How to find duplicate values in excel

Answer

A duplicate value in Excel is a value that appears more than once within a selected range of cells. Excel provides several methods to identify duplicates quickly.

Method 1: Using Conditional Formatting

Conditional Formatting highlights duplicate values in your data range.

1. Select the range of cells where you want to find duplicates.

2. Go to the Home tab.

3. Click on Conditional Formatting.

4. Choose Highlight Cells Rules → Duplicate Values.

5. Select the formatting style (for example, red fill with dark red text).

6. Click OK.

Excel will highlight all duplicate values in the selected range. Unique values remain unchanged.

Method 2: Using the COUNTIF Function

The COUNTIF function counts the number of times a value appears in a range. This method allows more control and can work with formulas.

1. Assume your data is in column A, from A2 to A20.

2. In cell B2, enter the formula:

   =COUNTIF(A$2:A$20, A2)

3. Press Enter and drag the formula down to B20.

• Values greater than 1 in column B are duplicates.

• Values equal to 1 are unique.

Method 3: Using the Remove Duplicates Tool

This method identifies and removes duplicate entries.

1. Select the range or entire table.

2. Go to the Data tab.

3. Click on Remove Duplicates.

4. Select the columns to check for duplicates.

5. Click OK.

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

Method 4: Using the UNIQUE Function (Excel 365 or Excel 2021)

The UNIQUE function can generate a list of unique values, helping to identify duplicates indirectly.

1. Assume your data is in column A (A2:A20).

2. In another column, enter:

   =UNIQUE(A2:A20)

3. Press Enter.

• Values not included in the result are duplicates.

• You can combine this with COUNTIF to highlight duplicates dynamically.

Key Notes

• Conditional Formatting highlights duplicates visually but does not remove them.

• COUNTIF provides a numerical way to detect duplicates, useful in large datasets.

• Remove Duplicates permanently deletes duplicates, so backup your data first.

• UNIQUE is dynamic and updates automatically if the source data changes.

This approach ensures all duplicates in Excel can be found and managed efficiently.

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