How to Find Duplicates in Excel with These Simple Steps

Managing duplicate data in Excel can be irritating and time-intensive, particularly when handling sizable datasets. Whether obtaining information from various sources or collaborating with colleagues, duplicates tend to sneak in, and it becomes hard to find duplicates in Excel.

This extensive and detailed article will provide steps to find and compare duplicate entries in Excel efficiently. This enables you to save time and guarantees the accuracy of your data.

Part 1. How to Find Duplicates in Excel Without Deleting But With Highlighting?

Discovering and highlighting duplicate cells in Excel without removing them can be accomplished quickly. You can use the predefined rule of Excel to find and highlight the duplicates. To effectively apply this rule and resolve how to find duplicates in Excel problem, follow these steps:

Step 1: Search for Excel on your PC and open it. Open the workbook or file that you want to make changes to. Select an array of data or an entire column to check for duplicate values.

Step 2: Continuing this, tap the "Home" tab and look for "Conditional Formatting" in the toolbar. Click it, expand the "Highlight Cells Rules" options, and select "Duplicate Values" from it. Now, choose any color combination from the "Values With" drop-down menu and tap "OK" to apply the formatting.

Part 2. How Do I Find Duplicates in Excel But Keep One?

The Remove Duplicates feature is the best fit for identifying duplicates in Excel while preserving one value. Carry out the steps below to utilize this feature:

Step 1: Start by selecting the required data, whether a column or any particular range in your Excel workbook. Access the menu bar and locate the "Data" tab. Open the tools present in this tab and then locate the "Data Tools" group. In this group, click the "Remove Duplicates" icon to open the corresponding dialog box.

Step 2: You can verify the column you selected or choose any other values and then simply tap the "OK" button. Now this will show a pop-up message about the values found, removed, and remained. Select "OK," and the changes have been applied.

Part 3. How to Use Formula to Find Duplicates in Excel?

Use the formula to find duplicates in Excel and streamline your data analysis in Excel to uncover duplicate entries effortlessly. By implementing the required function, you can swiftly identify duplicate values. However, remember that the following formula only compares the duplicate or original with the value provided. Try the below-outlined steps:

Step 1:  Once you open the required Excel file, enter the formula given as an example in the Excel formula bar. =IF(COUNTIF($A$2:$A$8, $AA)>1, "Duplicate," "Unique"). Remember to select the required empty cell before copy-pasting the formula.

Step 2: Now, make the necessary adjustments to this function to select the required data cells to apply the formula. If done, hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard to see the outcomes. Note that the $A1 will be the first value of your data range.

Part 4. How to Find Duplicates in Excel Between Two Columns?

The process of finding duplicates in Excel between two columns is very simple. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to identify any duplicate entries in your spreadsheet across multiple columns:

Step 1: In your Excel spreadsheet, choose the required data, even multiple columns. Next, navigate the menu bar and choose the "Home" tab. From there, access the "Conditional Formatting" drop-down menu and select the "Highlight Cells Rules" option.

Step 2: Now, from the expanded “Highlight Cells Rules” options, choose "Duplicate Values," and it will open a "Duplicate Values" dialogue box. Choose the preferred color options for the results and hit the "OK" button. This will highlight all the duplicate values across multiple columns.

Part 5. How to Find Duplicates in Excel Between Two Sheets?

Do you want to identify the duplications present in two different Excel sheets? There are a lot of techniques to implement this technique into your Excel, but we will guide you about the easiest one to make things straightforward for you. Follow the straightforward instructions guided below to compare and find duplicates in two Excel sheets:

Step 1: Access the Excel sheet on which you want to find the duplicates and select the data range from Sheet 1 that you want to compare with Sheet 2. Next, tap on the “Conditional Formatting” feature and select the “New Rules” option from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: From the "New Formatting Rule" window, locate and proceed with the "Use a formula to determine which cells to format" rule type. Next, copy and paste this formula "=ISNUMBER(MATCH(A1, Sheet2!$A$1:$A$8,0))" into the provided space and adjust it according to your data.

Step 3: Following this, press the “Format” button and access the “Fill” tab. Choose the color with which you want to highlight the duplicate data cells. Afterward, press the “OK” buttons for both opened windows to initiate the process of finding duplicates between 2 Excel sheets.

Part 6. Bonus Tip: The Best PDF to Excel Converter

The ultimate solution for all your PDF needs is the UPDF PDF editor. Whether you are looking to edit, annotate, organize, or convert PDF files, UPDF is the tool to utilize. With its eye-catching and amazing set of features, this tool simplifies the way you work with PDFs, providing a seamless and efficient experience. One of the standout features of UPDF is its robust PDF-to-Excel conversion capability.

Converting PDFs to Excel has always been challenging. With UPDF, you can effortlessly transform PDFs and data into editable Excel spreadsheets, enabling you to extract and analyze information easily. What sets UPDF apart is its accuracy in conversion. UPDF ensures that the converted Excel files retain the original PDF tables' layout, formatting, and structure to quickly find duplicates in two columns in Excel.

Key Features of this File Converter and Editing Tool

• Converts multiple PDF files simultaneously.
• Utilizes advanced OCR to convert scanned PDFs.
• Offers a user-friendly and intuitive interface.
• Easily modify, add, or delete text and images.
• Efficient annotations with highlighting and underlining.
• Streamline page organization effortlessly.
• Seamless PDF viewing and navigation.
• Collaborate via email or share PDFs with a link.

Wrapping Up

Hence, discovering and finding duplicates in Excel is an essential skill that saves you time and ensures data accuracy. Remember to review the options available in the "Remove Duplicates" dialog box to customize the process according to your needs. Moreover, regularly checking for duplicates will help you maintain a clean and error-free Excel dataset.

Additionally, when it comes to converting PDFs to Excel, UPDF is a highly recommended tool. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, UPDF simplifies the conversion process and ensures accurate data extraction from PDF files.