Remove Duplicates from a List
This page cleans one list. Paste one item per line. Duplicates are removed and the first occurrence stays in its original order, unless you turn on sorting. It does not compare two lists. For items only in one list or in both, use the compare two lists tool.
Spaces at the start and end are removed. Blank lines are skipped. The first spelling is the one that stays.
How it works
Each line is trimmed of spaces at the start and end, blank lines are dropped, and an item is kept only the first time it appears. With ignore case on, Apple and apple count as the same item. The sample list keeps apple, Banana, and cherry, and drops the later repeats.
Common uses
- Cleaning email or guest lists before a mail merge.
- De-duplicating product codes, order numbers, or names copied from a spreadsheet.
- Making a unique list before you compare two lists.
In Excel
Excel has Data, Remove Duplicates, and Microsoft 365 has the UNIQUE() function. See compare two lists in Excel when you need formulas instead of this page.
Frequently asked questions
Does this page compare two lists?
No. It removes repeated lines from a single list and keeps the first one. To compare two lists, use the main tool.
Is duplicate matching case-sensitive?
Not by default. Untick Ignore upper/lower case to keep Apple and apple as different lines.
Is my list uploaded?
No. Removal runs in your browser, and the text you paste is not sent to a server.