Help finding duplicates

Hi,

use conditional formatting with this "new" rule in xl 2007

Highlight your data (below assumes data is in A1:A100
on the Home tab click Conditional formatting
click "new rule"
click "use a formula to determine ..."
enter the formula as the rule

=COUNTIF($A$2:$A$1100,A2)>1

adjust ranges to suit. Keep $ signs in place.

Sorry, this is an Excel forum. I don't know Google docs all that well. Maybe there is some sort of conditional formatting functionality with the Google spreadshet. If so, you probably find it documented in the Google docs help files.

After having a play with Google's spreadsheet, it does not seem that their equivalent of conditional formatting allows for applying formulas in the rules.

<Teylyn's Google docs help>
<!-- may the mods forgive me -->


What you can do, though, is create a helper column next to the names column and enter this formula

=COUNTIF($A$2:$A$100,A2)

Adjust the red number above to be the last row with data in your column. This column will now show how many times the name in column A on the same row appears in the list. We can now use Google's rules to give the cells a different color if the number in the cell is greater than 1, i.e. if the name appears more than once in the list.

Step by step:

Select all cells in the column,
click Format - Change colors with rules,
select "greater than" in the drop down list
enter "1" in the box next to the drop down
select red text on red background as the format (or whatever color strikes your fancy)
click "Save Rules"
click the whole column and select White as the default text color (to hide all the "1" values)

Viola! All duplicate names now have a bright red cell next to them.

</Teylyn's Google docs help>


does that suit?