- #Excel find duplicates with a formula how to#
- #Excel find duplicates with a formula full#
- #Excel find duplicates with a formula download#
I’m not reimbursed by TechRepublic for my time or expertise, nor do I ask for a fee from readers. When contacting me, be as specific as possible: For instance, “Please troubleshoot my workbook and fix what’s wrong” probably won’t get a response, but “Can you tell me why this formula isn’t returning the expected results?” might. I answer readers’ questions when I can, but there’s no guarantee. Then, we used an expression to return the number of unique values in the same range. In this case, we used a function and two built-in features to count the number of times a value is repeated in the same range. Within the context of duplicates, definitions aren’t the same. If you can’t, subtract 1 from the final count, as shown in Figure G.įigure G Refining the expression. If you can delete the header text, this expression works. There’s nothing wrong, but there are actually 4 unique values in column B, because the function evaluates the entire column - including the string Species in B1. =SUMPRODUCT((range””)/COUNTIF(range,range&””))įigure F shows this function at work in our example data… sort of.įigure F Return the number of unique values in a column.
When counting unique values, use the following expression: To the best of my knowledge, Excel still doesn’t have a built-in function for counting unique values. This solution has been around for a long time, and I can’t take credit for it. The traditional method is to use the SUMPRODUCT() function. The flip side of counting duplicates might be to count the number of unique values. In this case, it also displays an optional grand total for the column ( Figure E).įigure E There’s now a subtotaling row below each group. This feature will insert a subtotaling row below each group.
In this case, select the Species field and specify the Count function ( Figure D).
#Excel find duplicates with a formula full#
The COUNTIF() is adequate, but you might want a list of unique values rather than the full dataset. If you enter one of the values below to the dataset, the function will add it to the count, as shown in Figure B, even if it’s not in the actual data range.įigure B The reference evaluates non-contiguous values. It’s great if you add and delete records, but it’ll also evaluate non-contiguous values. The main problem with this structure is the B:B reference. If we were counting strictly duplicates, we wouldn’t include the first occurrence of the value.Īs you can see, the function returns the correct count, and it’s a quick fix. We’re not counting the number of actual duplicates but rather the number of times the value occurs within the given range.
LEARN MORE: Office 365 Consumer pricing and features Use COUNTIF()įigure A shows a COUNTIF() function that gets the job done:įigure A COUNTIF() counts duplicate species.
#Excel find duplicates with a formula how to#
To read about finding (as opposed to counting) duplicates in Excel, check out my previous article, “ How to find duplicates in Excel.” xls format aren’t included in this article). xls demonstration file (although specific instructions for the.
#Excel find duplicates with a formula download#
You can work with most any dataset or download the. There are several ways to count duplicate values and unique values. For instance, you might need the opposite - how many unique values are in the column. Once you start counting duplicates, you’ll often discover that you need more. In this article, we’ll focus on duplicate values within the same column. Quick glossary: Metaverse (TechRepublic Premium)
Paging Zefram Cochrane: Humans have figured out how to make a warp bubble Log4j: How to protect yourself from this security vulnerability The best programming languages to learn in 2022 What constitutes a duplicate? Within Excel, you can have duplicate values within the same column or you can have duplicate records - a row where every value in the record is repeated. Counting duplicate values is a subject that begs definition.