How to find duplicate values without removing them in Excel?

In Excel, the Remove Duplicates function can help users to quickly remove all duplicate values from a list. But in some times, you may only want to find and identify the duplicate values without removing them as below screenshot shown, how can you quickly handle it?

Find duplicate values without deleting by Conditional Formatting

Find duplicate values without deleting by Kutools for Excel

Find duplicate values without deleting by formulas

Find duplicate values without deleting by Conditional Formatting

The Conditional Formatting can quickly highlight the duplicate values in a list.

1. Select the values you want to find duplicates, click Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values. See screenshot:

2. In the popping Duplicate Values dialog, select the highlighting option as you need from the right drop down list. See screenshot:

3. Click OK. And the duplicates have been highlighted.

Find duplicate values without deleting by Kutools for Excel

In fact, there is a handy utility – Select Duplicate & Unique Cells of Kutools for Excel which can do you a nice favor on quickly identifying and highlighting the duplicate values or unique values.

After installing Kutools for Excel, please do as below:

1. Select the list of values you want to identify the duplicates, click Kutools > Select > Select Duplicate & Unique Cells. See screenshot:

2. In the Select Duplicate & Unique Cells dialog, do as below operations:

1) Choose the options in Rule section as you need, for example, choose Duplicates (Except 1st one) to select the duplicate values excluding first appearing one;

2) Specify if highlight the duplicate cells with different background color or font color;

3) Specify if select entire rows or select duplicate in case sensitive.

3. Click Ok. A dialog pops out to remind you how many duplicate cells have been selected, and you can click OK to close, it, and at the same time, the duplicate values have been identified and highlighted.

Tip. If you want to have a free trial of the Select Duplicate & Unique Cells function, please go to free download Kutools for Excel first, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.

Find duplicate values without deleting by formulas

Here are some formulas to identify the duplicate values in a list.

Select a blank cell next to the list of values you want to find duplicates, enter this formula =IF(COUNTIF($A$2:$A$14,A2)>1,"DUPLICATE",""), drag fill handle down to the cell which need to apply this formula. See screenshot:

Note:

1. If you want to find the duplicates excluding first appears, you can apply this formula =IF(COUNTIF(A$2:A2,A2)>1,"DUPLICATE","").

2. In above formulas, A2 is the cell you want to find if a duplicate value, you can change it as you need.