Merge files into one clean output
Combine compatible CSV, TSV, TXT or Excel files. Match columns by name, keep one header, dedupe exact rows, add a source_file column.
Step 1: Load two or more files
Files to merge
Drop two or more compatible CSV, TSV, TXT or Excel files.
How Merge works
Drop two or more compatible files. MessyMatch reads the headers, reports compatibility, lets you opt in to a combined schema if columns differ slightly, then appends every row. Keep one header, dedupe exact duplicates, add a source_file column to track row origin.
- Load two or more CSV, TSV, TXT or XLSX files with similar structure.
- Review the compatibility panel. If schemas differ, enable Allow extra columns to merge under a combined schema (missing values are left blank).
- Pick options: keep one header, match columns by name (reorder allowed), remove exact duplicate rows, add a source_file column.
- Choose the output format (CSV, TSV or XLSX).
- Run Merge. Preview is free for the first 100 rows per file. The full merge is billed by total input rows when above 2,000.
When people merge files
Merge is for the moment you have several files that should be one. No SQL join, no fuzzy guesswork: predictable append with safety checks.
Monthly exports into one yearly file
Twelve CSVs, one per month, same columns. Merge appends them into a single file and (optionally) adds a source_file column so each row tells you which month it came from.
Recombining partials produced by Split
Split cut a 3M-row file into three. Merge puts them back together, keeps one header, and removes any duplicates introduced by overlap.
Multi-team consolidation
Three branches export the same report independently. Columns are in different orders. Merge matches by name and stitches them together cleanly.
Schema drift across exports
Older exports have fewer columns than newer ones. Allow extra columns to create a combined schema, with blanks where older rows had no value.
Stitching CSV and Excel together
Drop a mix of XLSX and CSV. MessyMatch parses each in its own format and writes a single output in the format you pick.
Merge FAQ
Is Merge free?+
Free up to 2,000 total input rows across all files. Above that, the same tier table as Compare: $3 up to 25k, $7 up to 100k, $15 up to 500k, $29 up to 1M. The price is based on total input rows. Deduplication does not change it.
Is Merge the same as SQL join?+
No. A SQL join matches rows across tables by key and returns only matching pairs. Merge appends all rows from all files. Different tools, different jobs. For relational matching use Compare.
What if my files have different column orders?+
Enable Match columns by name. MessyMatch reorders columns so the output is consistent regardless of the order in the source files.
Can Merge remove duplicates?+
Yes, exact duplicates. Enable Remove duplicate rows. Merge does not perform fuzzy deduplication, that is intentional. For fuzzy matching use Compare.
Can I track which file each row came from?+
Yes. Enable Add source_file column. If a column called source_file already exists in your data, it is renamed to source_file_original to avoid a collision.
Can I preview before paying?+
Yes. Click Preview to run Merge on the first 100 rows of each file. Free, no Stripe call, no quota consumed. Use it to validate the options before committing to the full run.