Windows sort /unique equivalent in Linux
Removes or counts duplicate lines. Must be used after sorting — it only removes adjacent duplicates.
sort /unique
sort | uniq
sort | uniq
sort | uniq
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "sort /unique" is used to filter duplicate adjacent lines. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "sort | uniq". Removes or counts duplicate lines. Must be used after sorting — it only removes adjacent duplicates. This reference is grouped under Text Processing.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Same name, different environment
The basic command name sort is familiar on both platforms, but Linux path rules, quoting, permissions and available options can still change the result.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux command-line basics.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Filter duplicate adjacent lines
Removes or counts duplicate lines. Must be used after sorting — it only removes adjacent duplicates.
sort file | uniq
Remove all duplicate lines
uniq -c file
Count occurrences of each line
uniq -d file
Show only lines that are duplicated
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
sort names.txt | uniq
awk '{print $1}' access.log | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -20
sort file.txt | uniq -d
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# No direct Windows CMD equivalent
# Remove duplicates from a sorted list:
sort names.txt | uniq
# Top 20 IPs by hit count:
awk '{print $1}' access.log | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -20
# Find duplicate lines only:
sort file.txt | uniq -dReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
sort file | uniq | Remove all duplicate lines |
uniq -c file | Count occurrences of each line |
uniq -d file | Show only lines that are duplicated |
uniq -u file | Show only unique (non-duplicate) lines |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "sort | uniq" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | sort | uniq |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | sort | uniq |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | sort | uniq |
Same command on this distribution. |
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