How to Use UNIQUE in Google Sheets and Excel Guide

Spreadsheets are still the operating system of business. Whether you work in Google Sheets or Excel, the UNIQUE function is one of the simplest ways to reclaim hours from manual de‑duping. Let’s walk through how to use it manually, how to automate around it with no‑code tools, and finally how to push it to true scale with an AI agent.

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1. Manual methods: mastering UNIQUE by hand

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1.1 Use built‑in de‑duplicate tools

In Google Sheets

1. Select the range (for example, A2:A500 for a list of emails).
2. Go to Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates.
3. Confirm whether your range has a header row.
4. Click Remove duplicates.

Official help: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3256550

In Excel (Microsoft 365/2021)

1. Select your data range or table.
2. Go to Data → Remove Duplicates.
3. Choose which columns to check for duplicates.
4. Click OK.

Official help: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/find-and-remove-duplicates-00e35bea-b46a-4d5d-b28e-66a552dc138d

This is quick but static: every time you add new data, you must repeat the steps.

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1.2 Use UNIQUE for dynamic distinct lists

In Google Sheets

1. Decide where you want your clean list to appear, e.g. cell D2.
2. Enter:
   =UNIQUE(A2:A500)
3. Press Enter. The results will “spill” down from D2.

Docs: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3256550 (UNIQUE function section).

In Excel (dynamic arrays)

1. Click into a blank cell, e.g. D2.
2. Enter:
   =UNIQUE(A2:A500)
3. Press Enter; Excel spills the unique values below.

Docs: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/unique-function-c5ab87fd-30a3-4ce9-9d1a-40204fb85e1e

Now, when new entries are added inside A2:A500, the unique list updates automatically.

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1.3 Get only values that appear once

Sometimes you want to find records that show up exactly once (e.g., one‑time buyers or single‑touch leads).

In Excel:
=UNIQUE(A2:A500,,TRUE)

In Sheets (syntax is similar):
=UNIQUE(A2:A500, TRUE, TRUE) if you want to compare by column and only keep exactly‑once entries, or adjust the second argument as needed.

This returns only values that occur a single time in the range.

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1.4 Combine UNIQUE with SORT

To get a sorted, distinct list:

• Excel:
  =SORT(UNIQUE(A2:A500))
• Sheets:
  =SORT(UNIQUE(A2:A500))

Now your list is both de‑duplicated and alphabetically ordered.

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1.5 Use UNIQUE with criteria (FILTER)

Suppose you only want unique “Active” customers.

• Excel:
  =UNIQUE(FILTER(A2:A500, B2:B500="Active"))
• Sheets:
  =UNIQUE(FILTER(A2:A500, B2:B500="Active"))

This first filters rows where status is Active, then returns the distinct values.

Pros of manual methods

• Full control, great for learning.
• No extra tools or integrations.
• Fine for small datasets and ad‑hoc analysis.

Cons

• Repetitive for weekly/monthly exports.
• Easy to forget a step or mis‑select a range.
• Doesn’t scale across many files or team members.

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2. No‑code automation around UNIQUE

Once you trust your formulas, the next step is to stop opening files manually.

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2.1 Use Zapier with Google Sheets

Workflow example: every time your form tool (Typeform/HubSpot) receives a submission, Zapier adds a row to a “Raw Leads” tab and maintains a “Unique Leads” tab using UNIQUE.

Steps:

1. In Google Sheets, create a spreadsheet with two tabs: Raw_Leads and Unique_Leads.
2. On Unique_Leads!A2, enter:
   =UNIQUE(Raw_Leads!A2:D)
   This will always show distinct rows from your raw tab.
3. In Zapier, create a Zap: Trigger = New form response → Action = Google Sheets: Create Spreadsheet Row in Raw_Leads.
4. UNIQUE automatically refreshes; no human needed.

Pros: easy to set up, no coding.
Cons: limited mainly to apps that Zapier supports; still formula‑centric.

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2.2 Make (Integromat) with Google Sheets or Excel Online

Make can:

• Watch a folder for new CSVs,
• Import them into a Google Sheet or Excel Online table,
• Optionally write a UNIQUE formula into a specific cell.

You define scenarios like: “When a new file appears in OneDrive, load it into Excel Online, update the UNIQUE formula in a ‘Clean’ tab, then notify Slack.”

Docs:

• Google Sheets API module: https://www.make.com/en/integrations/google-sheets
• Excel Online (Business) module: https://www.make.com/en/integrations/excel

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2.3 Power Automate with Excel

If your team is in Microsoft 365, Power Automate can:

1. Trigger when a new file is created in SharePoint/OneDrive.
2. Open the workbook in Excel Online (Business).
3. Insert or refresh a table that already uses UNIQUE.
4. Send a Teams message when the “Unique” tab is ready.

Docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/excel-online-business

Pros: native to Microsoft stack, good for IT‑approved flows.
Cons: flows can be brittle when sheet layouts change.

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3. Scaling with AI agents (Simular)

At some point, even no‑code flows feel rigid: you have many different spreadsheets, column orders change, and sometimes you just need a “smart analyst” who understands what you mean by “give me a unique list of accounts from all these exports.” That’s where an AI computer agent like Simular Pro shines.

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3.1 Agent as spreadsheet analyst

Story: Every Friday, your sales ops manager downloads three CSVs: product trials, webinar signups, and CRM opportunities. They open each in Excel, paste into a master workbook, build formulas with UNIQUE and FILTER, then export a deduped “Account List” for the SDRs.

With Simular Pro, you:

1. Record or describe the workflow in natural language: where files live, which columns contain emails or company names, and what the final tab should look like.
2. Let the agent open Excel, insert formulas like =UNIQUE(A2:A500) or =SORT(UNIQUE(A2:A500)), adjust ranges, and verify row counts.
3. Configure it to save and upload the final workbook to a specific folder or send via email.

Because Simular Pro is a full computer‑use agent, it can click through the actual Excel UI, handle multiple workbooks, and adapt if window positions or file names change.

Pros

• Works across any desktop Excel workflow, not just API‑exposed ones.
• Scales to thousands of steps with production‑grade reliability.
• Transparent execution: every step is logged and inspectable.

Cons

• Requires an initial setup and testing period.
• Overkill for very small, one‑off deduping tasks.

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3.2 Google Sheets data janitor at scale

In a marketing agency, you might manage dozens of client Sheets. Column orders differ slightly; naming is inconsistent. A Simular agent can:

1. Open each client’s Google Sheet in the browser.
2. Identify the “email” or “domain” column by reading headers.
3. Insert a UNIQUE formula on a clean “Unique_Contacts” tab.
4. Combine with FILTER to include only “Active” or “Subscribed” statuses.
5. Log how many rows were deduped and drop a summary into a central ops Sheet.

This workflow uses the same formulas you’d write yourself, but the AI completes them across dozens of files without you touching the keyboard.

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3.3 Multi‑system pipeline with webhooks

Because Simular Pro exposes simple webhooks, you can:

• Trigger an agent when a CRM export job finishes.
• Have it download the export, open in Excel, run UNIQUE, validate no emails were lost, then upload the sanitized list to Google Sheets or back to the CRM.

This turns UNIQUE from a single‑file trick into a continuously running data hygiene pipeline.

AI Agent Pros

• Handles messy, real‑world UI flows across Excel, Google Sheets, browsers, and file systems.
• Reduces human error and context switching.
• Easy to extend: add steps like reporting, emailing, or syncing with other tools.

AI Agent Cons

• Requires clear instructions and guardrails, especially early on.
• Best value when you have recurring, high‑volume workflows.