What is the best way to compare two lists in Excel?

Compare Two Lists in Excel

Table of Contents

Method 1: Compare Two Lists Using Equal Sign Operator.
Method 2: Match Data by Using Row Difference Technique.
Method 3: Match Row Difference by Using IF Condition.
Method 4: Match Data Even If There is a Row Difference.
Method 5: Highlight All the Matching Data using Conditional Formatting.

How do I compare 4 columns in Excel for matches?

You can compare 4 columns using the VLOOKUP function, the IF function, and the ISNA function. You have to add an extra column Helper.

How do you check if two sets of data match in Excel?

Example 1. Compare two columns for matches or differences in the same row

To compare two columns in Excel row-by-row, write a usual IF formula that compares the first two cells.
The result may look similar to this:
=IF(EXACT(A2, B2), “Match”, “”)
=IF(AND(A2=B2, A2=C2), “Full match”, “”)

How do I compare two columns in Excel to highlight the matches?

Compare Two Columns and Highlight Matches

Select the entire data set.
Click the Home tab.
In the Styles group, click on the ‘Conditional Formatting’ option.
Hover the cursor on the Highlight Cell Rules option.
Click on Duplicate Values.
In the Duplicate Values dialog box, make sure ‘Duplicate’ is selected.

How do I do a VLOOKUP to compare two lists in Excel?

How to compare two columns in Excel using VLOOKUP

For lookup_value (1st argument), use the topmost cell from List 1.
For table_array (2nd argument), supply the entire List 2.
For col_index_num (3rd argument), use 1 as there is just one column in the array.
For range_lookup (4th argument), set FALSE – exact match.

How do I compare 4 lists in Excel?

We can easily process data using Excel….1. Use Conditional Formatting to Compare 4 Columns

Use Conditional Formatting to Compare 4 Columns.
Select the Cells of 4 Columns from the data set.
Now, go to the Home tab.
After selecting Duplicate Values, we will get a Pop-Up.
Finally, press OK and get the return.

How do you compare two lists in conditional formatting?

On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting in the Styles group. Choose Highlight Cells Rules and then select Duplicates Values in the subsequent menu (Figure A). In the resulting dialog, select an appropriate format and click OK.

How do I compare two sets of data in Excel?

Compare 2 Excel workbooks

Open the workbooks you want to compare.
Go to the View tab, Window group, and click the View Side by Side button. That’s it!

How do you match 4 cells in Excel?

To quickly highlight cells with different values in each individual row, you can use Excel’s Go To Special feature.

Select the range of cells you want to compare.
On the Home tab, go to Editing group, and click Find & Select > Go To Special… Then select Row differences and click the OK button.

How do I compare 4 columns in Excel to find duplicates?

Finding and Highlight Duplicates in Multiple Columns in Excel

Select the data.
Go to Home –> Conditional Formatting –> Highlight Cell Rules –> Duplicate Values.
In the Duplicate Values dialog box, select Duplicate in the drop down on the left, and specify the format in which you want to highlight the duplicate values.

How do I check if one cell matches another in Excel?

Excel also allows you to check for both matches and differences in the same formula. All that you need to do is type either =IF(A1<>B1, “No match”, “Match”) or =IF (A1=B1, “Match”, “No match“).