> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.rechat.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.rechat.com/guides/crm/contacts/managing-your-contacts/managing-duplicates.md). # Managing Duplicates Keep your contact database clean and organized by identifying and merging duplicate contacts in Rechat. Over time, you may end up with multiple contact records for the same person, especially when importing contacts from different sources or adding someone who already exists in your database. Rechat helps you identify potential duplicates and combine their information into a single contact record, making it easier to manage relationships, communications, and follow-ups. ### How Rechat Identifies Duplicate Contacts Rechat automatically identifies potential duplicate contacts when two or more records share the **same email address**. When duplicates are detected, Rechat displays a notification in the upper-right corner of your screen, allowing you to review and merge those records. {% hint style="warning" %} **Important:** Rechat's automatic duplicate detection is based on matching email addresses, not matching names or phone numbers. {% endhint %} You can also manually merge contacts from your contact list, even if they don't share the same email address or other identifying information. ### Understanding Primary Contacts When merging contacts, one record becomes the **primary contact**. This is the record that remains after the merge. When manually selecting contacts to merge from your contact list, **the first contact you select becomes the primary contact**. For example, if you select John Smith's personal contact record first and his imported contact record second, the personal record becomes the primary. #### What Happens to Information From Other Contacts? Merging contacts doesn't simply discard all the information from the secondary records. * **Phone numbers:** If the primary contact doesn't have a phone number but another selected contact does, that phone number is retained. * **Different field values:** When records contain different values for the same field, those values are retained. * **Tags:** Unique tags from all merged contacts are combined on the surviving record. This helps consolidate valuable information that may have been spread across multiple contact records. ### Merging Duplicate Contacts #### Merge Contacts Identified by Rechat 1. When Rechat identifies potential duplicate contacts, look for the duplicate notification in the upper-right corner. 2. Open the notification to review the potential duplicates. 3. Review the contact records to confirm they belong to the same person. 4. Select **Merge** for the appropriate group. 5. Review the confirmation message and select **Confirm** to complete the merge.

#### Manually Merge Contacts From Your Contact List You can also merge contacts manually, including records that Rechat hasn't identified as duplicates. 1. Navigate to **People > Contacts**. 2. Find the contact records you'd like to combine. 3. Select the contact you want to keep as the **primary contact first**. 4. Select the additional contact records you'd like to merge. 5. Choose the available merge action. 6. Review your selections and confirm the merge. {% hint style="warning" %} **Important:** Rechat allows you to manually merge contacts even when they don't have matching email addresses. Always verify that the selected records belong to the same person. {% endhint %} #### Merge Multiple Duplicate Contacts If Rechat identifies several groups of duplicate contacts, you can use the bulk merging option to consolidate multiple groups without merging each group individually. 1. Open the **Duplicate Contacts** notification. 2. Review the duplicate groups displayed. 3. Select **Merge** individually, or choose **Merge to Contact List** to process the duplicate groups together. 4. Confirm the action to complete the merge.

### Before You Merge: Best Practices Merging contacts is a permanent action and **cannot be undone**. Before confirming a merge: * Verify that all selected records belong to the same person. * Review email addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information, particularly when multiple contacts share the same name. * When manually merging, select your preferred primary contact first. * Be especially careful with contacts imported from different sources, such as Rezora lists. * Review the contact information before confirming a bulk merge. ### Frequently Asked Questions **How does Rechat identify duplicate contacts?** Rechat automatically identifies potential duplicates when contact records share the same email address. **Can I merge contacts that have different email addresses?** Yes. You can manually select and merge contacts even when they don't have matching email addresses. **How do I choose which contact becomes the primary?** When manually merging contacts from your contact list, the first contact you select becomes the primary record. **Will I lose a phone number if it's only on the secondary contact?** No. If the primary contact has no phone number but the secondary contact does, the secondary contact's phone number is retained. **What happens if both contacts have different information?** Different values are retained during the merge rather than automatically discarding the secondary contact's information. **Will tags from multiple contacts be combined?** Yes. Unique tags from all merged contacts are combined on the surviving contact. **Can I undo a contact merge?** No. Contact merges cannot be undone. Review your selected contacts carefully before confirming. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://help.rechat.com/guides/crm/contacts/managing-your-contacts/managing-duplicates.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.