How do I merge possible duplicates in Family Tree?

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A duplicate profile occurs when Family Tree contains more than one profile 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)

1. In Family Tree, display a person page.  
2. If the Details section is not displayed, click Details. 
3. In the Research Help section, click a Possible Duplicate message. 
4. Click Review Merge. The merge screen opens. 
   
   • The profile on the left side is the possible duplicate. A merge deletes this record. 
   • The profile on the right side is the record that you started from. A merge saves this record. 
5. Decide if the profiles are about the same person. 
   
   1. Compare the profiles on the left and right sides. Look for matching names, dates, places, and family members. 
   2. Read any warning messages on the screen.  
   3. If the profile on the left is the most accurate, click Switch to keep it instead. 
   4. If the profiles 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.
6. Decide what information to keep.
   
   1. To compare the contributor, contribution date, and reason statements of each piece of information, click the down arrow.
   2. To move information back to the right, click Undo. The information returns to the possible duplicate.
   3. 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.  
   4. If the left side contains information that is not on the right side, and you want to save it, click Add.
7. Click Continue. 
8. Finish the merge: 
   
   1. Review the surviving profile. 
   2. Enter a reason for merge. You can click one of the suggested reason statements or enter your own statement.
   3. If everything looks correct, click Finish Merge. If something is incorrect, click Back, and make the corrections on the previous screen. 
   4. Click Finish Merge.

Immediately after the merge and for a short time, an “undo” option is available. Click to undo the merge for the two records. 
Merge Analysis Feature:

The Merge Analysis feature, available for merges completed on or after April 1, 2016, allows you to review information from each profile merged into the Surviving Person profile. To use this feature, go to the Latest Changes section on a person’s page and click Show All. Then, click the Merge Analysis button to see the merged information.

Steps (mobile app)

1. In the Family Tree mobile app, display a person page. 
2. In the top-right corner, tap the 3 dots, and then tap Possible Duplicates. 
3. A list of possible duplicates appears. If you see more than one, tap the one you want to work with.  
4. Tap Review Merge. 
5. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. Scroll to the bottom. If the records are not duplicates, tap Not a Match. Otherwise, tap Yes, Continue, and continue with the next step.
8. Decide whether to keep any information from the person to be deleted. 
   
   1. To move information from the left to the right, tap Replace. 
   2. 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. 
9. 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 two are not duplicates). 
10. Enter a reason and explain why you merged these records. 
11. Tap Merge.

Steps (Family Tree Lite)

Currently, Family Tree Lite only displays possible duplicates and does not allow merging. 

Recommended next steps

1. If you have multiple tabs open, refresh your browser screen to see the results of the merge. 
2. Remove incorrect sources or memories from the surviving record. 
3. Review the person’s family members, and look for possible duplicates.  

Possible Duplicates Error

FamilySearch displays the "Possible Duplicates Exist" message when the system identifies individual records that are similar but not attached to the same individual.

• The error is likely associated with one of the parties to a sealing ordinance (spouse or parent).
• The error does not indicate the name or the ID number of the person with the possible duplicate condition. Investigate all relationships. Just as there can be duplicate individuals, you can also find duplicate relationships.
• If you are working from Family Tree Lite, be aware that it currently does not let you review possible duplicates. You can visit a FamilySearch center or other location and use the full version of Family Tree.

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