Google Sheets Remove Duplicates

Google Sheets can remove duplicate rows with a built-in cleanup tool, but the safest dedupe workflow depends on whether you want to change the source data or create a clean view beside it.

Use the built-in tool when you are ready to delete repeated rows. Use formulas when you want a non-destructive review view first.

Remove duplicates with the built-in tool

Step 1. Select the table that contains duplicates.

Step 2. Go to Data -> Data cleanup -> Remove duplicates.

Step 3. Check Data has header row if your first row contains labels.

Step 4. Choose the columns that define a duplicate.

Step 5. Click Remove duplicates.

Google Sheets keeps the first matching row and removes later duplicate rows from the selected range.

Decide what counts as a duplicate

The important step is column selection.

If you check every column, Sheets only removes rows where every selected value matches. If you check only email address, it removes rows with the same email even when names, notes, or dates differ.

For a CRM lead tracker, email or company domain may define the duplicate. For an expense tracker, date, vendor, amount, and receipt ID may be a safer combination.

Create a deduped view with UNIQUE

If you want a separate clean list without deleting anything, use UNIQUE:

That returns unique rows from the selected range.

For a one-column list of unique categories or owners, use:

This is useful for summary tables, dropdown source lists, and review views where the original data should stay intact.

Find duplicates before removing them

To mark duplicate emails in column B, use COUNTIF:

Use that as a conditional formatting rule or helper column. It lets the team review duplicates before deletion.

This is especially helpful in shared sales, marketing, or operations sheets where two rows may look duplicate but contain different notes or history.

Common dedupe mistakes

The Griddy way

Duplicate cleanup gets risky when the sheet contains notes, owners, history, or mixed imports from several sources.

"Find duplicate leads by email, keep the newest row, and preserve notes from older duplicates"

Griddy can identify the duplicate logic, build a review view, and clean the sheet without forcing you to guess which rows are safe to remove.