A duplicate record occurs when Family Tree contains more than one record about a person. If Family Tree finds a possible duplicate, the Research Help field shows a red exclamation mark and the words "Possible Duplicate."
You can review the possible duplicates and decide if they are about the same person.
- If they are about the same person, merge them.
- If they are about different people, mark them as “not a match.”
- If you are unsure, do not merge them. Take one of these actions:
- Cancel the merge. The duplicate is available for other users to see and review.
- Mark the record as not a match. Others do not see the possible duplicate.
Steps (website)
- In Family Tree, display a person page.
- If the Details section is not displayed, click Details.
- In the Research Help section, click a Possible Duplicate message.
- Click Review Merge. The merge screen opens.
- Left side is the possible duplicate. A merge deletes the record.
- Right side is the record that you started from. A merge saves the record.
- Decide if the records are about the same person.
- Compare the left and right sides. Look for matching names, dates, places, and family members.
- Read any warning messages on the screen.
- If the record on the left is the most accurate, click Switch to keep it instead.
- If the records are not about the same person, click Not a Match. If you are not sure, click Back. If the records are about the same person, click Yes Continue, and continue with step 6.
- Decide what information to keep.
- To compare the contributor, contribution date, and reason statements of each piece of information, click the down arrow.
- To move information back to the right, click Undo. The information returns to the possible duplicate.
- To replace information on the right with information from the left, click Replace. Use it, for example, to save the life sketch or a reason statement.
- If the left side contains information that is not on the right side, and you want to save it, click Add.
- Click Continue.
- Finish the merge:
- Review the surviving record.
- Enter a reason for merge. You can click one of the suggested reason statements or enter your own statement.
- If everything looks correct, click Finish Merge. If something is incorrect, click Back, and make the corrections on the previous screen.
- Click Finish Merge.
Immediately after the merge and for a short time, an “undo” option is available. Click to unmerge the 2 records.
Steps (mobile app)
- In the Family Tree mobile app, display a person page.
- In the top-right corner, tap the 3 dots, and then tap Possible Duplicates.
- A list of possible duplicates appears. If you see more than one, tap the one you want to work with.
- Tap Review Merge.
- Read the warning, and tap Continue Merge. The merge screen appears.
- Left side is the possible duplicate. A merge deletes the record.
- Right side is the record that you started from. A merge saves the record.
- Decide if the records are about the same person.
- Compare the left and right sides. Look for matching names, dates, places, and family members.
- If the record on the left is the most accurate, click Switch positions to keep it instead.
- Scroll to the bottom. If the records are not duplicates, tap Not a Match. Otherwise, tap Yes, Continue, and continue with the next step.
- Decide whether to keep any information from the person to be deleted.
- To move information from the left to the right, tap Replace.
- To add information from the left to the right, tap Add.
- Tip: If the record on the left contains duplicate parents, spouses, or children, add them to the surviving record. You can merge these duplicates later.
- When you finish, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and tap Continue. (You also have another opportunity to tap Not a Match if you decide the 2 are not duplicates).
- Enter a reason and explain why you merged these records.
- Tap Merge.
Steps (Family Tree Lite)
Currently, Family Tree Lite only displays possible duplicates and does not allow merging.
Recommended next steps
- If you have multiple tabs open, refresh your browser screen to see the results of the merge.
- Remove incorrect sources or memories from the surviving record.
- Review the person’s family members, and look for possible duplicates.
Related articles
Why do merges fail in Family Tree?
How do I decide if two records in Family Tree are about the same person?
How do I undo a merge in Family Tree?
How do I merge duplicates in Family Tree by ID?