Duplicate emails in outlook

Question

Hi

we have office 365 tenant, who got a user having duplicate emails in one of his inbox folder. We tried using builtin cleanup tools in outlook but seems like the tool is not reading emails as duplicated. is there any other way or script we can use to clean a folder in inbox?

thanks,

Answer 1

First of all, open the mailbox in OWA, just to make sure that you're not seeing some local Outlook issue. As for automated solution to this, try this script: https://eightwone.com/2013/06/21/removing-duplicate-items-from-a-mailbox/

Answer 2

Hi @Talha ,

Did the user import any .pst file to your mailbox before? As I know, it may cause some duplicate emails if we import a file and forget to choose "don't import duplicate". And agree with michev, we could first try to log into your web mail to check if there are any duplicate items there.

Also, for your requirement of removing duplicate in Outlook, I found a relevant VBA script below. Accoridng to my tests, it could remove the duplicate items that I copy and paste manually in a specific folder, so please try to press "Alt + F11" to paste the script and run it in the user's Outlook to check if it could also work for you (Notice: we may need to Enable all macro in Outlook to run the script--File>Option>Trust center>Trust center settings>Macro settings>Enable all macro) :

Sub DeleteDuplicateEmailsInSelectedFolder()  
  
Dim i As Long  
Dim n As Long  
Dim Message As String  
Dim Items As Object  
Dim AppOL As Object  
Dim NS As Object  
Dim Folder As Object  
  
Set Items = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")  
  
'Initialize and instance of Outlook  
Set AppOL = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")  
  
'Get the MAPI Name Space  
Set NS = AppOL.GetNamespace("MAPI")  
  
'Allow the user to select a folder in Outlook  
Set Folder = NS.PickFolder  
  
'Get the count of the number of emails in the folder  
n = Folder.Items.Count  
  
'Check each email starting from the last and working backwards to 1  
'Loop backwards to ensure that the deleting of the emails does not interfere with subsequent items in the loop  
For i = n To 1 Step -1  
  
    On Error Resume Next  
    'Load the matching criteria to a variable  
    'This is setup to use the Sunject and Body, additional criteria could be added if desired  
    Message = Folder.Items(i).Subject & "|" & Folder.Items(i).Body  
  
        'Check a dictionary variable for a match  
        If Items.Exists(Message) = True Then  
        'If the item has previously been added then delete this duplicate  
        Folder.Items(i).Delete  
    Else  
        'In the item has not been added then add it now so subsequent matches will be deleted  
        Items.Add Message, True  
End If  
  
Next i  
  
ExitSub:  
  
'Release the object variables from memory  
Set Folder = Nothing  
Set NS = Nothing  
Set AppOL = Nothing  
  
End Sub  

Hope that would be helpful to you.

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Answer 3

If you're frustrated with duplicate emails cluttering your inbox, here's what you can do:

1. Take a look at your folder view settings to ensure all emails are being displayed. Sometimes, certain settings can hide duplicates.
2. Personally go through the folder and delete any duplicate emails you come across. Sorting the emails by subject, sender, or date can make it easier to spot duplicates.
3. If the built-in cleanup tools in Outlook aren't doing the trick, consider using reliable third-party tools specifically designed to remove duplicate emails. They can save you time and effort.
4. For tech-savvy folks, exploring PowerShell scripting is an option. You can find scripts online that help identify and remove duplicate emails. Just be sure to test them thoroughly before running them.

Remember, it's always a good idea to back up your folder before making any changes. If you're unsure about any steps, reach out to your IT department or email administrator for guidance. They'll be happy to assist you!