bottom
Great ExcelTips!
         
Your e-mail address is safe!
Close Note

Tips.Net > ExcelTips Home > Editing > Deleting > Removing Duplicate Rows

Removing Duplicate Rows

Summary: If you have a large table of data, you might want to remove all the records (rows) in which there is some duplicate value in the first column. This cannot be done with any built-in Excel function, but it can be done with a macro, as described in this tip. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, and Excel 2003.)

When you are working with a large data table, it is not uncommon for the table to contain what is essentially duplicate information. To process the information in the table, you may want to remove any of the rows you consider duplicate, thereby paring down the amount of information you need to process.

For instance, let's say that the first cell of each row contains a part number. What if you want to delete any rows that have duplicate part numbers in the first cell? If you need this solution, the following macro is for you:

Sub DelDupRows()
    Dim rngSrc As Range
    Dim NumRows As Integer
    Dim ThisRow As Integer
    Dim ThatRow As Integer
    Dim ThisCol As Integer
    Dim RightCol As Integer
    Dim J As Integer, K As Integer

    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Set rngSrc = ActiveSheet.Range(ActiveWindow.Selection.Address)

    NumRows = rngSrc.Rows.Count
    ThisRow = rngSrc.Row
    ThatRow = ThisRow + NumRows - 1
    ThisCol = rngSrc.Column
    RightCol = ThisCol + rngSrc.Columns.Count - 1

    'Start wiping out duplicates
    For J = ThisRow To (ThatRow - 1)
        If Cells(J, ThisCol) > "" Then
            For K = (J + 1) To ThatRow
                If Cells(J, ThisCol) = Cells(K, ThisCol) Then
                    Cells(K, ThisCol) = ""
                End If
            Next K
        End If
    Next J

    'Remove rows with empty key cells
    For J = ThatRow To ThisRow Step -1
        If Cells(J, ThisCol) = "" Then
            Range(Cells(J, ThisCol), _
              Cells(J, RightCol)).Delete xlShiftUp
        End If
    Next J
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

The macro works on a selection you make before calling it. Thus, if you need to remove duplicate rows from the range D7:G85, simply select that range and then run the macro. It removes the duplicates from the range D7:D85, and then removes all rows in D7:G85 (four columns per row) for which the cell in column D is blank.

Tip #2108 applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003


Save Time and Money! Many people need to keep track of employee time, but don't know where to start when it comes to creating a spreadsheet. Here's a way to save time, effort, and money with ready-to-use timesheet templates.
 
Check out Timesheet Templates today!

Helpful Links

Ask an Excel Question
Make a Comment

Tips.Net Home

ExcelTips FAQ
ExcelTips Premium

Learn Access Now

Beauty Tips
Car Tips
Cleaning Tips
College Tips
Cooking Tips
Excel2007 Tips
ExcelTips
Family Tips
Gardening Tips
Health Tips
Home Tips
Money Tips
Organizing Tips
Pest Tips
Pet Tips
Word2007 Tips
WordTips

Advertise on the
ExcelTips Site

 

Great Info!

Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your e-mail address and click "Subscribe."
     
(Your e-mail address will never be shared with anyone, ever.)