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Google Sheets UNIQUE repair

Fix a Google Sheets UNIQUE formula that is not removing duplicates correctly.

UNIQUE can look broken when duplicates differ by hidden spaces, stored types, or formatting, or when a multi-column range makes each row unique. Paste the formula and source examples to get a focused repair path for row uniqueness, by_column, exactly_once, cleanup steps, and output range blockers.

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Get help writing, explaining, or fixing one Excel formula with range notes and checks before you paste.

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Percentage formulas

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Fix my Excel formula

Paste a broken formula and get a corrected version with checks for errors, text cells, ranges, and fallbacks.

Excel formulas not working

Fix formulas that stop calculating after imports, copied ranges, locale settings, or text-number mismatches.

Google Sheets #REF! error

Fix formulas broken by deleted tabs, invalid ranges, moved references, blocked array output, or IMPORTRANGE source issues.

Google Sheets #VALUE! error

Fix formulas blocked by imported text numbers, unparseable VALUE inputs, date text, range shapes, or wrong argument types.

Google Sheets #N/A error

Fix formulas with missing lookup matches, no-match FILTER results, text-number mismatches, hidden spaces, or fallback mistakes.

Google Sheets #DIV/0! error

Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, percentages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.

Google Sheets #NAME? error

Fix formulas with unknown range names, misspelled functions, deleted named ranges, named functions, or unquoted text.

Excel formula wrong result

Fix formulas that calculate the wrong value because of references, parentheses, stored types, or lookup settings.

Formula returns 0 or blank

Fix formulas that return 0, blank, or an empty string because of lookup return cells, IF logic, or hidden zero settings.

Excel date formula not working

Fix Excel date formulas with DATEVALUE #VALUE!, text dates, locale mismatches, serial numbers, DATEDIF, or criteria issues.

Excel SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of criteria, ranges, dates, or argument order.

Excel COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong counts because of criteria, range sizes, dates, or closed workbooks.

Excel TEXTJOIN not working

Fix TEXTJOIN formulas with #VALUE!, #NAME?, extra delimiters, blank joins, IF or FILTER array issues, line breaks, or version support problems.

Excel INDIRECT not working

Fix INDIRECT formulas with #REF!, dynamic sheet names, dependent dropdowns, named ranges, or external workbook limits.

Excel #VALUE! error

Repair formulas blocked by text values, hidden spaces, wrong argument types, dates, or subtraction syntax.

Excel #NAME? error

Fix formulas with misspelled functions, undefined names, missing quotes, or unsupported functions.

Excel #DIV/0! error

Fix formulas blocked by zero or blank denominators, ratio logic, averages, and IFERROR tradeoffs.

Excel #SPILL! error

Fix dynamic array formulas blocked by spill ranges, tables, merged cells, whole-column references, or changing array sizes.

Excel #CALC! error

Fix dynamic array and FILTER formulas blocked by empty results, nested arrays, range references, or unsupported calculations.

Excel #NUM! error

Fix formulas blocked by invalid numeric values, formatted constants, non-converging IRR or RATE inputs, or numbers outside Excel limits.

Excel circular reference

Fix formulas that point back at their own result cell or need deliberate iterative-calculation checks.

Excel #REF! error

Repair formulas broken by deleted rows, moved cells, invalid references, or shifted lookup ranges.

Google Sheets circular dependency

Fix circular dependency errors caused by self-referencing cells, self-including ranges, helper-cell loops, or iterative-calculation settings.

Google Sheets SUMIFS not working

Fix SUMIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, or wrong totals because of range sizes, criteria, dates, text values, or argument order.

Google Sheets COUNTIFS not working

Fix COUNTIFS formulas that return 0, #VALUE!, wrong counts, or miss rows because of range sizes, dates, stored text, hidden spaces, or separators.

Google Sheets SORT not working

Fix SORT formulas that return the wrong order, sort headers as data, separate rows, or misread dates and numbers stored as text.

Google Sheets UNIQUE not working

Fix UNIQUE formulas that keep duplicates, remove the wrong rows, return unexpected columns, or confuse by_column and exactly_once settings.

Google Sheets IMPORTXML not working

Fix IMPORTXML formulas with #N/A, Imported content is empty, Could not fetch URL, XPath mistakes, oversized results, or blocked page content.

VLOOKUP #N/A error

Fix lookup formulas that return #N/A because of exact-match settings, text-number mismatches, or range setup.

XLOOKUP #N/A error

Fix XLOOKUP formulas with missing matches, mismatched stored types, lookup-array issues, or fallback decisions.

Excel MATCH not working

Fix MATCH formulas with #N/A, wrong positions, omitted match_type defaults, sort-order issues, or text-number mismatches.

Date formulas

Create due dates, workday counts, month-end dates, date differences, and overdue checks.

FILTER formulas

Return matching rows for status, region, date, text, and threshold conditions.

Text formulas

Split, extract, join, trim, clean, and replace text from messy imported cells.

Data validation formulas

Block bad IDs, duplicate values, missing fields, and invalid entries with custom TRUE/FALSE rules.

XLOOKUP formulas

Return matching values with separate lookup and return ranges.

INDEX MATCH formulas

Build flexible lookup formulas for left lookups, two-way lookups, and older Excel files.

SUMIFS formulas

Total rows that match status, date, category, customer, or region rules.

Use case

Google Sheets UNIQUE repair for spreadsheet work.

Help Google Sheets users repair one UNIQUE formula where the visible problem is usually hidden spaces or formatting differences, multi-column row uniqueness, a misunderstood exactly_once setting, by-column mode, or a blocked output area.

What this page gives you

  • A focused repair pass for one Google Sheets UNIQUE formula.
  • Checks for hidden spaces, stored value types, multi-column row uniqueness, by_column mode, exactly_once behavior, and blocked output cells.
  • A revised UNIQUE path you can test on a small sample before changing a shared report.

When to use it

Use this page when UNIQUE keeps apparent duplicates, removes more rows than expected, returns unique row combinations instead of one unique field, or behaves differently after it is wrapped around FILTER or SORT. It is strongest when you can paste the exact formula and two source values or rows that should deduplicate.

Do not assume every visible duplicate is identical. UNIQUE compares the underlying values in the selected range, so hidden spaces, non-printing characters, stored text versus numbers, capitalization choices, and extra columns can all make rows distinct.

Worked example

A form export has customer emails in A2:A, but some entries include trailing spaces. UNIQUE appears to keep duplicates because the underlying text is different.

=UNIQUE(ARRAYFORMULA(TRIM(A2:A)))

The formula trims hidden leading and trailing spaces before deduplicating the email list. If capitalization matters in the source workflow, normalize case only after deciding how the list should treat those entries.

Check before you paste

  • Check whether the duplicate-looking values contain trailing spaces, non-printing characters, or inconsistent capitalization before changing the formula.
  • Format numeric values consistently when numbers, dates, or imported IDs appear to duplicate but do not collapse.
  • Use a single-column range when you want a unique list from one field; multi-column ranges return unique row combinations.
  • Use exactly_once only when repeated values should disappear entirely instead of leaving one representative value.
  • Clear the spill area before rewriting a valid UNIQUE formula that cannot expand into neighboring cells.
  • Test the repaired formula on a small sample before replacing a shared report formula.

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