How to Find a Duplicate in Excel? Excel is a powerful tool that can manage and analyze data, but it can be challenging to identify duplicates in large datasets. Duplicates can cause errors in calculations and distort the accuracy of your analysis.
Fortunately, Excel provides several methods for finding duplicates. Read the article to learn more about the different ways to find duplicates in Excel.
How to Find Duplicates Using Conditional Formatting?
Conditional formatting is a prominent feature in Excel that enables you to format cells based on specific criteria. One way to find duplicates in Excel is to use conditional formatting. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Select the range of cells you want to check for duplicates.
Step 2: Click the “Conditional Formatting” option in the “Home” tab.
Step 3: Select “Highlight Cells Rules” and click “Duplicate Values.”
Step 4: In the Duplicate Values dialogue box, choose the formatting style you want to apply to the duplicate cells, such as bold or fill colour. Tap on the “OK” button to apply the formatting.
The result is shown above. The duplicate cells are highlighted in red colour.
CountIf Formula to find Duplicates in Excel
The other way to find duplicates in Excel is to use the COUNTIF function. The COUNTIF function counts how often a specific value appears in a range of cells. Here’s how to use the COUNTIF function:
Step 1: Select a blank cell where you want to display the count of duplicates.
Step 2: Enter the formula =COUNTIF(range, criteria) in the selected cell.
Step 3: Replace “range” with the range of cells you want to check for duplicates.
Step 4: Replace “criteria” with the value you want to count duplicates for.
Step 5: Press Enter to display the count of duplicates.
How to Find Duplictes Using Remove Duplicates Feature?
Excel provides a built-in feature to remove duplicates from a range of cells. This feature is useful when removing duplicates from a list of values. Here’s how to use the Remove Duplicates feature:
Step 1: Select the range of cells from which you want to remove duplicates.
Step 2: Click on the “Data” tab and then click on the “Remove Duplicates” button.
Step 3: In the Remove Duplicates dialog box, select the columns you want to check for duplicates.
Step 4: Click on the “OK” button to remove duplicates.
How to Find Duplicates Using Advanced Filter?
The Advanced Filter feature in Excel allows you to filter data based on specific criteria. This feature can filter out duplicates from a range of cells. Here’s how to use the Advanced Filter feature:
Step 1: Select the range of cells you want to filter.
Step 2: Click on the “Data” tab and then click on the “Advanced” button in the “Sort & Filter” group.
Step 3: Select the “Copy to another location” option in the Advanced Filter dialogue box.
Step 4: In the “Copy to” field, write the cell reference where you can copy the filtered data.
Step 5: Select the “Unique records only” checkbox.
Step 6: Click the “OK” button to apply the filter and remove duplicates.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several ways to find duplicates in Excel, including conditional formatting, the COUNTIF function, the Remove Duplicates feature, and the Advanced Filter feature.Depending on your specific needs, you can select the method that works best for you.
By identifying and removing duplicates, you can ensure that your data is accurate and reliable and avoid errors in your analysis.
