Excel Hacks: How to Remove Duplicates

Removing duplicates in Excel can be a tedious and time-consuming, especially when dealing with large amounts of data. Fortunately, there are several hacks you can use to remove duplicates quickly and efficiently.

Here is an ultimate guide on how to remove duplicates in Excel:

Using the Remove Duplicates Function

Excel has a built-in function called “Remove Duplicates” that you can use to remove duplicates in your data quickly. To use this function, follow these steps:

  • Select the range of cells from which you want to remove duplicates.
  • Click on the “Data” tab in the Excel ribbon.
  • Click on the “Remove Duplicates” button.
  • In the “Remove Duplicates” dialog box, check the columns containing the duplicates you want to remove.
  •  Click “OK.”

Using Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting is a useful Excel feature that allows you to highlight cells that meet specific criteria. You can use conditional formatting to highlight and remove duplicates in your data.

Here’s how:

  • Select the range of cells you want to check for duplicates.
  • Click on the “Home” tab in the Excel ribbon.
  • Click on “Conditional Formatting” and then click on “Highlight Cells Rules.”
  • Select “Duplicate Values.”
  • In the “Duplicate Values” dialog box, select the formatting options you want to apply to the duplicates.
  • Click “OK.”
  • The duplicates will now be highlighted. You can then select them and delete them.

Using a Formula

You can use a formula to identify and remove duplicates in your data. Here’s how:

  • Insert a new column next to the column that contains the data you want to check for duplicates.
  • In the first cell of the new column, enter the following formula: =COUNTIF($A$1:$A1,A1)
  • Copy the formula down to the rest of the cells in the column.
  • Filter the new column to show only values greater than 1. These are the duplicates.
  • Select the duplicate values and delete them.

Using Advanced Filter

You can use the Advanced Filter feature in Excel to filter out duplicates in your data. Here’s how:

  • Select the range of cells that you want to filter.
  • Click on the “Data” tab in the Excel ribbon.
  • Click on “Advanced.”
  • In the “Advanced Filter” dialog box, select “Copy to another location.”
  • In the “Copy To” field, enter the cell where you want to copy the filtered data.
  • Check the “Unique Records Only” box.
  • Click “OK.”
  • The filtered data will be copied to the cell you specified, without any duplicates.

These are some of the most effective hacks for removing duplicates in Excel. Whether you use the built-in function, conditional formatting, a formula, or the Advanced Filter feature, you can quickly and easily remove duplicates from your data.

Excel Tips

How to remove duplicates but keep one

Here’s how to remove duplicates in an Excel table but keep one instance of each value:

  • Select the range of cells you want to convert into an Excel table. You can do this by clicking on any cell within the range and pressing “Ctrl + T” on your keyboard.
  • Convert range into an Excel table
  • With the Excel table selected, go to the “Table Tools” tab and click on “Remove Duplicates.”
  • Click on “Remove Duplicates”
  • In the “Remove Duplicates” dialog box, select the columns containing the duplicates you want to remove. We want to remove duplicates based on the “Fruit” column in this example.
  • Select the columns that contain duplicates
  • Check the “My table has headers” box, which ensures that the headers of your table are not removed.
  • Check “My table has headers”
  • Uncheck all the columns except for one column. In this example, we’ll keep the first instance of each fruit and remove the duplicates.
  • Uncheck all columns except one
  • Click “OK.” The duplicates will be removed from your table, and one instance of each value will be kept.
  • Duplicates were removed, and one instance of each value kept
  • You can then sort your table by any column to organize your data.

How to remove duplicates from two columns

To remove duplicates from two columns in Excel, you can use the built-in “Remove Duplicates” function. Here are the steps to do it:

  • Select the two columns that you want to remove duplicates from.
  • Click on the “Data” tab in the Excel ribbon.
  • Click on the “Remove Duplicates” button.
  • In the “Remove Duplicates” dialog box, make sure that both columns are checked
  • Click “OK.”

Excel will now remove duplicates in both columns, leaving you with a list of unique values. Note that if the same value appears in one column but not the other, it will not be considered a duplicate by Excel.

 

Author: Brawnywriter

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