LibreOffice Calc · Data cleanup · Beginner
Remove Duplicate Values in LibreOffice Calc
Remove duplicate values in LibreOffice Calc with Standard Filter, No duplications and a copy-to destination.
Updated 10 October 2026 · Formula checks: testing standards
LibreOffice Calc can produce a list of unique values without immediately deleting your original data. The safest starting approach is Data → More Filters → Standard Filter with the No duplications option and a separate output destination.
Example: a single-column list
Enter this data in A1:A6:
| Row | A: City |
|---|---|
| 1 | City |
| 2 | Kingston |
| 3 | Ottawa |
| 4 | Kingston |
| 5 | Toronto |
| 6 | Ottawa |
You want a result containing Kingston, Ottawa and Toronto once each.
Copy a deduplicated list
- Select your source column, including the header if present (
A1:A6). - Choose Data → More Filters → Standard Filter.
- Set the relevant field, use Condition =, and choose Not Empty as the value.
- Open Options and enable No duplications.
- Enable Range contains column labels because A1 is a header.
- Enable Copy results and specify an empty destination such as
C1. - Confirm and inspect the output. The unique city values should appear once each.
The official example documents this workflow for a single column. For a multi-column dataset, decide whether duplicates mean identical rows or duplicated values in one key column before deleting anything. Always work on a copy when removing records.
Beware of case and hidden spaces
The No duplications setting distinguishes case in the documented workflow: Kingston and KINGSTON can be treated as different values. Hidden spaces may also create distinct entries; inspect suspicious cells with =LEN(A2).
If you need to standardize text first, consider a temporary helper column, for example =UPPER(TRIM(A2)), and review the output before replacing original names.
When to use a formula instead
If your goal is counting duplicates rather than filtering them, see COUNTIF. To troubleshoot results that seem too low, see COUNTIF returns zero.
Common questions
Does this destroy my source list? Not if you use Copy results to a separate location and verify it before making changes.
Will it safely deduplicate a table based on one ID column? Treat that as a different, higher-risk task. Check whether non-key columns differ among matching IDs before removing records.
Official reference: LibreOffice Help. This tutorial focuses on LibreOffice Calc; menu names and behavior can vary by version, operating system and locale.