Skip to content
Free Excel Tutorials
  • Home
  • Excel For Beginners
  • Excel Intermediate
  • Advanced Excel For Experts

Data Analysis

  • How to count table columns in Excel
  • How to Sort by Color in Excel
  • Conditional Formatting Icon Sets Examples in Excel
  • Example of COUNTIFS with variable table column in Excel
  • How to create Gauge Chart in Excel

References

  • Perform case-sensitive Lookup in Excel
  • Create hyperlink with VLOOKUP in Excel
  • Last row number in range
  • Excel Advanced Lookup using Index and Match Functions
  • How to use Excel MATCH Function

Data Validations

  • Excel Data validation date in specific year
  • Excel Data validation whole percentage only
  • Excel Data validation number multiple 100
  • Prevent invalid data entering in specific cells
  • Excel Data validation unique values only

Excel Data validation require unique number

by

Set criteria to accept only unique number, ie no duplicate.

To allow only unique numbers in a given range, you can use data validation with a custom formula based on the AND, ISNUMBER, and COUNTIF functions.

Formula

=AND(ISNUMBER(A1),COUNTIF(range,A1)<2)

Cell references in data validation formulas are relative to the upper left cell in the range selected when the validation rule is defined, in this case B5.

Explanation

In the example shown, the data validation applied to B5:B9 is:

=AND(ISNUMBER(B5),COUNTIF(ids,B5)<2)

where ids is the named range B5:B9.

How this formula works

Data validation rules are triggered when a user adds or changes a cell value.

The AND function takes multiple arguments (logical expressions) and returns TRUE only when all arguments return TRUE. In this case, we need two conditions:

Logical 1 tests if the input is a number using the ISNUMBER function:

ISNUMBER(B5)

The ISNUMBER function returns TRUE when a value is numeric and FALSE if not.

Logical 2 tests checks that the input doesn’t already exist in the named range “ids”:

COUNTIF(ids,B5)<2

COUNTIF returns a count of the value in B5 inside the named range ids (B5:B9). If the count is less than 2, the logical expression returns TRUE.

If both logical expressions return TRUE, the AND function returns TRUE and validation succeeds:

=AND(TRUE,TRUE) // validation successful

If either logical returns FALSE, data validation fails.

Note: Be aware that numeric input includes dates and times, whole numbers, and decimal values.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

DECIMAL function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

Next Post:

AVERAGE function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn Basic Excel

Ribbon
Workbook
Worksheets
Format Cells
Find & Select
Sort & Filter
Templates
Print
Share
Protect
Keyboard Shortcuts

Categories

  • Charts
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Validation
  • Excel Functions
    • Cube Functions
    • Database Functions
    • Date and Time Functions
    • Engineering Functions
    • Financial Functions
    • Information Functions
    • Logical Functions
    • Lookup and Reference Functions
    • Math and Trig Functions
    • Statistical Functions
    • Text Functions
    • Web Functions
  • Excel VBA
  • Excel Video Tutorials
  • Formatting
  • Grouping
  • Others

Logical Functions

  • SWITCH function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • SWITCH function example in Excel
  • How to use Excel OR Function
  • TRUE function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • Excel If, Nested If, And/Or Criteria Examples

Date Time

  • DATEVALUE function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • DAYS360 function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • Count birthdays by month in Excel
  • TODAY function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
  • How to calculate next day of week in Excel

Grouping

  • Categorize text with keywords in Excel
  • Running count group by n size in Excel
  • Group times into 3 hour buckets in Excel
  • Map inputs to arbitrary values in Excel
  • Group numbers at uneven intervals in Excel

General

  • Sum by group in Excel
  • Count cells that do not contain many strings in Excel
  • List sheet names with formula in Excel
  • How to get original number from percent change in Excel
  • Find Most Frequently Occurring Word in Excel Worksheet
© 2026 xlsoffice . All Right Reserved. | Teal Smiles | Abbreviations And Their Meaning