How to compare two columns and highlight the unmatched data in Excel?

Compare two columns and highlight the unmatched data with VBA code

Amazing! Using Efficient Tabs in Excel Like Chrome, Firefox and Safari!

Save 50% of your time, and reduce thousands of mouse clicks for you every day!

As the above screenshot, you are comparing the data in Column A and Column B. Please run the following VBA code to highlight the unmatched data.

1. Press Alt + F11 keys simultaneously to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, click Insert > Module. Then copy and paste the following code into the Code window.

VBA code: Compare two columns and highlight the unmatched data

Sub Dyeware()
    Dim xRg1 As Range
    Dim xRg2 As Range
    Dim xTxt As String
    Dim xCell1 As Range
    Dim xCell2 As Range
    Dim I As Long
    Dim J As Integer
    Dim xLen As Integer
    Dim xDiffs As Boolean
    On Error Resume Next
    If ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.Count > 1 Then
      xTxt = ActiveWindow.RangeSelection.AddressLocal
    Else
      xTxt = ActiveSheet.UsedRange.AddressLocal
    End If
lOne:
    Set xRg1 = Application.InputBox("Range A:", "Kutools for Excel", xTxt, , , , , 8)
    If xRg1 Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
    If xRg1.Columns.Count > 1 Or xRg1.Areas.Count > 1 Then
        MsgBox " Multiple ranges or columns have been selected ", vbInformation, "Kutools for Excel"
        GoTo lOne
    End If
lTwo:
    Set xRg2 = Application.InputBox("Range B:", "Kutools for Excel", "", , , , , 8)
    If xRg2 Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
    If xRg2.Columns.Count > 1 Or xRg2.Areas.Count > 1 Then
        MsgBox "Multiple ranges or columns have been selected", vbInformation, "Kutools for Excel"
        GoTo lTwo
    End If
    If xRg1.CountLarge <> xRg2.CountLarge Then
       MsgBox "Two ranges must have the same numbers of cells ", vbInformation, "Kutools for Excel"
       GoTo lTwo
    End If
    xDiffs = (MsgBox("Click Yes to highlight matched data, click No to highlight unmatched data ", vbYesNo + vbQuestion, "Kutools for Excel") = vbNo)
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    xRg2.Interior.ColorIndex = xlNo
    xRg1.Interior.ColorIndex = xlNo
    For I = 1 To xRg1.Count
        Set xCell1 = xRg1.Cells(I)
        Set xCell2 = xRg2.Cells(I)
        If xCell1.Value = xCell2.Value Then
            If Not xDiffs Then
                xCell1.Interior.Color = vbRed
                xCell2.Interior.Color = vbRed
            End If
        Else
            If xDiffs Then
                xCell1.Interior.Color = vbRed
                xCell2.Interior.Color = vbRed
            End If
        End If
    Next
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

3. Press the F5 key to run the code. In the popping up Kutools for Excel dialog box, select the first column you need to compare, then click the OK button. See screenshot.

4. Then select the second compared column in the next popping up Kutools for Excel dialog box.

5. In the dialog box as below screenshot shown, for highlighting the unmatched data, please click the No button.

Then all unmatched data between two columns are highlighted immediately. See screenshot:

Compare two columns and highlight the unmatched data with Kutools for Excel

If you just want to find out and highlight if the cell values in a column exist in another column or not, for example as below screenshot shown, number 2 in column A does not exist in column B. you can try the Compare Ranges utility of Kutools for Excel.

1. Click Kutools > Compare Ranges. See screenshot:

2. In the Compare Ranges dialog box, you need to:

2.1 Select the first column with the unmatched cells you will highlight in the Find values in box;

2.2 Select the second column you want to compare based on in the According to box;

2.3 Choose the Different Values option;

2.4 Check the Fill backcolor box and specify a background color from the drop-down list;

2.5 Click the OK button. See screenshot:

3. Then a dialog box pops up to tell you how many cells which only in column A but not in column B, click the OK button, and all matched cells are selected in column A.

Tip.If you want to have a free trial of this utility, please go to download the software freely first, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.

Related articles:

• How to compare two strings for similarity or highlight differences in Excel?
• How to exactly compare two strings (case sensitive) in Excel?

The Best Office Productivity Tools

Kutools for Excel Solves Most of Your Problems, and Increases Your Productivity by 80%

• Reuse: Quickly insert complex formulas, charts and anything that you have used before; Encrypt Cells with password; Create Mailing List and send emails...
• Super Formula Bar (easily edit multiple lines of text and formula); Reading Layout (easily read and edit large numbers of cells); Paste to Filtered Range...
• Merge Cells/Rows/Columns without losing Data; Split Cells Content; Combine Duplicate Rows/Columns... Prevent Duplicate Cells; Compare Ranges...
• Select Duplicate or Unique Rows; Select Blank Rows (all cells are empty); Super Find and Fuzzy Find in Many Workbooks; Random Select...
• Exact Copy Multiple Cells without changing formula reference; Auto Create References to Multiple Sheets; Insert Bullets, Check Boxes and more...
• Extract Text, Add Text, Remove by Position, Remove Space; Create and Print Paging Subtotals; Convert Between Cells Content and Comments...
• Super Filter (save and apply filter schemes to other sheets); Advanced Sort by month/week/day, frequency and more; Special Filter by bold, italic...
• Combine Workbooks and WorkSheets; Merge Tables based on key columns; Split Data into Multiple Sheets; Batch Convert xls, xlsx and PDF...
• More than 300 powerful features. Supports Office/Excel 2007-2019 and 365. Supports all languages. Easy deploying in your enterprise or organization. Full features 30-day free trial. 60-day money back guarantee.

Read More... Free Download... Purchase... 

---

Office Tab Brings Tabbed interface to Office, and Make Your Work Much Easier

• Enable tabbed editing and reading in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, Visio and Project.
• Open and create multiple documents in new tabs of the same window, rather than in new windows.
• Increases your productivity by 50%, and reduces hundreds of mouse clicks for you every day!

Read More... Free Download... Purchase...