths above apply. Power Query is also available in current Excel for Mac, but supported connectors and some interface details can differ by release; use the Data tab’s import and query commands where available and check that the needed source connector is supported. Excel for the web does not provide the same full Power Query authoring experience as desktop Excel, so create or edit more complex queries in the desktop app when necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Power Query append tables by row or by column?
Append adds rows vertically. It aligns those rows under columns with matching names. To add fields from a related table by matching IDs, use Merge Queries instead.

Do the tables need to have the same columns in the same order?
No. The column order can differ because Power Query matches by header name. Consistent names and compatible data types are still important. Columns missing from one source are present in the result with null values for that source’s rows.

Will appending remove duplicate rows?
No. Append keeps all rows from the selected queries, including duplicates. Remove duplicates only if that matches the data’s meaning and you have chosen the appropriate columns for identifying a duplicate.

Can I append tables from different workbooks?
Yes. Create queries for the sources in the workbooks or import them through a suitable file or folder connection, then append those queries. The source files must remain accessible at refresh time, and their layout and filters should be checked.

Can I add another table to an existing append later?
Yes. Edit the append query in Power Query Editor and add the new query in the append dialog, or update the list used by a folder-based process. Refresh afterward and verify that the new rows and columns appear as intended.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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