How to find and remove duplicates in Excel?

  • Duplicates in Excel can complicate data analysis and should be removed.
  • Excel offers the 'Remove Duplicates' tool to make this process easy in minutes.
  • It is possible to remove duplicates in multiple columns to optimize data cleaning.
  • Removing duplicates improves the quality and reliability of information in Excel.

How to find and remove duplicates in Excel

One of the most common situations we face when handling data in Excel sheets is having duplicate items.. This is something that, depending on the work we carry out, can hinder the data collection and analysis process, so we must always take on the task of removing it. This is something that can be as easy or as difficult as the amount of data contained in the sheet in question. In that sense, we are going to show you what you can do to find and remove duplicates in Excel, when the number of occupied cells in your sheet is too much to do manually.

Excel is full of tools that allow us to reduce the work of hours to a couple of minutes, and then we are going to teach you how to do it so that you save time in your work.

Steps to find and remove duplicate data in Excel

In the world of Excel it is not uncommon to find documents with thousands of records, where we must make use of the tools offered by the program to review and manage them.. For example, looking for a name in these types of sheets is not something as simple as looking at the column that contains them to find them. On the contrary, we have to use some function to search or the search option that Excel offers.

The same thing happens when we want to clean up a duplicate data sheet. If it is loaded with records, it will be a really tedious job to verify the document to eliminate the repetitions one by one.. The good news is that from the "Data" tab we have the "Remove duplicates" option that will allow us to remove duplicate records at a stroke.

remove duplicate

To start with this task, the first thing you must do is select the column with the range of cells where the duplicates are found, starting with the header. Next, click on the tab «Data»And then«remove duplicates", which will display a popup window identifying the selected column. Click on «Accept» and Excel will immediately issue a message indicating the number of duplicates found and confirming their removal.

Remove duplicates with multiple columns

The above was an example with the most basic case of deduplicating data in Excel, since much more complex workbooks are often handled in work and academic environments. In this sense, it is common to have large lists made up of multiple data and records, which further complicates the elimination of duplicates. However, Excel is a tool characterized by facilitating processes and for these cases, the «remove duplicates» has a very simple way to handle this.

Remove duplicates from multiple columns

To begin this multi-column deletion process, we need to select all the tables involved in the workbook. Next, click on the tab «Data»And then«Remove Duplicates", which will display a pop-up window where you will see the headers of the different columns of your table. Now, you will only have to select the columns where you want the duplicates to be reviewed and click on «Accept«. Immediately afterwards, you will see a message from Excel indicating the duplicate data found and the number of values ​​that were eliminated.

By doing it this way, you will have the possibility to save a lot of time when searching and eliminating duplicates in Excel. Also, since it is such a simple process, it will give you the possibility to clean the duplicate data of all the Excel workbooks that you have. This will allow you to have more reliable listings in order to generate statistics and reports from a clean data set without duplicates.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, finding and removing duplicate records in Excel is a process that should be done by anyone who works with data.. The presence of repeated information can lead to inaccurate and inaccurate results, so it is critical to detect and remove it to ensure data integrity. In this sense, the elimination of duplicates becomes a key task to achieve effective information management and correct decision making.

It is important to take into account that, prior to searching for and eliminating duplicate records, it is necessary to correctly define what is considered a duplicate based on the specific needs and objectives of the environment.. In addition, it is necessary to make sure that the information is well structured in the Excel sheet and is consistent, to avoid errors and confusion.

Ultimately, finding and removing duplicates in Excel can save time and prevent errors, which in turn improves data quality and reliability. With the right tools and techniques, any user can master this task and ensure the accuracy and completeness of their information.


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