Highlight duplicates in two columns
Author: Oscar Cronquist Article last updated on November 19, 2018
Question:
I need to delete duplicates in two different columns together. How do I highlight the second or more duplicates and not the "original" value? This makes it a no-brainer to select and delete duplicate cell values using CTRL + Left mouse button.
Answer:
The following animated image shows you two lists in column B and D.
Conditional formatting formula:
How to apply the conditional formatting formulas:
- Select cell range
- Press with left mouse button on "Home" tab on the ribbon
- Press with left mouse button on "Conditional formatting"
- Press with left mouse button on "New rule..."
- Press with left mouse button on "Use a formula to determine which cells to format"
- Press with left mouse button on "Format values where this formula is true" window.
- Type =(COUNTIF($B$3:$B3,B3)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D3,B3))>1
- Press with left mouse button on Format button
- Press with left mouse button on "Fill" tab
- Pick a color
- Press with left mouse button on OK!
- Press with left mouse button on OK!
Explaining formula
Step 1 - Check if current value B3 exists in cell range $B$3:$B3
The first argument in the COUNTIF function is a cell reference that expands downwards.
COUNTIF($B$3:$B3,B3)
| Cell | COUNTIF | Result |
| B3 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B3, B3) | 0 |
| B4 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B4, B4) | 0 |
| B5 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B5, B5) | 0 |
Step 2 - Check if current value B3 exists in cell range $D$3:$D3
The first argument in the COUNTIF function is a cell reference that expands downwards.
COUNTIF($D$3:$D3,B3)
| Cell | COUNTIF | Result |
| B3 | COUNTIF($D$3:$D3, B3) | 0 |
| B4 | COUNTIF($D$3:$D4, B4) | 0 |
| B5 | COUNTIF($D$3:$D5, B5) | 0 |
Step 3 - Add results
COUNTIF($B$3:$B3,B3)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D3,B3)
| Cell | COUNTIF | Result |
| B3 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B3,B3)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D3,B3) | 0 |
| B4 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B4,B4)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D4,B4) | 0 |
| B5 | COUNTIF($B$3:$B5,B5)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D5,B5) | 0 |
Step 4 - Check if result is larger than 1
The parentheses makes sure that the order odf calculatiuon is correct.
(COUNTIF($B$3:$B3,B3)+COUNTIF($D$3:$D3,B3))>1
becomes
(0 (zero) + 0 (zero))>1
0>1
and returns FALSE. Cell B3 is not highlighted.
Get excel *.xlsx file
Highlight duplicates in two lists using conditional formatting.xlsx
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