How to Identify and Manage Duplicates in Google Sheets

Organizing and keeping track of data can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with large amounts of information. One common issue that arises is the presence of duplicate entries in spreadsheets. Fortunately, Google Sheets offers a built-in feature that allows you to easily find and remove duplicates. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of highlighting duplicates in Google Sheets and provide you with 10 helpful templates to streamline your business's marketing, sales, and customer service efforts.

Step 1: Open Your Google Spreadsheet

The first step is to open the spreadsheet that contains the data you want to check for duplicates.

Step 2: Select the Data to be Checked

Click and drag your cursor over the cells containing the data you want to check for duplicates. This can be a single column, multiple columns, or an entire dataset.

Step 3: Use Conditional Formatting

Under the "Format" menu, select "Conditional Formatting" to open a sidebar on the right side of your screen.

Step 4: Choose "Custom Formula Is"

Select "Custom formula is" from the dropdown menu in the conditional formatting sidebar.

Step 5: Enter the Duplicate Checking Formula

Enter the following formula in the text box next to "Custom formula is": =COUNTIF(A1:A,A1)>1 (replace "A1" with the first cell in your selected range). This formula will identify any duplicate values in the selected cells and highlight them.

Note: If you want to highlight duplicates in a different range than A1:A, simply adjust the formula to reflect the appropriate range.

Removing Duplicates

If you want to remove the duplicates instead of just highlighting them, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Select the cells containing the data with duplicates.
• Step 2: Click on the "Data" menu and choose "Remove Duplicates."
• Step 3: A pop-up window will appear, click "Remove duplicates" to confirm.

Handling Duplicates

Now that you know how to identify and manage duplicates, it's important to understand how to deal with them. Duplicates can occur due to various reasons, such as human error or technical glitches. It's crucial to regularly check for duplicates and take necessary actions to ensure data accuracy in your spreadsheets.

So, can you highlight duplicates in Google Sheets? Absolutely. While the process may require more effort than other spreadsheet solutions, once you know the steps, you can easily find duplicates across rows, columns, and large datasets. To make it even easier, we have curated 10 free Google Sheets templates that can assist you in managing duplicates and improving your business's marketing, sales, and customer service processes.