How to Avoid Duplicates when Combining PST files? Best Guide

Combining multiple PST files tends to produce duplicate emails in your mailbox. This can become frustrating and time-consuming to deal with your emails. If you’re looking for ways to avoid duplicates when combining PST files, this guide will help. We will discuss typical reasons for getting duplicate emails and provide valuable suggestions to maintain your merged PST file in a healthy and tidy manner.

Why Do Duplicate Emails Appear When Combining PST Files?

• Overlapping Data: More than one PST file can contain the same email from various exports or backups.
• Repeated Imports: Importing one PST file numerous times can duplicate messages.
• Folder Overlaps: Duplicate emails contained in various folders result in redundant messages when consolidated.
• Sync Errors: Syncing errors between mail clients or servers can duplicate the copies.
• Manual Copying: Dragging and dropping emails manually without checks ends up duplicating messages.
• Corrupt PST Files: Damaged PST files may make Outlook show duplicate emails.
• Rules and Filters Misconfiguration: Misconfigured email rules may duplicate emails several times.

Now that we understand why duplicate emails appear when combining PST files, let’s dive into the manual method to merge your PST files while minimizing duplicates.

Combine PST files without Duplicates- Manual Solution

Phase 1: Create a blank PST file in Outlook

• Launch the Outlook application on your computer.
• Go to the "File" menu, then "Account Settings," and click on "Account Settings" again.
• In the Account Settings window, click on the "Data Files" tab.
• Press the "Add" button.
• Select where to store the new, blank PST file and name it.

Phase 2: Import PST files without Duplicates

• Navigate to "File," and then to "Open & Export."
• Select the "Import/Export" option.
• Check "Import from another program or file" and click "Next."
• Check "Outlook Data File (.pst)" and click "Next."
• Check the "Do not import duplicates" option and click "Browse."
• Select the empty PST file you created earlier as the import destination and click "Finish."
• Repeat the above steps for every other PST file you wish to combine without duplicates in Outlook.

Hurdles of Manual Approach

• Needs to go through repeat import processes for every PST file.
• Dependent on user precision in checking the "do not import duplicates" option for each import.
• No feature to batch import multiple PSTs at once.
• Possibility of missing the duplicate prevention setting during any import.
• This approach works mostly with emails and may not work well with other Outlook items (contacts, calendar) for duplicate removal during a merge.
• Frequent importing of large PSTs can tax system resources.
• No automatic log or report of missed duplicates to verify .

2. Best Solution to Join Duplicate PST files without Duplicates

If you need to combine PST files without duplicates and you need sophisticated control using email and folder-based filtering capabilities, look into the BitRecover PST Merge Tool. It is a dedicated, offline desktop software tool created specifically for the purpose of consolidating Outlook data files without the occurrence of duplicates. Additionally, this tool facilitates the application of filter settings prior to the start of the merging process.

Key Steps to Remove Duplicate PST files

• Download & launch the suggested software on your computer.
• Choose how to include your PST files in the tool's interface.
• Choose which particular folders you wish to be included in the merge process.
• Select the method of combining that best suits you and enable the removal of duplicates.
• Proceed to the filter settings in the application to personalize advanced filter options.
• Lastly, press the Merge button to merge your Outlook data files, without any duplicates.

Final Thoughts

Merging several PST files tends to cause duplicate emails, which are annoying and cluttered. This manual describes why duplicates occur and how to combine PST files without generating them. Although the manual approach is functional, it is often slow and error-prone. For a more comfortable experience, applying a specialized software such as BitRecover PST Merge Tool is helpful in merging files fast and securely—your mailbox remains organized and tidy.