Duplicate emails, when occurring in Outlook, may be a nuisance and fill up your inbox to such an extent that you will have challenges in handling your emails effectively. Fortunately, there are several solutions to overcome such issues. This guide explains simple, eff
.ective solutions to eliminate those unwanted duplicates.
- Knowing Why Duplicate Emails Occur in Outlook
Before getting down to the solutions, let’s understand why duplicate emails occur. There are several factors through which this might happen:
- Incorrect email settings – Some misconfigurations in the Outlook settings may result in duplicate emails during synchronization.
- Overlap between the rules and filters – If you have many set-up rules and filters, they could unintentionally cause duplication.
- Server or network error – Some errors that may occur while Outlook tries to connect with your email server can also cause repeated download of the same message.
- Duplicate accounts – In case you imported the same email account multiple times, you might end up getting the same email more than once.
- Importing data – Importing PST or OST files may cause duplicates when emails were not filtered during the import.
Knowing why it’s happening is all fine and dandy. Let’s move on to solving the problem:
- Leverage the Built-in ‘Clean Up’ Tool in Outlook
Outlook has a built-in feature that helps remove duplicate emails quickly:
- Open Outlook and go to the folder where you want to remove duplicate emails (e.g., Inbox).
- In the top ribbon, navigate to the ‘Home’ tab.
- Click on the ‘Clean Up’ option. You’ll see three options:
O Clean Up Conversation – This deletes redundant messages in a conversation.
O Clean Up Folder – This removes duplicates in a specific folder.
otClean Up Folder & Subfolders – Deletes duplicates throughout a folder and its subfolders.
4.tSelect the one that best applies, then click OK. Outlook will move the duplicates into the Deleted Items folder.
If the duplication is limited to a single folder or conversation, this is probably the easiest way to delete the duplicates.
- Change Account Settings to Avoid Future Duplicates
Keep unwanted duplicate emails from recurring in the future by checking your account settings:
- Open any email message
- Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
- In the Email tab, ensure you only have one account if you intend using the same mailbox for multiple accounts.
- Check the settings under Send/Receive to ensure the same data isn’t downloaded twice.
- Review and Modify Email Rules
Sometimes, incorrect email rules are causing the duplication
- Click on the menu item File > Manage Rules & Alerts
- Browse the list of every rule and see if any overlap or duplicate tasks.
- Disable or delete all unnecessary rules that can be causing the duplication of e-mails
- Consider merging similar rules to increase simplicity in your set up
- Delete Duplicates through Search.
Use the advanced search feature in Outlook to remove duplicates.
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- Use the shortcut keys Ctrl + E or access Outlook’s Search Box
- Input subject or a keyword from one of the duplicate emails
- If necessary, filter with Date
- Manually select and delete the unwanted duplicates
- Apply Third-Party Tools if Necessary
There are several third-party tools available that can automate the removal of duplicate emails if the above methods do not resolve the issue. Some recommended tools are vMail Outlook Duplicate Remover. Make sure to choose a reliable tool from a reputable vendor to avoid data loss.
- Backup Your Data Before Making Changes
Before performing any cleanup actions, it’s crucial to back up your Outlook data to prevent unintended data loss:
- File > Open & Export > Import/Export
- Select the export option to a file and choose Outlook Data File (.pst)
- Then, choose which folders will be exported, where to save them and finally click finish.
Conclusion
Duplicates in Outlook can be frustrating, but the right actions can help control it quite effectively. Use quick fixes from Outlook itself, set up the settings to prevent such issues in the future, and seek reliable third-party applications if needed. Just a review of your rules and account configurations will do much to keep your inbox clean and organized.
Following this guide should help you deal with duplicate emails and also keep your inbox tidy.
Author: Ved Parkash jaiswal
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