Manage Duplicate Contacts in GoHighLevel

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Manage Duplicate Contacts in GoHighLevel

If you are organizing CRM data across tools like ClickUp and other platforms, mastering deduplication in GoHighLevel is essential. This guide walks you step by step through how to locate, review, and safely merge duplicate contacts so your GoHighLevel account stays accurate and easy to manage.

The instructions below are based on the official GoHighLevel help documentation and adapted into a clear, practical how-to article for daily use.

Overview: Why Clean Contacts Matter in GoHighLevel

Duplicate contacts can cause reporting errors, broken automation, and confusion among your team. By using the built-in duplicate management tools in GoHighLevel, you can:

  • Identify contacts that share the same phone number or email address
  • Quickly merge records without losing important data
  • Keep pipelines, automations, and analytics accurate
  • Reduce manual cleanup and support issues

All of this is managed from the Contacts area inside GoHighLevel using simple filters and bulk actions.

Accessing the Contacts Area in GoHighLevel

Before you can manage duplicates, you must open the main Contacts view in GoHighLevel.

  1. Log in to your GoHighLevel account.
  2. From the left-hand menu, click Contacts.
  3. Make sure you are in the correct sub-account or location where you want to manage duplicate records.

Once you are on the Contacts page, you can begin filtering and reviewing potential duplicate contacts.

How to Find Potential Duplicates in GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel provides a dedicated filter to help you find contacts that might be duplicated based on key fields such as phone number and email.

  1. In the Contacts list, locate the Filters section.
  2. Look for the filter labeled Potential Duplicate or similar wording.
  3. Enable this filter to show contacts that GoHighLevel has flagged as potential duplicates.
  4. Review the list that appears. These contacts are grouped according to matching data, typically email or phone.

This filtered view is the starting point for merging and cleaning up your GoHighLevel contact database.

Understanding the GoHighLevel Duplicate Merge Preview

Before performing a merge, GoHighLevel lets you preview which records will be combined and how the final contact will look.

  • Each group of potential duplicates will show individual contact records.
  • You can usually click a group or a specific contact to open a detailed preview.
  • The preview helps you confirm that the contacts truly represent the same person or business.

Use this preview as your safety check so you avoid merging contacts that should stay separate.

Key Fields Considered by GoHighLevel

In most cases, GoHighLevel identifies duplicates using:

  • Email address (exact matches)
  • Phone number (exact matches)

If two or more contacts share one of these identifiers, they can appear as a potential duplicate group in GoHighLevel. Always confirm the match by reviewing names, notes, tags, and any custom fields in the preview.

Step-by-Step: Merge Duplicate Contacts in GoHighLevel

Once you confirm that a set of contacts represents the same person, you can merge them inside GoHighLevel. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Contacts section in GoHighLevel.
  2. Apply the Potential Duplicate filter to show possible duplicates.
  3. Select the contacts you want to merge. This is usually done with checkboxes beside each contact.
  4. Click the Merge or Merge Duplicates button from the bulk actions menu (the exact label may vary).
  5. Review the merge preview window that appears.
  6. Confirm which contact should be the primary record (the one that will remain after merging).
  7. Verify which fields will be kept or combined during the merge.
  8. Click Confirm or Merge to complete the process.

After the merge finishes, GoHighLevel keeps the primary contact and combines selected data from the secondary contacts according to the merge rules.

Choosing the Primary Contact in GoHighLevel

The primary contact in a merge is the record that will survive. GoHighLevel will:

  • Use the primary contact’s main identifying information (such as name and primary email).
  • Attach additional data from the secondary records where applicable (for example, tags, notes, and sometimes custom fields).

Generally, you should select as primary the contact with the most complete or most recently updated information.

What Happens to Data During a GoHighLevel Merge

While the exact merge behavior can be refined over time, GoHighLevel typically follows these principles when combining duplicates:

  • Core fields such as the primary email and phone number come from the chosen primary contact.
  • Tags from all merged contacts are usually combined, avoiding data loss where possible.
  • Notes and activities linked to secondary contacts are often associated with the final merged contact.
  • Opportunities and pipelines related to merged contacts may be consolidated under the resulting record.

Always double-check important contacts after a merge to confirm that the data looks correct inside GoHighLevel.

Best Practices Before Merging in GoHighLevel

To avoid issues, follow these best practices:

  • Backup critical data if necessary, by exporting contacts before a large clean-up.
  • Review notes and custom fields on each contact in the duplicate group.
  • Confirm ownership and permissions so you do not merge contacts from different clients or locations unintentionally.
  • Test with a few records before running a large batch of merges in GoHighLevel.

Using Bulk Actions for Duplicates in GoHighLevel

For accounts with many duplicates, GoHighLevel bulk actions help you work efficiently.

  1. Filter the Contacts list by Potential Duplicate.
  2. Use the top checkbox to select multiple contacts at once.
  3. From the bulk actions menu, choose the option to Merge or Merge Selected.
  4. Proceed through the preview and confirmation steps.

Bulk actions are powerful, so always verify your filter and selection list before approving a merge in GoHighLevel.

Troubleshooting Duplicate Management in GoHighLevel

If results are not what you expect, consider the following:

  • Missing duplicates: Make sure the contacts share exactly the same phone or email. Variations (such as formatting differences) may prevent them from being flagged.
  • Incorrect merges: If contacts were merged by mistake, you may need to restore from a backup or re-import data. Plan carefully before large merges.
  • Automation behavior: After merging, some automations and workflows may need to be checked to ensure they still behave as expected.

For deeper technical behavior and the latest details, refer to the official GoHighLevel documentation at this source page.

Further Optimization Beyond GoHighLevel

Once your contacts are clean in GoHighLevel, you can align them with your broader marketing and operations stack.

  • Sync contact data across project management tools.
  • Keep form submissions and funnels aligned with a single contact per lead.
  • Use tags and custom fields consistently after deduplication.

Agencies and teams looking for full-funnel optimization and CRM best practices can explore more resources at Consultevo, which specializes in advanced implementation and strategy.

Summary: Keeping GoHighLevel Contacts Clean

Managing and merging duplicates in GoHighLevel helps you maintain a reliable, accurate contact database that powers your marketing and automation. By using the duplicate filter, preview tools, and bulk merge actions carefully, you can:

  • Avoid confusion caused by multiple records for the same person
  • Improve reporting accuracy and campaign performance
  • Reduce manual data entry and cleanup work

Follow the steps in this guide regularly to keep your GoHighLevel contacts organized and ready for high-performing automation, sales, and service workflows.

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