How to Identify and Remove Duplicate Rows in Excel? Top 6 Solutions

Excel is one of the most popular applications when it comes to manipulating, analyzing, and managing datasets. However, when dealing with large datasets, it becomes possible that duplicates can arise as a result of multiple importing operations or even due to errors caused by a user entering information manually in rows. Thus, it is important to know how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel spreadsheets. In this guide, we will explain multiple manual solutions and an automated solution to simplify the entire deduplication process.

Why do Duplicate Rows Occur in Excel? Common Reasons

Duplicate rows are the most common problem in terms of data quality. This happens when the same row repeats itself more than once in a particular set of data. Before we learn how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel, we should know the reasons behind the why duplicate rows occur in Excel.

• Information imported from Different Applications or Spreadsheets: There will always be duplicate records if the information was imported several times from various sources.
• Repeat Information entered Manually: Duplicate records may arise when the same piece of information is repeated in the entry process, especially when working on a shared Excel Workbook.
• Incorrect Copy & Paste: Copying the information without verifying can result in duplicate entries in the spreadsheet.
• Inconsistent Data Entry: Small differences in data entries can affect duplication identification.

How to Remove Duplicate Rows in Excel? Tool Steps

1. Download and install the aforementioned software on your device.
2. Then, upload the Excel file by clicking on the Add file or Add folder option.
3. To learn how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel, choose the Dual Duplication Removal Options from the tab.
4. After this, choose the option to Delete Duplicates permanently or Export it in a separate file.
5. Now, choose the Remove Duplication Based on option.
6. Then, choose the Destination folder to save the cleaned file.
7. Finally, tap on the Remove Duplicates option to start the process to learn how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel.

How to Identify and Remove Duplicate Rows in Excel through Built-in Features?

There is another way provided by Microsoft Excel to eliminate duplicates from an Excel sheet. This approach is perfect for the user who wants a quick and easy solution without using any formulas. Below are the next steps in achieving the same:

1. Firstly, open the Excel workbook in your system
2. Then, select the date range containing the duplicate records
3. After that, navigate to the Data tab
4. Next, click on the ” Remove Duplicates ” in the data tools section
5. Now, choose the columns you want Excel to check
6. Then, tap on the Ok button
7. At last, the Excel application will display the number of duplicate events removed.

Limitations:

• This built-in feature permanently deletes the duplicates.
• It does not provide a preview option before the removal process.
• It is difficult to reverse after saving the information.

How to Remove Duplicate Rows in Excel through Conditional Formatting?

This method will show duplicate entries so that you can double-check the information that needs to be removed. Here are the steps involved in using this solution while learning how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel using the steps given below:

1. At first, select the desired date range
2. Then, go to the Home tab and tap on the Conditional Formatting
3. After that, choose the Highlight Cells Rules and then tap on the Duplicate Values option
4. No, choose a highlighting color and click on the OK button

Limitations:

• This method highlights duplicates but does not remove them.
• It is not ideal to manage large Excel datasets.
• This solution requires manual review and deletion of duplicate records in the Excel File

How to Identify and Remove Duplicate Rows in Excel with Extract Unique Records Option?

This filter is useful for those who have to find duplicate information but do not want to change the original information. By using this filter, you can create another list that contains only unique information. The steps to use this method are as follows:

1. Firstly, select the data set in the Excel sheet.
2. Next, you have to click the Advanced option under the ‘Sort and filter’ option in the Data tab.
3. After that, select the Copy to another location option and tick the ‘Unique records only’ option.
4. Now, select your destination range and finally, click the OK option.

Limitations:

• It requires creating a separate output range, which can increase worksheet clutter.
• It does not automatically update when new data is added to the source range.
• This solution is less efficient for frequent duplicate removal tasks.

How to Quickly Delete Duplicate Rows in Excel through Excel Formula?

This method is especially useful when you are working with datasets that are frequently updated. This Excel formula method provides you a simple way to find duplicate rows without deleting any data. The steps to learn how to identify and remove duplicate rows though excel formula are as follows:

Using the COUNTIF Formula:

Suppose your important data is in Column A. Now, use the following formula to find the duplicate values:

=COUNTIF(A:A,A2)>1

If the formula returns TRUE, the value shown more than once is a duplicate.

Using COUNTIFS for Multiple Columns:

If your duplicate check needs to compare values in multiple columns

(For example, Columns A, B, and C), Use the formula given below:

=COUNTIFS(A:A,A2,B:B,B2,C:C,C2)>1

Limitations:

• The technique only detects duplicates but doesn’t delete them.
• The heavy calculations done by formulas can lead to poor performance when dealing with large data.
• Checking for duplicates from different columns might be challenging for beginners.

How to Remove Repeated Rows in Excel using Pivot Tables?

Pivot tables help you to understand how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel by clearly showing the overview of duplicates occurrence. It can summarize the duplicate entries of the values. The steps are given below:

1. Firstly, select the dataset and go to the Insert option
2. From this tab, choose the Pivot table option
3. After that, add the relevant columns to the rows
4. Now, add the same field to the values
5. At last, set the values to count

Note: The count greater than 1 shows the duplicate records.

Limitations:

• The Pivot Tables method only helps to identify duplicates; they do not directly remove them.
• The changes made in the source data may require refreshing the Pivot Tables.
• This solution can be confusing for beginners who are unfamiliar with Pivot Table functionality.

How to Quickly Delete Duplicate Rows in Excel? Manual VS Automated

When you’re not sure if using Excel’s own functions or an automation process is the best choice to remove duplicates, knowing their functionalities through the comparison given below will be very helpful for you.

 

Final Verdict

In this write-up, we have covered the query on how to identify and remove duplicate rows in Excel. We have mentioned Excel’s built-in feature, but it has several drawbacks when working with large and bulk Excel files. Due to this problem, we have recommended you to use the above-mentioned expert solution. This tool will help you to find and delete duplicate rows in Excel quickly, without losing the original datasets.