Count occurrences of values

calendar_today Asked Oct 31, 2012
thumb_up 15 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

For the sake of an answer rather than comments, copy column (say A) to B (say) and for B only Data > Data Tools – Remove Duplicates then in C2 enter: =COUNTIF(A:A,B2) and…. This is an advisory response with reference links, ranked #87th of 303 by community upvote score, from 2012.


The Problem (Q-score 8, ranked #87th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2012

I have a column of text values with repeated values. I want to create a new column of unique values (no repeats) and a column with the frequency of each of those values.

What’s the easiest way to do that? Efficiency isn’t much of a concern as it’s under 10,000 rows.

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds strong answer (top 25 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+15)

Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links

Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.

For the sake of an answer rather than comments, copy column (say A) to B (say) and for B only Data > Data Tools – Remove Duplicates then in C2 enter: 

=COUNTIF(A:A,B2)

and copy down as required

OR (preferred option)

use a PivotTable as @Tim:

SO13151320 example


When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)

Ranked #87th in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 96% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2012 and 2026

The answer is 14 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this sit in the top quartile of Excel VBA answers?
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Answer score +15 vs the Excel VBA archive median ~5; this entry is strong. The score plus 8 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+8) means the asker and 14 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

This answer links out — what are the reference links worth following?
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Read the first external link for the canonical reference, then search this archive for a top-10 entry in the same category — advisory answers are best paired with a ranked code snippet to close the loop.

This answer is 14 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2012, which is 14 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Excel VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which Excel VBA pattern ranks just above this one at #86?
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The pattern one rank above is “How to find the row number of a specific value in Excel using vbscript”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 8, Answer-score 15, original post 2012, ranked #87th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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