This help article is for an old version of Direct Mail.
Direct Mail can show you duplicate addresses you may have in your mailing list, and even suggest which ones you should delete. Here's how:
- Go to the Addresses tab.
- Select the group you want to identify duplicates in. Select "All Addresses" if you want to find duplicates across all your groups.
- Choose Addresses > Show Duplicates
Direct Mail will display any duplicates it finds (by comparing email addresses).
If you click "Suggest Duplicates to Delete", Direct Mail will select the duplicate addresses that it thinks you should delete. It will choose addresses that contain less information. For example, if you have two contacts with "joe@example.com" as their email address, but only one of those contacts also has a first name specified, then Direct Mail will suggest you delete the contact that is missing a first name.
When you are finished, click "Show All".
Why does Direct Mail appear to delete two addresses when only one is selected?
If you are in "Show Duplicates" mode, then you may have noticed that when you delete one of the duplicate addresses, both duplicates disappear. For example, if Direct Mail shows you a list of duplicate addresses like this:
JohnDoe@example.com
johndoe@example.com
...and if you delete only the first one, then both addresses will disappear from view. This does not mean that both addresses have been deleted. Only one has been deleted, but the other address has disappeared from view because it is no longer a duplicate. Clicking "Show All" will reveal that the remaining address has not been deleted.