Sorting and removing duplicates in Word?
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jakin
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Raymond PENTIER Posted messages 58546 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
Raymond PENTIER Posted messages 58546 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
Hello,
I have a Word file with a lot of email addresses in it, emails that I've collected over time while organizing sports tournaments, and I've collected quite a few duplicates and even triplicates. Does anyone have a trick or tip to help me easily eliminate these duplicates?
Just so you know, I tried to convert my Word file to a text file and then import it into Excel using the delimiter module (by commas), but it doesn't work (and it sorts the poorly separated data into rows instead of columns).
Thanks in advance!
I have a Word file with a lot of email addresses in it, emails that I've collected over time while organizing sports tournaments, and I've collected quite a few duplicates and even triplicates. Does anyone have a trick or tip to help me easily eliminate these duplicates?
Just so you know, I tried to convert my Word file to a text file and then import it into Excel using the delimiter module (by commas), but it doesn't work (and it sorts the poorly separated data into rows instead of columns).
Thanks in advance!
2 réponses
I find it a bit surprising that a Word file is used to store email addresses; usually, it's more common to use a contacts folder in an email application, but okay.
The method proposed by Raymond is correct since once the addresses are put into a Word table, they can be sorted (Tools, Sort).
After that, it's easier to see and eliminate duplicates, but it's done manually and by eye, so it's slow.
If there are many addresses, I suggest the following instead:
1. Copy the addresses into Excel (one address per cell, in column A for example)
2. Sort that column.
3. In column B, starting from B2, add a formula that compares it to the previous address (A1 to A2 for example) and indicates "DUPLICATE" if they are equal.
So in B2: =IF(A1=A2,"DUPLICATE","---")
4. Replace the contents of column B with values (copy + paste special)
5. Sort everything by column B then by column A.
6. Delete all rows that contain the word DUPLICATE (in column B).
EJ
The method proposed by Raymond is correct since once the addresses are put into a Word table, they can be sorted (Tools, Sort).
After that, it's easier to see and eliminate duplicates, but it's done manually and by eye, so it's slow.
If there are many addresses, I suggest the following instead:
1. Copy the addresses into Excel (one address per cell, in column A for example)
2. Sort that column.
3. In column B, starting from B2, add a formula that compares it to the previous address (A1 to A2 for example) and indicates "DUPLICATE" if they are equal.
So in B2: =IF(A1=A2,"DUPLICATE","---")
4. Replace the contents of column B with values (copy + paste special)
5. Sort everything by column B then by column A.
6. Delete all rows that contain the word DUPLICATE (in column B).
EJ
Jakin explained that he tried the Excel method without success; hence my suggestion ...
That said, it is indeed unfortunate that the entries were originally made in Word!
But once the text is put into a table in Word, it becomes easy to copy it into Excel ...