I’m working on a project where I need to clean up my Google Sheets data by getting rid of duplicate entries. The tricky part is that I want to identify duplicates based on just one specific column, not the entire row.
I know Google Sheets has this feature built in when you work directly in the app, but I’m trying to automate this process through Zapier. I’ve been looking through all the available actions in Zapier but can’t seem to find anything that handles duplicate removal.
Has anyone figured out a way to set up a Zap that can automatically detect and remove duplicate rows based on matching values in a single column? I’m open to workarounds or multi-step solutions if needed.
actually, here’s another approach that works well - use zapier’s formatter to create a unique id from your target column, then store those ids in a tracking sheet. when new data comes in, check if the id exists before adding the row. takes a bit more setup but handles duplicates automatically without scripts.
Zapier doesn’t have built-in duplicate removal, but I found a workaround that’s been working great. Instead of trying to block duplicates upfront, I use Google Apps Script with Zapier webhooks to clean up the data after the fact. The script finds duplicates in whatever column you specify and automatically deletes the extra rows. You just set up a custom webhook in Zapier that triggers the script - either on a schedule or when certain things happen. It handles existing duplicates and keeps cleaning up new ones without you having to do anything. You’ll need some basic scripting skills to set it up initially, but once it’s running, it handles large datasets pretty smoothly.
Indeed, there isn’t a straightforward action in Zapier for removing duplicates from Google Sheets. I encountered similar frustration while searching for a solution. However, I’ve managed to establish an effective workaround that might help you. I created a multi-step Zap that utilizes the ‘Lookup Spreadsheet Row’ action to check for existing entries based on the specific column of interest. If no entry is found, the Zap proceeds to add the new row using ‘Create Spreadsheet Row’. Conversely, if a match is detected, it halts the process with a Filter step, thereby preventing duplicates from being added in the first place. Just keep in mind that any existing duplicates need to be cleared manually in Google Sheets before implementing this automation.