# How to combine two lists without duplicates in Excel

Stack the lists with VSTACK and remove the repeats with UNIQUE: `=UNIQUE(VSTACK(A2:A7,C2:C8))`.

**Excel:** `=UNIQUE(VSTACK(A2:A7,C2:C8))` (Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D | E |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Newsletter |  | Webinar |  | Everyone |
| ana@ruiz.example |  | lee@chen.example |  |  |
| raj@patel.example |  | ana@ruiz.example |  |  |
| lee@chen.example |  | mo@diaz.example |  |  |
| kim@ortiz.example |  | eve@lund.example |  |  |
| sam@cole.example |  | raj@patel.example |  |  |
| noor@ali.example |  | ivy@shah.example |  |  |
|  |  | kim@ortiz.example |  |  |

Formula in E2: `=UNIQUE(VSTACK(A2:A7,C2:C8))`

Result (spills 9 × 1): ana@ruiz.example; raj@patel.example; lee@chen.example; kim@ortiz.example; sam@cole.example; noor@ali.example; mo@diaz.example; eve@lund.example; ivy@shah.example

## How it works

VSTACK puts the second list under the first, giving one column of 13 addresses. UNIQUE then keeps the first copy of each, so people on both lists appear once. Both steps are live: add an address to either list (inside the ranges) and the combined list updates.

## Other ways

- `=SORT(UNIQUE(VSTACK(A2:A7,C2:C8)))`: Sort the combined list A to Z. (Alphabetical order, starting with ana@ruiz.example and ending with sam@cole.example.)
- `=UNIQUE({A2:A7;C2:C8})`: In Google Sheets, an array with a semicolon stacks ranges too, and works in older sheets that predate VSTACK.

## Common mistakes

- Empty cells in the ranges add a 0 to the list. Use `TOCOL(VSTACK(A2:A20,C2:C20),1)` inside UNIQUE to drop them when the ranges run past the data.
- "Ana@ruiz.example" and "ana@ruiz.example" count as the same value, but a trailing space doesn't. Clean emails with TRIM and LOWER first.

## Questions

**How do I combine three lists?**

Add the range to VSTACK: `=UNIQUE(VSTACK(A2:A7,C2:C8,E2:E9))`.

**How do I combine lists from two sheets?**

Use sheet references inside VSTACK: `=UNIQUE(VSTACK(Sheet1!A2:A50,Sheet2!A2:A50))`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/combine-two-lists-without-duplicates