Want to learn "how to find duplicates in excel?".

Microsoft Excel is among the most essential computer applications with the obvious critical function it plays in many industries. You can input data in the form of figures, words, events, or timeframes.

The data can be formatted in a range of methods. However, when dealing with a large amount of data in a Microsoft Excel sheet, you're certain to come across duplicate records. How do you identify and solve such an issue?

This article will show you how to check for duplicates in Microsoft. You'll also learn a few formulae for detecting repeating rows and columns.

Table Of Contents:

• What Are Duplicates?
• How To Find Duplicates In Excel?
• Counting Duplicates In Excel
• Removing Duplicates in Excel
• What Are Triplicates?
• How To Find Triplicates In Excel?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Wrapping Up

What Are Duplicates?

Duplicates in the literal sense are two or more rows and columns that are repeated. When do you find these? You will come across duplicates when dealing with a large Excel worksheet.

They are also found when combining several small spreadsheets into a larger one. Duplicate information makes your spreadsheet less helpful. This is especially if it's due to an import issue or someone unintentionally copying something repeatedly.

Read on to learn how to detect duplicates in Excel. You will be able to eliminate them yourself, as well as find and erase duplicates in a single action.

How To Find Duplicates In Excel?

If you merely want to identify duplicates so you can determine whether or not to remove them, underlining all identical material with formulas and functions is your right alternative.

• Select the columns to be checked for duplicate data.
• Then go to Home > Highlight Cell Rules > Duplicate Values.
• You will be prompted to select a color scheme for the highlighting.
• When you click OK, any duplicate rows in the columns you've chosen will be marked.

You may now go through the data and determine whether or not to remove whatever is no longer needed.

Counting Duplicates in Excel

Use one of the following formulae to count duplicates if you want to know the precise number of identical records in your Excel sheet.

Count the number of instances of each duplicate record separately.

When you have a column containing repeating groups, you'll need to know how many repetitions there are in each of those values on a regular basis.

To determine how many times this or that entry appears in your Excel worksheet, use the following COUNTIF formula, where A2 is the first and A8 is the last item on the list:

=COUNTIF(A$2:A$8, A$2)

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Removing Duplicates in Excel

Even though you may use Excel to delete and filter the data you desire, you should always preserve your original data intact. After you've generated a copy of your data, it's time to get rid of any duplicates.

The duplicate data will be entirely erased if you utilize the Remove Duplicates feature.

You can remove duplicates in Excel before even manually examining them. Evaluate the data from which you want to eliminate duplicates, then go to Data > Remove Duplicates.

You will be prompted with the columns you need to include in the redundancy search. This is beneficial if there is a single column that does not contain any duplicate data.

When you click OK, Excel will locate and remove all rows that contain data duplication.

What Are Triplicates?

A triplicate is one that has three corresponding or identical components or instances in excel. This might be three columns and rows that are alike.

​​Perhaps you're seeking a technique to couple up data points while eliminating third points.

Working on similar techniques mentioned above, you may extend the duplicate function to operate with triplicates.

How To Find Triplicates In Excel?

If you simply want to find duplicates, the super-easy method is the way to go.

However, what if you want to identify triplicates or quadruplicates, or 3 or 4 instances of the same piece of data? There is no designed function for this, so you must improvise.

Here’s an example if you have 28 rows of data with names ranging from A2 to A28.

You discover a word in A3, thus if you want to know how many times it occurs in the list, you can use the following formula.

=COUNTIF(A3:A28,A2).

With a formula like this, you will be using Conditional Formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I filter duplicates in excel?

There are various techniques to filter for unique values in Excel or to remove duplicate data:

• Click Data > Sort & Filter > Advanced to search for unique values.
• Click Data > Data Tools > Eliminate Duplicates to remove duplicate values.
• Use the Conditional Formatting command in the Style group on the Home tab to highlight unique or duplicate values.

2. What is the shortcut to find duplicates in excel?

In the literal sense, duplicates are two or more rows and columns that are repeated.

You may also use the shortcut keys Alt + H + L.

When you select conditional formatting from the dropdown menu, you will be presented with a number of alternatives. Select 'Highlight Cells Rules' as the first option and 'Duplicate Values' as the sub-option.

3. Can I sort by duplicates in excel?

Excel has built-in tools for sorting and removing duplicates.

Data > Sort & Filter|Sort and Data > Data Tools|Remove Duplicates provide access to these options. For additional information, see Sorting and Filtering.

Excel formulae may also be used to sort a column of data.

4. How to find duplicates in a column of excel?

If you just want to find duplicates, highlighting all identical information with formulae and functions is the best option. Here’s what you need to do.

• Choose the cells to be checked for duplicates.
• Select Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values from the drop-down menu.
• Select the formatting you wish to apply to the duplicate values in the box next to values with, and then click OK.

5. What is the formula to find duplicates in excel?

Consider the following scenario: you have a list of items in column A that you wish to verify for duplication. These might be bills, product identifiers, names, or any other type of data.

Here's a method for finding duplicates in Excel that includes initial occurrences (with A2 as the topmost cell):

COUNTIF(A:A, A2) > 1

The same function is used at the core of the formula. This is done to compare the target cell to each cell in the defined range exactly.

Wrapping Up

Finding duplicates and rectifying them may be one of those important tasks while working with excel. It helps enhance your data presentation and thus outcomes.

What more can you do now that you know how to identify duplicates in Excel? Excel encompasses far more than can be covered in a single article.

You can learn how to perform things like eliminate duplicates once you've discovered them. If you're ready to take your game to the next level, read our blogs on other excel tools and functions.

If you found this blog informative, or if there was something we missed that you'd want to learn more about, please let us know in the comments below.