“How do I compare what is in this list with what is in that list?” is a common request amongst my Excel-using clients.
“I have a list of names here and a list of names here and I want to see which names are in both lists”
One time I was asked “I have a list of names (employees) and 2 lists. Some of the employees are in List 1, some are in List 2 and some are in both. I need to see who is in both”
Whenever someone asked me how to compare 2 lists in Excel, I’d tell them to use the MATCH function. Then I realised using COUNTIF was much easier and neater.
So I made a video showing both methods. There’s probably other ways to do it. But that’s the beauty of Excel. I love seeing different approaches to solve a problem. Let me know how you would solve it either here or in the YouTube comments.
Links to the video and individual sections below:
Use the MATCH Function to Compare 2 Lists
Use the MATCH Function to Compare a List Against Multiple Lists
Use the COUNTIF Function to Compare 2 Lists
Use the COUNTIF Function to Compare a List Against Multiple Lists