Dropping Multiple Columns from a dataframe

Question

I know how to drop columns from a data frame using Python. But for my problem the data set is vast, the columns I want to drop are grouped together or are basically singularly spread out across the column heading axis. Is there a shorter way to slice or drop all the columns with fewer lines of code rather than to write it out like how I have done. The way I have done it here works but I would like a more summarized way.

The flight_data_copy_final is the variable in which it should be stored.

Here's my code:

from IPython.display import display

flight_data_copy_version1 = flight_data_copy.drop(flight_data_copy.ix[:,"Year": "FlightDate"].columns, axis=1)
flight_data_copy_version2 = flight_data_copy_version1.drop("TailNum", axis=1)
flight_data_copy_version3 = flight_data_copy_version2.drop("OriginStateFips", axis=1)
flight_data_copy_version4 = flight_data_copy_version3.drop("DestStateFips", axis=1)
flight_data_copy_version5 = flight_data_copy_version4.drop("Diverted", axis=1)
flight_data_copy_version6 = flight_data_copy_version5.drop("Flights", axis=1)
flight_data_copy_final = flight_data_copy.drop(flight_data_copy_version6.ix[:,"FirstDepTime":].columns, axis=1)

print (display (flight_data_copy_final))

you can do it this way: df.drop(['col1','col2','col5','colN'], 1) — MaxU - stand with Ukraine
– MaxU - stand with Ukraine, Commented Nov 2, 2016 at 20:19
You don't need to assign so many intermediate variables. You could do df.drop('col1', axis=1).drop('col2', axis=1)..... Or better drop all cols in one operation, and possibly inplace with df.drop(['col1','col2','col5','colN'], axis=1, inplace=True) — zyxue
– zyxue, Commented Nov 2, 2016 at 20:22

malizia · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-10 01:13:43Z

88

To delete multiple columns at the same time in pandas, you could specify the column names as shown below. The option inplace=True is needed if one wants the change affected column in the same dataframe. Otherwise remove it.

flight_data_copy.drop(['TailNum', 'OriginStateFips', 
                'DestStateFips', 'Diverted'], axis=1, inplace=True)

Source: Python Pandas - Deleting multiple series from a data frame in one command

edited Oct 10, 2017 at 1:13

malizia

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answered Jan 10, 2017 at 22:49

Prasanth Regupathy

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Md.Rakibuz Sultan · Accepted Answer · 2021-09-07 18:50:55Z

23

    df.drop(columns=['col_1', 'col_2','col_N'])

answered Sep 7, 2021 at 18:50

Md.Rakibuz Sultan

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3 Comments

Jeremy Caney Over a year ago

Why do you prefer this over the accepted answer?

Stardust Over a year ago

I like this answer, the code is more readable using columns= instead of axis=1. I think both are equivalent though.

Liz Over a year ago

The accepted answer gave me errors when I used it with a list of column names - this small change doesn't give an error

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