Excel Data Cleaner

How to Use the Excel Data Cleaner

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Upload Excel File: Click the upload area or drag and drop your Excel file
2. Load File: Click "Load Excel File" to process the spreadsheet
3. Select Cleaning Options: Choose which cleaning operations to apply
4. Set Output Name: Enter a name for the cleaned file
5. Clean & Download: Click "Clean & Download" to get your cleaned Excel file

Cleaning Options

Structure Cleaning

Remove Empty Rows

• Removes rows where all cells are empty
• Helps reduce file size and improve readability
• Only removes completely empty rows

Remove Empty Columns

• Removes columns where all cells are empty
• Cleans up unused columns
• Only removes completely empty columns

Remove Duplicate Rows

• Identifies and removes duplicate rows
• Keeps the first occurrence of each unique row
• Compares entire row content for duplicates

Text Cleaning

Trim Whitespace

• Removes leading and trailing spaces from text
• Cleans up accidental spacing issues
• Does not affect spaces between words

Remove Special Characters

• Removes all special characters from text
• Keeps only letters, numbers, and spaces
• Useful for standardizing data formats

Convert to UPPERCASE

• Converts all text to uppercase letters
• Useful for standardizing names or codes
• Mutually exclusive with lowercase option

Convert to lowercase

• Converts all text to lowercase letters
• Useful for email addresses or usernames
• Mutually exclusive with uppercase option

Common Use Cases

Data Import Preparation

• Clean data before importing to databases
• Remove formatting inconsistencies
• Standardize text for matching
• Eliminate duplicate entries

Report Cleanup

• Remove empty rows from exported reports
• Clean up whitespace issues
• Standardize text formatting
• Reduce file size by removing empty data

Data Analysis

• Prepare datasets for analysis
• Remove duplicate observations
• Standardize text fields
• Clean imported data

Database Migration

• Clean legacy data before migration
• Remove empty records
• Standardize text formatting
• Eliminate duplicates

Spreadsheet Maintenance

• Clean up old spreadsheets
• Remove accumulated empty rows/columns
• Standardize formatting
• Improve file organization

How Cleaning Works

Processing Order

1. Structure cleaning (empty rows, columns, duplicates)
2. Text cleaning (whitespace, special chars)
3. Text transformation (uppercase/lowercase)

All Sheets Processed

• All sheets in the workbook are cleaned
• Same cleaning options applied to all sheets
• Original sheet names preserved
• Sheet order maintained

Data Preservation

• Only selected cleaning operations are applied
• Original file is never modified
• Numbers and dates are preserved
• Cell formatting is maintained where possible

Duplicate Detection

• Compares entire row content
• First occurrence is kept
• Subsequent duplicates removed
• Case-sensitive comparison

Tips for Best Results

1. Preview Before Cleaning: Review your options before downloading
2. Start Conservative: Begin with basic options (empty rows, whitespace)
3. Check Duplicates Carefully: Ensure you want to remove exact duplicates
4. Backup Original: Keep a copy of the original file
5. Test Case Conversion: Use uppercase/lowercase carefully as it affects all text
6. Special Characters: Be cautious as it removes ALL special characters
7. Review Selected Options: Check the info box to see what will be applied

Understanding Each Option

Empty Rows vs Blank Cells

• Empty rows: ALL cells in the row are empty
• Rows with some blank cells are kept
• Use for removing extra rows at the end

Empty Columns

• Removes columns with NO data at all
• Columns with headers only are NOT removed (header counts as data)
• Use for cleaning up unused column space

Duplicates

• Exact match of all cell values in the row
• Order of columns matters
• Case-sensitive for text
• Use when you have completely identical rows

Whitespace

• Only removes spaces at start and end of text
• Does not remove spaces between words
• Does not affect empty cells
• Safe to use on most data

Special Characters

• Removes: @#$%^&*()[]{}|<>?/~`
• Keeps: Letters, numbers, spaces
• Be careful with data containing: emails, URLs, formulas
• May affect formatted data

Case Conversion

• Affects ALL text in all cells
• Cannot select both uppercase and lowercase
• Does not affect numbers or dates
• Irreversible in the output file

File Processing

Input Format

• Supports: .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm
• Maximum file size: 50MB
• Multiple sheets supported

Output Format

• Always outputs .xlsx format
• All sheets included
• Original structure maintained
• Only selected cleanings applied

Performance

• Small files (< 1MB): Instant
• Medium files (1-10MB): Few seconds
• Large files (10-50MB): May take 10-30 seconds
• Processing time varies by browser and device

Troubleshooting

File Not Loading?

• Check file format (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm only)
• Verify file size is under 50MB
• Ensure file is not password-protected
• Try re-uploading the file

Too Much Data Removed?

• Review selected options carefully
• Deselect aggressive options (duplicates, special chars)
• Test with conservative options first
• Keep backup of original file

Text Looks Wrong?

• Check if uppercase/lowercase was accidentally selected
• Special character removal may affect some data
• Review cleaning options before processing
• Use options selectively

Processing Taking Too Long?

• Large files take more time
• Multiple cleaning options increase processing time
• Browser performance varies
• Wait for completion or try smaller file