This quick guide explains the steps on how you can remove duplicates in LibreOffice calc list. And it’s super easy.
If you used, Microsoft Excel, you may have already known that it provides an option in the ribbon to remove duplicates.
However, there is no such direct option to remove duplicates in LibreOffice Calc. You have to use the advanced filter to achieve this. Here’s how.
Remove Duplicates in LibreOffice Calc
It’s easier to understand with an example. We have this list of items with the following data. The duplicate values are color-coded as below.
To remove duplicates, select the list. And then from the menu click Data -> More Filters -> Advanced Filters.
On the Advanced Filter window, select the range for removing the duplicates. It can be a single column or multiple columns of data of any size.
Then select the option "No duplicates".
Press OK.
And you should have your data set without duplicates. Now you can copy the unique data to some other sheet or workbook for further analysis and processing.
Usage Notes
- The above method just show you the unique data items by hiding duplicate rows. If you look at the above image, you can see the row 3 and row 5 is shown. That means, row 4 is hidden. Unfortunately, LibreOffice doesn’t have functionality as of current version to delete everything duplicates and show you unique values in a chronological order.
- So, once you have the above list, you need to copy them to a different sheet or workbook for your further processing.
As the LibreOffice Calc doesn’t provide a simple enough quick option, you have to follow this way to remove the duplicates.
Looking for something else?
Read our complete tutorial index of Calc, Writer, Impress and Draw.
I am doing this exact process but get the error “This range does not contain a valid query.” Can you help me resolve this error?
You have to select the list first. Then choose option from menu.
Excel:
1. Select the range of cells
2. Click Data > Remove Duplicates.
3. Click OK.
And this shows exactly why open source is where it is…
Well, this is what it is. You can always request a feature here: https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/
Do not Work!
My version is:
Version: 7.1.3.2 / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 10(Build:2)
CPU threads: 8; OS: Linux 5.11; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Ubuntu package version: 1:7.1.3-0ubuntu0.21.04.1
Calc: threaded
But a simple spreadsheet, where I just want to remove duplicate rows, this filter tool doesn’t Work! When I perform the procedure, all records are gone. When I apply the filter again, the duplicate records come back.
This doesn’t seem to actually remove the duplicate rows. It only reduces the height of the rows containing the duplicates to a very low value so it appears like they aren’t there. However if you expand the height back up the values are there, so if you are counting the data by formula the duplicates remain?
Yes, you are right. It’s unfortunate that this is the only way so far. So for better clarity, I have updated the article at the end to avoid confusion.
How come you do not respond to the users that say these steps do not work? It appears there are many users that receive this message: “This range does not contain a valid query.”
You have to select the list first. Then choose option from menu.
Even after selecting the list and then trying to trace out the duplicate, there appears a dialogue box saying “This range does not contain a valid query.”