How to Keep the Newest Row for Each Email in a CSV

To keep the newest row for each email, upload the CSV to the keep the newest row per email tool, choose the email column and the date column, pick newest and download the list. The date decides which row wins, so the order of the file does not matter.

When you need this

You joined two exports, or exported the same list twice, and some people appear more than once with different details. The newer row has the current job title or the new company. Keeping the last row in the file is a guess, because the file may not be in date order.

What you need

• A CSV or .xlsx file with a header row.
• One column that must be unique, usually Email.
• One column with a date, such as Last updated, Created or Signup date.

Step 1: load the list

Upload the file or paste the cells with the header row first. The date column is picked by name where possible (a header with date, updated, created, modified or time in it). Change it if the guess is wrong.

Step 2: choose the columns and the rule

Choose the email column as the one that must be unique. Choose the date column. Choose Newest to keep the latest row for each email, or Oldest to keep the first time someone entered the list.

Step 3: tell it how dates are written

A date like 03/04/2026 is 4 March in the United States and 3 April in much of the world. Pick month first or day first to match your file. Year-first dates (2026-11-14, with an optional time) and Excel day numbers need no choice.

Step 4: read what was removed

The table lists each removed row with the row that replaced it. Check a few. The result also counts repeated rows whose date could not be read. Those lose to any row with a readable date, so a high count means the date format setting is probably wrong.

Equal dates keep the row that came first. Rows with a blank email are always kept.

Step 5: download

Download the list with one row per email, and the removed rows if you want a record. Cells are not mixed between rows: the whole winning row is kept. If you would rather fill blanks from the older row, use the duplicate email row merger.

Then check the addresses

The newest record is the most likely to be right about the person, not proof that the mailbox works. Upload the kept list to check it, and see the pricing page if the list is large. For why duplicates build up across sources, read duplicate leads from multiple sources. For first or last row without a date, use remove CSV duplicates by column, and for rows that match in every cell see how to remove identical rows from a CSV.

Common problems

• Old rows were kept. The dates may have been read the wrong way round. Switch between month first and day first and compare.
• Many unreadable dates. The cells may hold text such as "last week". The tool reads only the formats above.
• Addresses still repeat. They differ by a typo or a dot. Use the near duplicate email finder.

Frequently asked questions

Does it compare emails without regard to case? Yes. Spaces and capital letters are ignored when matching.

Can I use another column as the key? Yes. Any column can be the unique one, such as a phone number or an ID.