Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Deleting Duplicate Columns.

Deleting Duplicate Columns

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 9, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Dror has a worksheet that contains quite a bit of data. It is possible that the data in one column will be exactly the same as the data in another column, so he wonders if there is an easy way to delete any duplicate columns within the worksheet.

The first step, of course, is to figure out if two columns are identical or not. This can be determined rather easily with an array formula such as the following:

=AND(A1:A100=B1:B100)

(Remember that an array formula is entered by using Shift+Ctrl+Enter.) The formula compares all the values in the first 100 rows of columns A and B. If they are all the same, then the formula returns TRUE. If any of the cells don't match, then the formula returns FALSE. If the result is TRUE you could then delete one of the columns because they are the same.

If you want something that is a bit more automatic, meaning that the duplicate column is deleted, then you'll need to use a macro. The following steps through all the columns in the worksheet and, starting with the right-most column, compares all the columns. If any are the same—regardless of their order in the worksheet—then the macro asks if you want the duplicate column deleted.

Sub DeleteDuplicateColumns()
    Dim rngData As Range
    Dim arr1, arr2
    Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, n As Integer

    On Error Resume Next
    Set rngData = ActiveSheet.UsedRange
    If rngData Is Nothing Then Exit Sub

    n = rngData.Columns.Count

    For i = n To 2 Step -1
        For j = i - 1 To 1 Step -1
            If WorksheetFunction.CountA(rngData.Columns(i)) <> 0 And _
              WorksheetFunction.CountA(rngData.Columns(j)) <> 0 Then
                arr1 = rngData.Columns(i)
                arr2 = rngData.Columns(j)
                If AreEqualArr(arr1, arr2) Then
                    With rngData.Columns(j)
                        'mark column to be deleted
                        .Copy
                        If MsgBox("Delete marked column?", vbYesNo) _
                          = vbYes Then
                            rngData.Columns(j).Delete
                        Else
                            'remove mark
                            Application.CutCopyMode = False
                        End If
                    End With
                End If
            End If
        Next j
    Next i

End Sub
Function AreEqualArr(arr1, arr2) As Boolean
    Dim i As Long, n As Long
    AreEqualArr = False
    For n = LBound(arr1) To UBound(arr1)
        If arr1(n, 1) <> arr2(n, 1) Then
            Exit Function
        End If
    Next n
    AreEqualArr = True
End Function

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7164) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Deleting Duplicate Columns.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Protecting Document Areas from Global Replacements

You may have boilerplate text that you need to include in your document, and it would be detrimental to accidently change ...

Discover More

Cannot Add Worksheets to a Workbook

If you cannot add a worksheet to your workbook, it could be because the workbook is protected. This tip shows how to ...

Discover More

Copying Custom Properties

You can add custom properties to a document to help with all sorts of file management tasks. If you want to copy these ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Entering the Current Time

Need to enter the current time into a cell? It's easy to do using this keyboard shortcut. The shortcut is a handy one to ...

Discover More

Using Overtype Mode

Have you ever typed something in Excel, only to have it replace whatever is to the right of the insertion point? That's ...

Discover More

Deleting All Names but a Few

Want to get rid of most of the names defined in your workbook? You can either delete them one by one or use the handy ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 0?

2021-03-26 21:50:52

dt

Do you have a version of this that will do the same for rows? No headers and use the active selection?

Very Respectfully,


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.