Duplicate leads: why they appear and how to stop them

Duplicates appear when the same person reaches Leadnote through different doors: a hand-typed lead, an import, a form, an integration, the mobile app. This page helps you work out why you have one, why the merge screen does not show it, and how to stop the next one. The step-by-step merge is in merge duplicate leads.

Quick checks

Open a lead and look for Duplicate Leads (n) among the related leads. It lists other leads you can see that share the email or mobile number.
Open Merge Duplicate Leads (the sidebar entry Data Clean Up) to see every group at once. Optionally filter by list, lead source or customer group.
If the screen is empty although you know of a duplicate, read the causes below. You may also be missing the visibility, see lead visibility rules.

How matching works

A phone number is compared by its last 10 digits, with spaces, plus signs and dashes ignored. Leadnote uses this one rule when you add a lead, import a file, capture a lead from a form or integration, and scan for duplicates. Email addresses are compared without regard to capital letters.

Where the checks differ:

Where	What is compared
Add lead form	Email and mobile, against leads you can see. It warns, and you can still save.
Import	Email and mobile, against all leads that are not deleted, including archived ones.
Forms, webhooks, API, integrations	Email and mobile, against all leads that are not deleted, including archived ones.
Merge Duplicate Leads screen	Email, mobile, direct and office numbers, and lead name with organisation name. Active leads only.

On the merge screen, groups are linked through any shared value, so a chain of records is one group. Groups are labelled Email, Contact number or Name and organization, or a combination.

Why a duplicate appears or is missed

Cause	What happens	What to do
Import set to Add duplicate records	Every row is created, even when the person exists.	Use Skip duplicate records or Update existing records next time.
Automatic duplicate check is off	Forms and integrations create a new lead every time.	Switch it on under Settings, then Company.
Different email and number for one person	Nothing links the two records.	Edit one record so the email or number matches, or give both the same name and organisation. It then shows up on the merge screen.
Same name and organisation only	The merge screen groups them as "Name and organization". Leads with no organisation are not grouped this way.	Review the group, and merge if it is the same person.
You saved after the warning	The add form shows "Possible duplicate" and the line "You can still save this record."	Open the matching lead with View instead of saving.
The earlier lead is in Deleted Leads	Deleted leads are not matched, so a new enquiry creates a fresh lead.	Restore the old lead from Deleted Leads, then merge.
The earlier lead is archived	Forms and imports treat it as existing, but the merge screen scans active leads only.	Unarchive it, then merge.
A very large account	The merge screen reads up to 50,000 leads at a time, so groups that reach beyond them can be missing.	Filter by one list at a time.
You cannot see the other lead	The add form and the merge screen only compare leads you may see.	Ask a Manager to review, see lead visibility rules.

Merging in short

Open Merge Duplicate Leads, check the group and the suggested master, read Details that will be added to the master, then choose Merge Group. The master with the highest lead score is suggested, and the older record wins a tie. Timeline entries, comments, attachments, pending follow-ups and related leads move to the master, and the copy goes to Deleted Leads.

If you see "You do not have permission to delete leads, which merging duplicates does", ask the Account Owner. Merging needs the permission to delete leads, which Managers have by default and L1 and L2 users do not. A locked lead can only be merged after an admin unlocks it.

Prevent new duplicates

Keep the Automatic duplicate check switched on. When a form or integration sends a person who already exists, the existing lead is kept and no new lead is made. This is why a new enquiry sometimes seems to vanish: see leads not arriving.
Keep the import option Skip duplicate records, or choose Update existing records to refresh known leads. Read import errors for the report of skipped rows.
Fill in the mobile number and email on every lead. A lead with neither cannot be matched.
Run the merge screen regularly, and for large accounts one list at a time.

Web app vs mobile app

Merging is in the web app. On the phone, Import contacts shows an Already in your leads count so you do not add the same contact again.

Still stuck?

If a group will not merge, send support the names in the group and the message on screen. See contact Leadnote support.

Frequently asked questions

Does Leadnote stop a form from creating a duplicate?

Yes, while the Automatic duplicate check switch on the Company settings page is on, which is the default. Forms, webhooks, the API and other integrations then do not create a lead when its email or mobile number already belongs to a lead. They keep the existing lead instead.

Are numbers written with and without the country code treated as the same number?

Yes. Matching ignores spaces, plus signs and dashes and compares the last 10 digits, so +91 98765 43210, 09876543210 and 9876543210 are the same number. A number shorter than 6 digits is never matched.

Why is a duplicate missing from the merge screen?

The merge screen only scans active leads that you can see, so archived and deleted leads are left out, and a person with a different email, number and organisation name is not linked. See the causes below.

Can I undo a merge?

No. The merged-away records go to Deleted Leads and can be restored for 45 days, but the merge itself cannot be undone.