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UNIQUE Function in Excel: Syntax, Examples and Free Practice

By Rinkesh Shah, founder of Cellgrids.

UNIQUE is an Excel Lookup & Reference function. Returns a list of distinct values from a range.

UNIQUE syntax

=UNIQUE(array, [by_col], [exactly_once])

Arguments

When to use UNIQUE

UNIQUE is used to pull matching data from one part of a workbook into another.

Practice UNIQUE online, free

Open the live Excel-style spreadsheet and try UNIQUE yourself. No Excel install or sign-up needed to start.

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Watch: UNIQUE in Excel

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Learn more

Read the tutorial: Remove duplicates in Excel.

More Lookup & Reference functions

Frequently asked questions

What does the UNIQUE function do in Excel?

Returns a list of distinct values from a range.

What is the syntax of UNIQUE in Excel?

The syntax is =UNIQUE(array, [by_col], [exactly_once]). array: The range or array to evaluate; by_col: Whether to compare by column instead of by row (optional); exactly_once: Whether to return only values that appear exactly once (optional).

Where can I practice UNIQUE online for free?

Open the free live spreadsheet on Cellgrids and try UNIQUE yourself. No Excel install is needed and you can start without signing up.

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