How to quickly find partial duplicates in an Excel column?

Suppose there is a list of IP addresses in your sheet, and some of the addresses are duplicates in the first three numbers, here the job is to find the duplicates IP addresses which are only different in the last number as below screenshot shown. How can you quickly find these partial duplicates without comparing one by one in Excel?

Find partial duplicates with formulas

Find partial duplicates with Kutools for Excel

Find partial duplicates with formulas

To find partial duplicates from a column, you can do as below:

1. Select a blank cell next to the IP, B2 for instance, and enter this formula =LEFT(A2,9), drag auto fill handle down to apply this formula to the cells you need. See screenshot:

2. Then go to the next cell beside the first formula, C2 for instance, and enter this formula =COUNTIF(B:B,B2), and drag fill handle over the cells you want. Then the result 2 (or other number bigger than 1) indicates the relative IP address are duplicates, 1 indicates unique. See screenshot:

Tip: in above formulas, A2 is the first IP address, and 9 is the first 9 characters you want to compare, you can change as you want.

Find partial duplicates with Kutools for Excel

If you have Kutools for Excel, you can combine its Split Cells and Select Duplicate & Unique Cells utilities.

1. Select the IP addresses and click Kutools > Merge & Split > Split Cells. See screenshot:

2. In the Split Cells dialog, check Split to Columns option in Type section, and check Specify width option and enter 9 into the next textbox. See screenshot:

Tip: 9 indicates to split cells by every 9 characters.

3. Click Ok, and a dialog pops out to remind you select a cell to place the split value, here select H2 for instance. See screenshot:

4. Then the IP addresses have been split to two parts, one part includes first 9 character, the other includes last two characters.

5. And select the list of first part with includes first 9 characters, and click Kutools > Select > Select Duplicate & Unique Cells. See screenshot:

6. And in the Select Duplicate & Unique Cells dialog, check All duplicates (Including 1st one) option, and you also can format a different background or font color for the duplicates. See screenshot:

7. Click Ok, a dialog pops out to tell you the number of duplicates. Now the duplicate IP addresses have been selected and format with colors. See screenshot: