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Excel Find Duplicates: Quick Ways to Spot Repeated Data

To find duplicates in Excel, select your data and use the built-in Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values tool. 🎯 It instantly highlights any repeated values in your selection—no formulas needed! Whether you’re cleaning a customer list, filtering repeated entries, or preventing errors in your reports, this feature is a must-have for data accuracy. ✅

💡 Why Find Duplicates in Excel?

Identifying duplicates is crucial for:

  • Cleaning up messy data 🧹
  • Removing redundant entries
  • Validating data before reports
  • Spotting errors in large datasets

Duplicates can break pivot tables, distort calculations, or cause reporting headaches. But the good news? Excel makes it super easy to find and fix them. 😌

🧭 How to Find Duplicates in Excel (No Formula Needed)

Step-by-Step:

  1. Select the range of cells (single column or full table)
  2. Go to the Home tab
  3. Click on Conditional Formatting
  4. Hover over Highlight Cells Rules
  5. Click Duplicate Values…
  6. Choose your highlight color
  7. Click OK

Your duplicates will now be color-highlighted. Boom! 🎉

🔥 Keyboard Shortcuts to Find Duplicates

While there’s no single key combo to find duplicates, you can access Conditional Formatting quickly with:

PlatformShortcut Sequence
WindowsAlt + H + L + H + D
macOSUse Ribbon or Cmd + Fn + Alt + H, then navigate with arrow keys
Ubuntu (LibreOffice Calc)Ctrl + F3 → Define condition → Use “Formula is” with COUNTIF()

🧪 Formula Method: Find Duplicates Using COUNTIF

For more control, use the COUNTIF formula to flag duplicates:

=IF(COUNTIF(A:A, A2)>1, "Duplicate", "Unique")

✅ This checks how many times the value in A2 appears in column A. If more than once, it’s marked as a duplicate.

💡 Bonus Tip: Use this with filters to easily delete or isolate repeated rows.

🧼 How to Remove Duplicates After Finding Them

Once you’ve identified duplicates, here’s how to remove them:

  1. Select your data range
  2. Go to the Data tab
  3. Click Remove Duplicates
  4. Choose which columns to check
  5. Hit OK

🚀 Done! Excel tells you how many duplicates were removed and how many unique values remain.

Windows Shortcut:
Alt + A + M (brings up Remove Duplicates dialog)

✅ When to Use “Find Duplicates” Feature

Use CaseRecommended?
Cleaning mailing lists✅ Absolutely
Checking survey entries✅ Yes
Preparing data for merge✅ Crucial
Comparing IDs across sheets⚠️ Use VLOOKUP or MATCH
Catching duplicate rows✅ Yes, with all columns selected

🧠 Advanced: Highlight Duplicates Across Multiple Columns

Use this formula in Conditional Formatting > New Rule > Use a formula to determine:

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

This checks if both values in columns A and B repeat together.

📊 Excel Alternatives on Ubuntu/Linux

LibreOffice Calc doesn’t have a built-in “Find Duplicates” feature, but you can:

  • Use Conditional Formatting with formula COUNTIF(A$1:A$100, A1)>1
  • Or use Data > More Filters > Standard Filter to manually filter duplicates

Shortcut:

  • Ubuntu (Calc): Ctrl + Shift + F for filters
  • Define formulas under Format > Conditional Formatting

FAQs

Can Excel highlight duplicates automatically?
Yes! Use Conditional Formatting > Duplicate Values for instant highlighting.

How do I find duplicates in two columns?
Use =COUNTIF(range, cell)>1 or =COUNTIFS() for multiple columns.

Is there a shortcut to remove duplicates in Excel?
Yes! Alt + A + M opens the Remove Duplicates tool in Windows.

Can I undo removed duplicates?
Yes, press Ctrl + Z (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Z (macOS) to undo immediately.

How do I find duplicates case-sensitively?
Use an EXACT() function combo:

=SUMPRODUCT(--EXACT(A2,A$2:A$100))>1

Does LibreOffice Calc support duplicate detection?
Not directly. Use custom formulas and conditional formatting for a workaround.

🎯 Final Thoughts on Excel Find Duplicates

Finding duplicates in Excel is one of the most useful data cleanup techniques. Whether you’re scrubbing large lists or verifying entries, Excel gives you powerful tools—from one-click highlights to custom formulas—to stay on top of your data game. 💼📊

So next time you’re overwhelmed by repeating entries, don’t panic. Just highlight, filter, and clean it up like a pro! 🧽✨

Complete List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

If you need help for Windows, you can find a whole list of all keyboard shortcuts here.

https://keyboard-shortcuts.org/

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