How to extract unique values from multiple columns in Excel?
Supposing you have several columns with multiple values, some values are repeated in same column or different column. And now you want to find the values which are present in either column only once. Are there any quick tricks for you to extract unique values from multiple columns in Excel?
Note: In the above formula, A2:C9 indicates the range of cells which you want to extract the unique values, E1:E1 is the first cell of the column you want to place the result, $2:$9 stands fro the rows contain the cells you want to use, and $A:$C indicates the columns contain the cells you want to use. Please change them to your own.
2. Then press Shift + Ctrl + Enter keys together, and then drag the fill handle to extract the unique values until blank cells appear. See screenshot:
Extract unique values from multiple columns with Pivot Table
If you are familiar with the pivot table, you can easily extract the unique values form multiple columns with following steps:
1. At first, please insert one new blank column at the left of your data, in this example, I will insert column A beside the original data.
2. Click one cell in your data, and press Alt+D keys, then press P key immediately to open the PivotTable and PivotChart Wizard, choose Multiple consolidation ranges in the wizard step1, see screenshot:
3. Then click Next button, check Create a single page field for me option in wizard step2, see screenshot:
4. Go on clicking Next button, click to select the data range which including the left new column of cells, then click Add button to add the data range to the All ranges list box, see screenshot:
5. After selecting the data range, continue click Next, in the wizard step 3, choose where you want to put the PivotTable report as you like.
6. At last, click Finish to complete the wizard, and a pivot table has been created in current worksheet, then uncheck all the fields from the Choose fields to add to report section, see screenshot:
7. Then check the field Value or drag the Value to the Rows label, now you will get the unique values from the multiple columns as follows:
Extract unique values from multiple columns with VBA code
With the following VBA code, you can also extract the unique values from multiple columns.
1. Hold down the ALT + F11 keys, and it opens the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
2. Click Insert > Module, and paste the following code in the Module Window.
VBA: Extract unique values from multiple columns
Sub Uniquedata()
'Updateby Extendoffice
Dim rng As Range
Dim InputRng As Range, OutRng As Range
Set dt = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
xTitleId = "KutoolsforExcel"
Set InputRng = Application.Selection
Set InputRng = Application.InputBox("Range :", xTitleId, InputRng.Address, Type:=8)
Set OutRng = Application.InputBox("Out put to (single cell):", xTitleId, Type:=8)
For Each rng In InputRng
If rng.Value <> "" Then
dt(rng.Value) = ""
End If
Next
OutRng.Range("A1").Resize(dt.Count) = Application.WorksheetFunction.Transpose(dt.Keys)
End Sub
3. Then press F5 to run this code, and a prompt box will pop out to remind you select the data range that you want to use. See screenshot:
4. And then click OK, another prompt box will appear to let you choose a place to put the result, see screenshot:
5. Click OK to close this dialog, and all the unique values have been extracted at once.
Extract unique values from one single column with an amazing feature
Sometimes, you need to extract the unique values from a single column, the above methods will not help you, here, I can recommend a useful tool-Kutools for Excel, with its Extract cells with unique values (include the first duplicate) utility, you can quickly extract the unique values.
Note:To apply this Extract cells with unique values (include the first duplicate), firstly, you should download the Kutools for Excel, and then apply the feature quickly and easily.
1. Click a cell where you want to output the result. (Note:Don't click a cell in the first row.)
2. Then click Kutools > Formula Helper > Formula Helper, see screenshot:
3. In the Formulas Helper dialog box, please do the following operations:
Select Text option from the FormulaType drop down list;
Then choose Extract cells with unique values (include the first duplicate) from the Choose a fromula list box;
In the right Arguments input section, select a list of cells that you want to extract unique values.
4. Then click Ok button, and drag the fill handle over to the cells that you want to list all the unique values until blank cells are displayed, see screenshot:
Supposing, you have a long list of values with some duplicate items, now, you want to count the number of unique values (the values that appear in the list only once ) or distinct values (all different values in the list, it means unique values +1st duplicate values) in a column as left screenshot shown. This article, I will talk about how to deal with this job in Excel.
Supposing, you have the following data range that you want to list only the unique names of column B based on a specific criterion of column A to get the result as below screenshot shown. How could you deal with this task in Excel quickly and easily?
If you want to keep only unique values entering in a column of worksheet and prevent the duplicates, this article will introduce some quick tricks for you to deal with this task.
For example, I have a range of data which contains Name and Order columns, now, to sum only unique values in Order column based on the Name column as following screenshot shown. How to solve this task quickly and easily In Excel?
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Regarding the formula version, could you explain in more detail what this portion is doing? *100+COLUMN($A:$C),7^8)),"R0C00") Specifically, what are the *100, 7^8, and "R0C000" doing? I'm understanding everything else, but I can't figure out what these are for.
This array formula is CORRECT. Data in columns A to C, first result formula in cell D2... This one is different from other array formula that the later is copy formula down and Ctrl+Shift+Enter all formula. However, this array formula should be done the Ctrl+Shift+Enter in first cell and copy down.
does anyone know, for the output, how to make it into several lines but not into one line ? (currently one line result is achieved by worksheetfunction.transpose, but what i want to achieve (as result) is that when select for 3 columns, the returned result are also 3 columns, instead one
Hey! Does anyone know why this formula seems to lead to an error after row 87? Like, it works perfectly and then at a certain point it just returns me errors for every row.. which is the worst! Because I'm so close to exactly what I need here...
I am using your VBA code, but do not want the box to pop up. In stead I want to define exactly what cell range to use every time and exactly what box to put the output in. The input range and output would be on two different sheets. how do I update the VBA to do so? Thank you!!
