How do I remove duplicates in Excel?

Select your data, go to Data → Remove Duplicates, choose which columns define a duplicate, and click OK. Excel deletes duplicate rows in place and reports how many it removed. Work on a copy if you want to keep the original.

How do I remove duplicates in Google Sheets without deleting data?

Use =UNIQUE(A2:A100) in an empty column. It outputs a deduplicated list and leaves your source data untouched. You can also use Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates for in-place removal.

How do I find duplicates before removing them?

Add a helper column with =COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100, A2) — any value greater than 1 appears more than once. Or use Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cell Rules → Duplicate Values to shade them.

Data CleaningExcelGoogle Sheets· 6 min read · Updated July 27, 2026

How to Remove Duplicates in Excel and Google Sheets

Quick answer

The fastest way to remove duplicates in Excel is Data → Remove Duplicates. In Google Sheets, use =UNIQUE(range) to keep your original data intact, or Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates. To find duplicates before deleting, flag them with COUNTIF.

By Philip Bison · Ghost Writer

Nine times out of ten, when someone tells me their spreadsheet total is “a bit off,” it’s duplicate rows — a contact list merged twice, an export that overlapped, a paste that ran long. They quietly inflate totals, skew counts, and break lookups. Here are the four reliable ways I remove them in Excel and Google Sheets, and when to reach for each.

Fastest option: Excel → Data → Remove Duplicates. Google Sheets → =UNIQUE(range) to keep your original data intact. Need it without opening a spreadsheet? Paste into our remove-duplicates tool.

Method 1: Excel’s built-in Remove Duplicates

Select your data range (include the header row).
Go to Data → Remove Duplicates.
Tick the columns that define a duplicate — matching on all columns removes fully identical rows; matching on one column (e.g. Email) removes rows sharing that value.
Click OK. Excel deletes the duplicates in place and tells you how many it removed.

Because this edits data in place, run it on a copy if you might need the original later.

Method 2: The UNIQUE function (non-destructive)

In Google Sheets and Excel 365, =UNIQUE(A2:A100) outputs a deduplicated list in a new location without touching the source. It updates automatically as the source changes — ideal for dashboards and reports.

=UNIQUE(A2:A100)

Method 3: Flag duplicates first with COUNTIF

Sometimes you want to see duplicates before deleting them. Add a helper column:

=COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100, A2)

Any result above 1 appears more than once. You can also highlight them visually via Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cell Rules → Duplicate Values. Handy alongside our COUNTIF generator.

Method 4: Power Query for repeatable cleanups

If you dedupe the same report every week, load the data into Power Query (Data → Get & Transform), use Remove Rows → Remove Duplicates, and refresh next time instead of redoing the steps. More setup, but it pays off for recurring work.

Which method should you use?

One-off cleanup, don’t need the original → Remove Duplicates.
Live list that must stay in sync → UNIQUE.
Want to review before deleting → COUNTIF or conditional formatting.
Same cleanup every period → Power Query.

Cleaning data before analysis? After deduping, scan for anomalies too — see how to find outliers in Excel.