Merging Duplicate Contacts
Combine two contact records into one
Merging Duplicate Contacts
Over time, duplicate contact records can appear in your database, especially if contacts are added through multiple channels. Mailnaptic provides a merge tool to combine two records into a single, unified contact.
When Duplicates Occur
While Mailnaptic automatically deduplicates contacts by email address during import and creation, duplicates can occasionally arise from:
- Contacts who use different email addresses (e.g., a personal and a work email).
- Data entry errors where the same person was added with slightly different email addresses.
- Contacts imported from multiple sources before deduplication was in place.
How to Merge Contacts
- Navigate to Contacts and find the two records you want to merge.
- Open the primary contact — the record you want to keep as the main profile.
- Click Merge Contact.
- Search for and select the secondary contact — the duplicate record.
- Review the merge preview, which shows how fields will be combined.
- Confirm the merge.
How Merging Works
When you merge two contacts:
| Data | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Email address | The primary contact's email is kept. |
| Name fields | The primary contact's values are kept. If blank on the primary, the secondary's value is used. |
| Custom fields | Primary values take precedence. Missing fields are filled from the secondary. |
| Tags | Tags from both contacts are combined (union). |
| Lists | List memberships from both contacts are combined. |
| Activity history | All email and web activity from both contacts is preserved under the merged record. |
| Status | The most restrictive status is kept. If either contact is unsubscribed or suppressed, the merged contact will be too. |
What Happens to the Secondary Contact
After a successful merge, the secondary contact record is deleted. All of their data has been transferred to the primary contact. This action cannot be undone.
Warning: Merging is permanent. Double-check that you have selected the correct contacts before confirming. If you are unsure which record should be primary, choose the one with the most complete data.
Prevention
To minimize duplicates going forward:
- Always use CSV import with deduplication (enabled by default).
- Use a consistent email address as the unique identifier across all channels.
- Standardize data entry practices across your team.