How to remove duplicates in excel based on one column

Answer

To remove duplicates in Excel based on one column, follow these steps carefully. This method preserves unique values while deleting repeated entries in the chosen column.

Steps to Remove Duplicates

1. Select the Data Range
   Highlight the cells in the column where duplicates may exist. Ensure the selection includes all rows that correspond to your column of interest.

2. Open the Remove Duplicates Tool

   • On Windows, go to the Data tab and click Remove Duplicates in the Data Tools group.

   • On Mac, go to the Data tab, select Remove Duplicates, and ensure the correct column is selected.

3. Choose the Column for Deduplication
   In the pop-up window:

   • Check only the column that you want to analyze for duplicates.

   • Leave other columns unchecked to avoid unintended deletion based on multiple columns.

4. Confirm and Apply
   Click OK. Excel will remove duplicate values from the selected column and display a message showing:

   • How many duplicate values were removed.

   • How many unique values remain.

Notes and Tips

• Removing duplicates is destructive. Once deleted, data cannot be recovered unless you undo immediately (Ctrl+Z or Command+Z).

• For large datasets, consider creating a backup copy before removing duplicates.

• If you want to highlight duplicates without deleting them, use Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cells Rules → Duplicate Values.

Example

Suppose column A contains customer email addresses. Some emails appear more than once:

Selecting column A and removing duplicates will leave:

Duplicates are removed based solely on the email column, while names remain aligned with the unique emails.

This method ensures accurate deduplication without affecting other unrelated columns.

Yes · 0 No · 0 Add Comment · 0

Add ·

Report