# Merging Duplicates

It can happen that a participant already in the system re-enters their details through the registration form on your website — creating a duplicate: two accounts with the same first and last name.

If you want to clean up your data, ActiveNow provides a tool for merging duplicate participants. It's available in two places:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**From Pending signups**

Next to the name of a newly registered participant identified as a duplicate, a red exclamation mark will appear. Click it to open the duplicate merging tool. A window will appear where you can compare the information for the potential duplicates and then merge them. Click [here](#merging-window) to jump to that step.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**From a participant's profile**

In a participant's profile, go to the *Family* tab. Click the red exclamation mark to open the [merging window](#merging-window).

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important!** Duplicates are only detected in this tab if both participants share the same first name, last name, **and** email address.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Merging window

The system highlights which information will be retained after the merge, as well as fields where the two accounts differ — these rows are marked with a red exclamation mark icon.

You can edit the suggested values in the *After merge* column before confirming.

Once you're sure the accounts are duplicates, click *Merge duplicates* to confirm the merge and restore order to your data.

<details>

<summary>Not duplicates option</summary>

What if the system incorrectly identified two different participants as duplicates? During the merging process, you can use the *Not duplicates* option — the accounts will not be merged and the flag will be removed from the system.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Warning!** Once participants are marked as *Not duplicates*, it will no longer be possible to merge them in the system.
{% endhint %}

</details>

<details>

<summary>System didn't detect duplicates</summary>

What if you spot duplicated accounts yourself but the system hasn't flagged them?

Compare the first and last name on each account — they must be identical. Check carefully for any typos. Correct the name on one account and the system will automatically detect them as duplicates.

</details>

## Preventing duplicates

The easiest way to avoid duplicate entries is to encourage your clients to [register in the ActiveNow app](/en/client-management/inviting-participants-to-the-client-panel.md). When participants sign up through their Client Panel, duplicates simply don't occur — keeping your data clean and organised.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.activenow.io/en/client-management/merging-duplicates.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.