Excel VBA delete duplicates keep positioning - excel

Question

Could someone please help me with some code to delete all duplicate entries across multiple columns and rows. Any cell which has a duplicate value I'd like to be blank, but I do not want to delete the cell and shift all the rows up like the remove duplicates button does. I'd like code exactly like conditional formatting does to highlight cells, but I'd like to set the value to "" instead.
I'm trying to edit the macro I recorded to something like:
Columns("I:R").Select
selection.FormatConditions.AddUniqueValues
selection.FormatConditions(1).DupeUnique = xlDuplicate
selection.FormatConditions(1).Value = ""
But I'm not sure I'm on the right track

Answer 1

Start at the bottom and work towards the top. Take a ten-column-conditional COUNTIFS function of the cell values while shortening the rows examined by 1 every loop.
Sub clearDupes()
Dim rw As Long
With Worksheets("Sheet1")
If .AutoFilterMode Then .AutoFilterMode = False
With Intersect(.Range("I:R"), .UsedRange)
.Cells.Interior.Pattern = xlNone
For rw = .Rows.Count To 2 Step -1
With .Resize(rw, .Columns.Count) 'if clear both then remove this
If Application.CountIfs(.Columns(1), .Cells(rw, 1), .Columns(2), .Cells(rw, 2), _
.Columns(3), .Cells(rw, 3), .Columns(4), .Cells(rw, 4), _
.Columns(5), .Cells(rw, 5), .Columns(6), .Cells(rw, 6), _
.Columns(7), .Cells(rw, 7), .Columns(8), .Cells(rw, 8), _
.Columns(9), .Cells(rw, 9), .Columns(10), .Cells(rw, 10)) > 1 Then
'test with this
.Rows(rw).Cells.Interior.Color = vbRed
'clear values with this once it has been debugged
'.Rows(rw).Cells.ClearContents
End If
End With 'if clear both then remove this
Next rw
End With
If .AutoFilterMode Then .AutoFilterMode = False
End With
End Sub
I've left some code in that only marks the potential duplicates. When you are happy with the results, change that to the commented code that actually clear the cell contents.

Answer 2

Using two sets of nested loops I check each cell in the range twice, once to see if it was a duplicate and to mark it and a second time to then remove the value (ensuring I remove all duplicates and do not leave one instance of each duplicate).
I'm sure that this is an inefficient way of doing it but it works so hopefully helps someone else in the same boat.
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Dim Row As Integer
Dim Column As Integer
Row = 100
Column = 10
'loop through identifying the duplicated by setting colour to blue
For i = 1 To Row 'loops each row up to row count
For j = 1 To Column 'loops every column in each cell
If Application.CountIf(Range(Cells(4, 1), Cells(Row, Column)), Cells(i, j)) > 1 Then 'check each cell against entire range to see if it occurs more than once
Cells(i, j).Interior.Color = vbBlue 'if it does sets it to blue
End If
Next j
Next i
'loop through a second time removing the values in blue (duplicate) cells
For i = 1 To Row 'loops each row up to row count
For j = 1 To Column 'loops every column in each cell
If Cells(i, j).Interior.Color = vbBlue Then 'checks if cell is blue (i.e duplicate from last time)
Cells(i, j) = "" 'sets it to blank
Cells(i, j).Interior.Color = xlNone 'changes colour back to no fill
End If
Next j
Next i
End Sub

Answer 3

Use conditional format to highlight duplicates and then change the value to "" using a loop through selection.
This code will allow one value to remain.(if you have 25 twice, this code will keep one 25)
Option Explicit
Sub DupRem()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim rn As Range
Dim dup As Range
Columns("I:R").FormatConditions.AddUniqueValues
Columns("I:R").FormatConditions(1).DupeUnique = xlDuplicate
Columns("I:R").FormatConditions(1).Font.Color = RGB(255, 255, 0)
For Each rn In Columns("I:R").Cells
If rn <> "" Then
If rn.DisplayFormat.Font.Color = RGB(255, 255, 0) Then
If dup Is Nothing Then
Set dup = rn
Else
Set dup = Union(dup, rn)
End If
End If
End If
Next
dup.ClearContents
Columns("I:R").FormatConditions(1).StopIfTrue = False
Columns("I:R").FormatConditions.Delete
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub