Excel Data Cleanup Guides
Clean a copy of your source table before you sort it, join it to another list, or use it in a report. Start by checking the row structure, then deal with text that needs splitting or consistent case. The comparison and unique-value guides help you check what changed. Keep identifiers alongside the edited values so you can trace a result back to its original record.
Prepare rows and text
- Delete blank rows
Remove empty rows while checking which cells define a usable record.
- Split first and last names
Separate a name column and handle the cases that need a closer look.
- Change text case
Make text capitalization consistent without retyping each entry.
Check the cleaned values
- Compare two columns
Find matches and differences between lists.
- Count unique values
Check how many distinct entries your list contains.
All articles on this topic
5 articles
How to Split First and Last Names in Excel
Split names into columns with TEXTSPLIT, TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, or Text to Columns. Handle extra spaces, single names, and middle names....
How to Delete Blank Rows in Excel Safely
Delete completely blank rows in Excel with a helper column and filter. Keep partial records, formulas returning empty text, and cells containing spaces....
How to Count Unique Values in Excel
Count unique values in Excel, ignore blanks, count values that appear once, and add criteria. Includes modern formulas and an older Excel alternative....
How to Change Case in Excel: Uppercase, Lowercase, and Proper Case
Learn how to change case in Excel with UPPER, LOWER, PROPER, Flash Fill, and Paste Special so you can safely replace text values....
Compare Two Columns in Excel
Learn how to compare two columns in Excel for matches, differences, duplicates, missing values, and case-sensitive text....
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