How to Delete Duplicate Records in MS Access Using SQL Query: 1-Min Guide

How to Delete Duplicate Records in MS Access Using SQL Query

Updated on:

May 12, 2026

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Use this interactive demo to learn how to remove duplicate records in MS Access using a SQL delete query.

Quick summary

This tutorial shows how to delete duplicate records in Microsoft Access using a SQL query built inside Query Design view. By writing and running a targeted DELETE SQL statement, you can clean up redundant data from any Access table in just a few steps.

Steps

Go to the Create tab in the MS Access ribbon.
Select Query Design to open a new query window.
Click View and select SQL View to switch to the SQL editor.
Enter your delete query to target and remove the duplicate records.
Click Run to execute the query and see the results.

📌 Why this matters

Duplicate records in Microsoft Access databases can corrupt reports, skew analysis, and cause data integrity issues across connected applications. Using a SQL DELETE query in Access Query Design view is the fastest and most reliable method to identify and remove duplicate rows without manual row-by-row editing. This approach gives database administrators and power users full control over which duplicate records are deleted, ensuring clean, accurate data remains. Mastering this technique is essential for anyone managing relational data in MS Access at scale.

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