Remove Empty Strings from Python List

Here are 4 ways to remove empty strings from a list in Python:

(1) Using a List Comprehension:

new_list = [x for x in list_with_empty_strings if x != ""]

(2) Using a For Loop:

new_list = []

for x in list_with_empty_strings:
    if x != "":
        new_list.append(x)

(3) Using Filter:

new_list = list(filter(None, list_with_empty_strings))

(4) Using Filter and Lambda:

new_list = list(filter(lambda x: x != "", list_with_empty_strings))

Examples

Case 1: Using a List Comprehension

Suppose that you have the following list that contains empty strings:

list_with_empty_strings = ["blue", "green", "", "red", "", "yellow", "orange", ""]

print(list_with_empty_strings)

As you can see, there are currently 3 empty strings in the list (as highlighted in yellow):

['blue', 'green', '', 'red', '', 'yellow', 'orange', '']

The goal is to remove those 3 empty strings from the list in Python.

You can then use a List Comprehension to remove those empty strings:

list_with_empty_strings = ["blue", "green", "", "red", "", "yellow", "orange", ""]

new_list = [x for x in list_with_empty_strings if x != ""]

print(new_list)

The empty strings would now be removed:

['blue', 'green', 'red', 'yellow', 'orange']

Case 2: Using a For loop

Alternatively, you can use a For Loop to remove the empty strings:

list_with_empty_strings = ["blue", "green", "", "red", "", "yellow", "orange", ""]

new_list = []

for x in list_with_empty_strings:
    if x != "":
        new_list.append(x)

print(new_list)

You’ll get the same list without the empty strings:

['blue', 'green', 'red', 'yellow', 'orange']

(3) Using a filter:

You can achieve the same results using a filter:

list_with_empty_strings = ["blue", "green", "", "red", "", "yellow", "orange", ""]

new_list = list(filter(None, list_with_empty_strings))

print(new_list)

As before, you’ll get the same list without the empty strings:

['blue', 'green', 'red', 'yellow', 'orange']

(4) Using Filter and Lambda:

Finally, you may apply a filter and lambda to remove the empty strings in the list:

list_with_empty_strings = ["blue", "green", "", "red", "", "yellow", "orange", ""]

new_list = list(filter(lambda x: x != "", list_with_empty_strings))

print(new_list)

The result:

['blue', 'green', 'red', 'yellow', 'orange']