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To remove duplicates from a table in Excel, use the built-in Remove Duplicates tool. Excel identifies repeated rows based on the columns you select and keeps the first occurrence.

Using the Remove Duplicates Tool

Follow these steps on both Windows and Mac, because the interface and feature location match:

1. Select any cell inside the table.

2. Go to Data on the Ribbon.

3. Click Remove Duplicates in the Data Tools group.

4. Select the columns that define a duplicate.
   Every column selected must match for Excel to identify a row as a duplicate.

5. Click OK to remove the duplicate rows.

Excel displays a message summarizing the number of removed rows and the number of unique rows that remain.

Understanding Column Selection

Column choice changes the interpretation of duplicates.

1. Selecting all columns removes only rows that match exactly in every field.

2. Selecting one column removes rows that repeat only in that specific column.

3. Selecting multiple key columns removes rows where those fields match across rows.

A table with thousands of rows benefits from precise column selection. Data analysis accuracy increases when the key identifiers reflect the structure of the dataset.

Using Advanced Filter to Keep Unique Records

Advanced Filter creates a unique copy of the data instead of altering the original.

1. Select the table range.

2. Go to Data.

3. Select Advanced in the Sort & Filter group.

4. Choose Copy to another location.

5. Check Unique records only.

6. Select a destination cell.

7. Click OK.

The result is a separate list containing one instance per unique record.

Using Power Query for Large Datasets

Power Query processes large files more efficiently because it uses a separate engine.

1. Select any cell in the table.

2. Go to Data.

3. Click From Table/Range.

4. In the Power Query Editor, select the columns to evaluate.

5. Click Remove Rows.

6. Select Remove Duplicates.

7. Click Close & Load.

Power Query builds a repeatable transformation that updates automatically when the data refreshes.

Differences Between Windows and Mac

1. Ribbon layout stays the same for the Remove Duplicates tool.

2. Power Query availability differs:

   • Windows: Full Power Query support.

   • Mac: Power Query supports core functions including removing duplicates, but some advanced connectors differ in availability.

Best Practices for Duplicate Management

1. Create a backup sheet before removing duplicates.

2. Identify key columns first. Unique identifiers vary across datasets.

3. Use conditional formatting to highlight duplicates before removing them.

4. Clean spacing and formatting before running the tool because leading or trailing spaces produce false uniqueness.

5. Convert ranges to Excel Tables (Ctrl + T) to help Excel manage new rows consistently.

Why duplicate removal matters

Data quality rises when redundant entries are removed. Analysis accuracy improves because each record represents a single entity. Workflow efficiency increases because formulas, pivots, and charts calculate faster on clean datasets.

If you want, I can provide an example dataset and show how duplicate removal changes the structure.

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