How to find duplicate rows in Excel

You may be using too much information in ExcelDuplicate rows don't make the process any easier. You'll need to delete them to make your database readable, organized, and tidy. However, before you can delete them, you'll need to find them first. Fortunately, there are a few methods and functions that automatically identify these rows for you. Read on to learn how to find duplicate rows in Excel.

How to Locate Duplicate Rows in Excel Using the COUNTIFS Formula

You'll need to use the COUNTIFS formula in Excel's formatting option to identify and highlight your duplicate rows. Here's how:

1. Locate the range where you want to check for duplicate rows. If this is the entire workbook, use CTRL + A command.
2. Go to the tab Home Page and select an option Police coordination In the Styles group. It's the grid icon with blue, white, and red squares.                       
3. Select an option "New rule" و Use a formula to specify which cells to format.
4. Add the formula  COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$100, $A2, $B2:B$100, $B2)>1 In the box, select the formatting style.
5. Locate "OK".                         

However, keep in mind that the formula assumes that the data starts at A2 and ends at B100. You need to change the function according to your specific range, and append arguments for any additional columns (such as “,$C$2:$C$100, $C2") to the formula COUNTIFS.

Excel will automatically highlight all duplicate rows within the entire selected range.

If that doesn't work, copy the formula to a helper column for each row and format it according to that cell's output.

Highlight duplicate values in Excel

This is the most straightforward way to identify duplicate values in your workbook. You don't have to use complex functions, just the tab. Home pageHere's how to do it:

1. Select the entire range in which you want to check for duplicate rows.
2. Go to the Home tab and select the option Police coordination In the Styles group. The icon shows a grid with red, white, and blue squares.                           
3. In the open tab, select “Cell base recognition” Then select an option “Duplicate values”.
4. Select the formatting style you want in the pop-up window and click "OK".

Excel will then highlight any duplicate values within the selected cells. You can even change the highlight color in the pop-up Format menu when it appears.

This is an imperfect method because it selects duplicate values rather than entire rows. It can produce inaccurate results if a row contains duplicate cells across columns.

However, implementation and visibility in smaller spreadsheets can be much easier.

Highlighting Trinomials in Excel

If you want to clean up your workbook, you can also specify the three values. This requires creating a new rule instead of using Excel's default formatting options. Here's how:

1. Select the range of values where you want to check for three copies.
2. Go to the tab Home Page and select an option Police coordination in Pattern set.
3. Select an option "New rule."           
4. Click Use a formula to determine which cells to format..
5. Use this formula: =COUNTIFS($A$2:$A$100, A2, $B2:B$100, B2)=3. Using this formula checks whether a row appears three times within the range you have chosen. This again assumes that you are using a range of A2 To B100.

It's that easy! Excel will identify and highlight the triple values within the specified range. However, keep in mind that the formula above selects the triple values for the cell you specified (defined in the function as (($A$2).

You can simplify the formula by using COUNTIF($A$2:$B$10,A2) instead. This only checks the contents of the current cell within the range, so cells across rows and columns will be highlighted.

Delete duplicates and triples in Excel

You may have highlighted all duplicates or triples in your workbook using the method above. Afterward, you may want to delete them. This will make your entire workbook neater and less confusing.

Fortunately, deleting duplicates once they've been identified is a simple task.

Here's how to do it:

1. Select highlighted rows by clicking on the row numbers while holding down CTRL (The command is on Mac operating systems.) This will make Excel Selects all highlighted rows.                                                                                                               
2. Hover your mouse over one of the selected row numbers, right-click, and select the option "delete".

Deleting rows may change the overall format of your workbook. You should also consider recording information about the deleted rows in case you need them later. There are also some other ways to quickly delete duplicate and highlighted duplicate rows:

1. Select highlighted rows by clicking their numbers while holding down the CTRL/Command key.
2. Go to Home page Located in the top Excel ribbon, in the option "cells" ،
3. Locate Delete sheet rows.         

Another convenient way to delete rows is to use a command once they're highlighted. Simply use the main shortcut "CTRL + -", "Cmd + -." This will delete all the selected rows (or values), and you're good to go.

When to highlight and delete duplicates and triples in Excel

There are some instances where identifying and removing duplicates and triples is useful for your workbook. Even if you don't need them immediately, the above methods can be used for some of the following real-world examples:

• Database entry errors You may accidentally enter the same information twice. With such errors, highlighting duplicates can be an easy way to identify and delete errors later.
• Database merge errors Sometimes, you'll need to merge multiple databases into a single database. During the merge process, additional errors can occur, resulting in duplicate rows.
• Email lists and customer database recurrences – Duplicates in customer databases can result in sending a customer marketing material, such as the same newsletter, twice. This can be annoying and deter customers from using your service. Removing these rows is the best course of action.
• Inventory management problems Every product must be accounted for in warehouse inventory management environments. If duplicate and incorrect data is left in critical databases, it can cause management discrepancies. Deleting rows in these cases results in more accurate tracking.

Other spreadsheets that require duplicate row identification include employee records, research and surveys, and financial data. Removing extra rows will increase accuracy, save time when searching for relevant information, and make data analysis easier.

Other useful Excel methods you may need

Duplicate rows is just one aspect of a wide range of useful Excel skills. You don't need to spend hours learning it. It can be done with a few simple keyboard commands. For example, you might need to:

• Copy classes – Simply select the rows you want and then use the CTRL+C command.
• Paste rows Once you have copied your rows, you can go ahead and paste them using the CTRL+V command. Alternatively, you can right-click and select the option Insert copied cells.
• Delete specific cells – To get rid of specific cells, all you have to do is select them and use Ctrl + X to cut them and then clear the data.
  These are all small but necessary commands that you may need when dealing with duplicate rows in your workbook.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1: Do I need to use formulas and functions to delete duplicate rows in Excel?
The answer: Yes, you'll need to use the COUNTIFS function for this task. However, highlighting and deleting individual cells doesn't require a formula or function.

Q2: Should I delete duplicate rows as soon as I find them in Excel?
The answer: This depends on the purpose of your workbook. If it's for inventory maintenance, duplicate rows can compromise the integrity and accuracy of the document. In such cases, it's best to consolidate the data and remove the redundant rows.

Q3: What if the workbook contains a lot of data?
The answer: You can easily select all the data in your spreadsheet, regardless of its size, using the CTRL+A command. Once selected, you can proceed with one of the methods above to highlight and delete individual rows.

Clean up your data by highlighting and deleting duplicates in Excel

Highlighting and deleting duplicates is a reasonably simple process for Excel users. You need to use the conditional formatting option for individual cells and the COUNTIFS or COUNTIF formula after entering the option. "The New Rule"After highlighting all the duplicates and copies, you can delete them using the option Delete sheet rows In the Excel top ribbon or command “CTRL + -“Knowing how to identify and remove duplicates is useful for a variety of real-world scenarios, including inventory checks and database error management.

Did you find it easy to spot duplicate rows in? ExcelWhat method did you use? Tell us in the comments section below.