Partly, and in a way that works against you. Boiling precipitates some of the calcium carbonate out of temporarily hard water, which is exactly the white scale that coats a kettle element. Everything else stays in the pot, and because water leaves as steam while minerals do not, the water remaining actually ends up more concentrated than it started.
Temporary hardness versus permanent hardness
The USGS describes hardness as dissolved calcium and magnesium measured as calcium carbonate, classing water as soft at 0 to 60 mg/L, moderately hard at 61 to 120, hard at 121 to 180 and very hard above 180 mg/L. Part of that hardness is bicarbonate based and breaks down on heating, dropping out as scale. The rest, associated with sulfates and chlorides, is unaffected by heat and stays dissolved no matter how long you boil.
Why boiling concentrates what remains
Steam is pure water. Every minute of boiling removes water and leaves the dissolved solids behind, so the mineral concentration of what stays in the pot rises. That is why a kettle boiled dry leaves a crust, and why boiling is the wrong response to a contaminant concern involving metals, nitrates or arsenic: those all become more concentrated, not less. Boiling addresses microorganisms, and that is the one thing it is genuinely good for.
What this means for scale in the house
Kettle scale is not evidence that boiling is treating your water. It is evidence that your water is hard and is laying down deposits everywhere it is heated, including in the water heater, the dishwasher and the washing machine. Those deposits build slowly and quietly and shorten appliance life. If you are descaling a kettle every few weeks, the fix belongs upstream at the main rather than in the kitchen.
The real ways to remove hardness minerals
An ion exchange softener trades calcium and magnesium for sodium across the whole house and is the standard answer. Reverse osmosis at the sink removes hardness along with almost everything else for drinking and cooking. Distillation does the same in batches. A salt free conditioner changes how hardness behaves without removing it. Our guide on how much a water softener costs sets out what each route asks of you before you commit.
Questions people ask about does boiling water remove minerals
Does boiling water soften it?
Only partially. Boiling drops out carbonate hardness as scale but leaves permanent hardness dissolved, so the water is not truly softened.
Is boiled water safe if my well test failed?
Boiling kills microorganisms but concentrates metals, nitrates and arsenic, so it is not a fix for a chemical failure on a well test.
Should I drink water that has scale in the bottom?
Loose scale is calcium carbonate and is harmless, though it indicates hard water that is depositing in your appliances as well as your kettle.