
Take a look at the first name in column B. We will compare the names row by row without using built-in Excel functions. In the picture below, here is the initial data set. Compare columns row by row using the equal sign
Compare two columns in excel for non matches how to#
In this section, we will show you how to compare and identify which rows contain the same value and which ones are different. Let us start to compare two columns in Excel with some detailed examples.

How to compare two columns in Excel row-by-row Compare two columns using an Excel add-in.Compare two columns using sorted elements (older Excel versions).FILTER formula to compare unsorted lists (Excel for Microsoft 365).Compare two columns and extract differences.Using similarity by comparing data in two columns.Exact data match: VLOOKUP, INDEX, and MATCH.Find and extract matches between two columns.Compare two columns and highlight unique items.Highlight matching data using conditional formatting.Compare two lists and highlight matching data.Compare two columns and highlight matches and differences.Case-sensitive cell comparison using the EXACT function.Use the IF function to compare two columns.Compare columns row-by-row using the equal sign.Compare two columns in Excel row-by-row.Last, please take a closer look at our free add-in and learn how to perform all comparison tasks fast. We will also demonstrate a custom VBA function to check the similarity between two lists. As an alternative, use formulas to find matches. For example, you can apply conditional formatting to highlight all the matching data points in two columns. In this tutorial, you’ll discover several ways to compare two columns in Excel and highlight the matches and differences between them.

The chosen solution depends on user requirements and the structure of the initial data. Sometimes, comparing data can be challenging if you want to use the most effective way. Learn how to compare two columns in Excel to find, highlight or extract matches and differences using various methods.
