How to delete duplicate rows in excel

Answer

To delete duplicate rows in Excel, follow these steps carefully:

Using the Built-in Remove Duplicates Tool

1. Select the range of cells or the entire table that contains duplicate rows.

2. Go to the Data tab on the ribbon.

3. Click on Remove Duplicates.

4. A dialog box appears showing all columns. Check the columns you want Excel to evaluate for duplicates.

5. Click OK.

6. Excel will remove the duplicate rows and display a message showing how many duplicates were removed and how many unique values remain.

Note: The first occurrence of a duplicate row is kept, and subsequent duplicates are deleted.

Using Conditional Formatting to Highlight Duplicates Before Deleting

1. Select the range of cells you want to check for duplicates.

2. Go to the Home tab.

3. Click Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cells Rules → Duplicate Values.

4. Choose a formatting style to highlight duplicates and click OK.

5. Review the highlighted duplicates and manually delete rows if needed.

Using Excel Formulas to Identify Duplicates

1. Insert a new column next to your data.

2. In the first cell of the new column, enter the formula:  

   =IF(COUNTIF($A$1:$A$100,A1)>1,"Duplicate","Unique")

3. Drag the formula down to apply it to all rows.

4. Filter the column for "Duplicate" and delete those rows.

Differences Between Windows and Mac

• On Windows, the Remove Duplicates tool is in the Data tab.

• On Mac, the Remove Duplicates option is also in the Data tab, but the dialog interface may appear slightly different, sometimes requiring confirmation per column selection.

Tips

• Always create a backup before removing duplicates.

• Check multiple columns to ensure that only truly duplicate rows are deleted.

• Sorting data before removing duplicates can help verify patterns.

This approach ensures that duplicates are removed efficiently without affecting unique data.

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