How to Do Email Validation in Excel (+Alternative)

What is email validation?

Email validation is a process that meticulously checks your email lists before sending messages. It uses different tools that sift through your list and pinpoint the valid email addresses from the inactive ones. 

This process helps spot any incorrect and invalid data, to make your communications find their mark. Without it, you might leave yourself sending messages into the void and missing opportunities to connect.

So, whether you’re sending a newsletter, a promotional offer, or a personal note, you should try email validation, as it helps your messages reach their intended audience, saves time, and improves engagement rates.

By working with only valid email addresses in your campaigns, you can boost your sender reputation, get better revenue from your campaigns, and focus your energies where they count.

How to validate email addresses in Excel?

Imagine you’ve got a bunch of email addresses in Excel, and you want to make sure every invite reaches its destination. How to get this job done?

For example, with Excel.

Validating email addresses in Excel can sound a bit daunting, but it’s actually quite straightforward once you break it down into simple steps. 

Let’s walk through how you can easily check if your email addresses are in the right format, right within Excel.

Step 1: Set up your Excel sheet

First up, you’ll want to have all the email addresses you’re planning to validate listed in a single column in Excel. Let’s say you’ve got them all in column A. This makes it easier to apply our validation process across the board.

Simply click on the first cell in the column where your emails are (let’s say A1), and name it, for example, “Email addresses.” Then, below write or upload your email list.
 

Step 2: Use the Data Validation feature

Next, we’re going to use the Data Validation button. It’s not too fancy. You just need to set some rules for what can be entered into a cell.

Select the entire column with email addresses. Go to the “Data” tab on the top menu of Excel, and you’ll find the “Data Validation” option in the toolbar.
 

 
Click on it, and the Data Validation dialog box will pop up.
 

Step 3: Determine validation criteria

In the Data Validation dialog box, under the “Settings” tab, you’ll see a field labeled “Allow.” Click on the drop-down menu and select “Custom.”

Below is where we’ll input a formula to check our email addresses.

In the formula field, enter a formula that Excel can use to verify every invalid email address. While Excel doesn’t have a built-in “email” formula, you can use a simple one like: ‘=ISNUMBER(SEARCH(“@”, A12))‘

This formula checks if there’s an “@” symbol in the cell, which is a basic requirement for an email address.
 

Step 4: Apply the validation

After entering your formula, click “OK” to apply the validation rule. To check existing emails, you can select the “Circle Invalid Data” option under Data Validation. This will highlight any cells that don’t fit the validation rule.
 

 
In this way, you can also check the occurrence of characters that make email addresses invalid.

See what a valid email address looks like in our article: What is the Correct Email Address Format?

⭐ Bonus for small lists

You can also use another way. Namely, go to the Data menu and again select Data Validation. In the “Allow” field, select “List.” 

Now in the “Source” field, enter the emails you have for validation – separate them with commas.
 

 
Confirm, enable the “Circle invalid data” option and you’re done.

Excel is good for this job, but…

Excel is quite a good tool if you want to find invalid email addresses within a short list, but checking email addresses in bulk can quickly become inefficient.

This is largely because Excel’s functions for data validation are somewhat limited. Especially when it comes to the intricate process of ensuring email addresses are not only formatted correctly but are also active and deliverable. 

The manual nature of setting up and applying validation rules in Excel adds another layer of complexity and time consumption.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of this tool, we can say that Excel is, after all, a less-than-ideal choice for businesses or individuals with large datasets.

In contrast, professional email validation tools are specifically designed to streamline and automate this process.

Such tools offer a more comprehensive approach to validation, going beyond simple format checks to include verification of the email’s existence, domain checks, and even the detection of disposable email addresses.

These tools can actually maintain a high deliverability rate and a clean email list and make email marketing campaigns more effective.

Also, professional email validation services can process thousands of email addresses in a fraction of the time it would take to validate them in Excel manually. They also provide detailed reports on the status of each email address and allow users to identify and rectify issues quickly.

With features designed to enhance accuracy, save time, and improve the overall efficiency of your email marketing efforts, professional tools represent a wise investment for anyone serious about maintaining the quality of their email lists.

One such tool is Bouncer.

Bouncer – your alternative to email data validation in Excel

 
Bouncer emerges as the unparalleled champion in the email list verification area. 

It transcends traditional validations in Excel and propels businesses toward achieving flawless email lists.

With its suite of offerings, including email list verification, email verification API, toxicity check, deliverability kit, and many integrations, Bouncer is dedicated to purging your lists of invalid email addresses and boosting email campaigns.

But this is a far more advanced tool.

It can test your inbox placement, verify your authentication, monitor blocklists, and test deliverability. It also allows you to check syntax validation, domain validation, or if you deal with toxic email addresses (like breached ones) and spam traps.

Bouncer competitive advantage

• Bouncer’s verification accuracy stands at an impressive 99.5%, which demonstrates its commitment to precision and reliability. This accuracy is critical in filtering out invalid emails and upholding the integrity of your email list.
• Unlike basic Excel email validation, Bouncer’s advanced technology adheres to strict validation criteria and ensures every email address meets the correct email address format or is free from common errors.
• Speed is another arena where Bouncer excels. Its API is engineered for swift email validation and is capable of processing up to 500,000 emails in a batch. This rapid verification process is a must for businesses with large email lists.
• The tool’s user-friendly interface, coupled with premium customer support, ensures a seamless experience for users and guides them through any challenges or integration needs they might encounter.

No matter if your goal is to maintain an up-to-date email list, prevent errors in your email campaigns, or ensure your email addresses adhere to syntax rules – Bouncer stands as the best tool for quick and accurate email validation.
 

Bouncer pricing

And the best part?

You can use Bouncer for free and verify your first 100 emails at no cost.

Once you’ve used them, you have the options of pay-as-you-go rates, so you’ll only pay for what you need, or a subscription plan – a more economical one, where you pay a fixed amount every month.

But that doesn’t mean Bouncer is expensive. With pay-as-you-go rates, you can have 1,000 credits for just $8.00. At that price and with so many features, it’s like paying nothing.

And if it so happens that you don’t use all the credits, you don’t have to worry – they will never expire.

Enjoy validating email addresses with Bouncer

With email validation, you’re not guessing which email addresses might work. Instead, you’re making informed decisions and ensuring your message lands in the right inbox every time. 

It’s a strategic move in data hygiene that can significantly impact your marketing efforts. 

You can perform basic email validation in an Excel spreadsheet, but will it be the right choice given that there are other, better, faster, and more effective tools for the job at your fingertips?

We leave the decisions to you.

If you ever need Bouncer, you know where to find us. 😉