Remove Duplicate Notes

Removes duplicate notes from the selected Outlook folders. Can preserve the original folder structure for undoing.

This is an easy-to-use utility that saves time by automating the duplicate removal process and provides accurate results. The tool removes duplicate notes from Outlook-specific folders using various advanced options. After setting the utility, users can easily separate the original notes from the excessive ones and keep them intact.

Main features

• Removes duplicate notes from multiple Outlook folders in a single operation. Saves time and effort.
• Can move duplicates to an Outlook folder, preserving the source folder structure. This allows you to preview them before removal and to restore them if necessary.
• Can use custom fields to automatically compare similar notes. This makes the removal process more accurate and flexible, allowing you to remove the items you need.
• Allows you to set a folder priority to keep original notes intact. The notes you consider to be original remain in place. Otherwise, the utility removes the newer ones.
• Provides a command line application in the Professional Edition to bulk remove duplicates from multiple mailboxes. This application can also be used for scheduling the utility to run on a regular basis.
• Generates a final log report detailing the performance of the process: the number of duplicates found and removed, the number of folders processed, errors, and more.

Why are notes duplicated in Outlook?

Duplicate notes in Outlook can occur for a number of reasons, including manual copying, synchronization errors, backup, and restore operations.

These causes are described in detail in our blog article 18 Reasons for Outlook Duplicates. Read it to prevent Outlook duplication.

Why remove duplicate Outlook notes?

Removing duplicate Outlook notes is important for better daily organization. Duplicates can lead to confusion and mismanagement of information, as the same note may appear multiple times in different folders. Duplicates can also make it difficult to search for specific notes because the same information may appear multiple times in search results. Deduplication helps to improve productivity and simplify activity management.

How to manually delete duplicate Outlook notes

To manually delete duplicate notes, you can use the Outlook View settings.

1. Go to the Outlook Notes section.
2. In the View tab on the Outlook ribbon, click Change View to change it to the "Notes List."
3. Click "View Settings" to sort, group, and filter notes for comparison.
4. Select the identical notes and delete or move them to a different folder.
5. Repeat the process for each Notes folder.

Drawbacks of the manual method:

Firstly, the manual way is a very tedious process as you must compare each note with another and decide each time whether to consider them duplicates. This takes time, and if there are many notes in several folders, the process can take hours. After all, it is very easy to make a mistake and accidentally delete important information or miss something.

How to automatically remove duplicate notes in Outlook

Automatic removal of duplicate notes in Outlook is a fast and accurate operation. It eliminates the risk of error and saves time.

Benefits of automatic approach

This utility provides a convenient and efficient way to remove duplicates from Outlook Notes. The process is customizable. You can select specific source folders, remove duplicate notes in bulk, and select fields for comparison. The easy-to-use interface makes it simple to operate and gives you peace of mind knowing that duplicates are being removed effectively.

Steps to automatically remove duplicate notes in Outlook

1. Launch the tool from either Outlook or a standalone application.
2. Select the folders to be processed after clicking the Configure... button.
3. You can specify the destination folder for duplicates or select the "Delete duplicates permanently" option.
4. By default, the utility removes duplicates in each separate folder. To search across folders, enable the appropriate option.
5. The utility automatically removes all identical notes except the oldest ones. If you want to specify which folders contain originals, set the folder priority. Items in folders with a higher priority will be retained.
6. To use custom fields to compare, select the corresponding checkbox and go to the Fields to compare tab. Here you can choose the fields for comparison: subject, body, and color.
7. Once the configuration is finished, you can save the current settings and run the search. The results will be displayed in a log report upon completion.

Bulk removal of duplicate notes in Outlook

Bulk removal can be performed using the command line app in the Professional Version of the utility. You can use scripts and batch files to massively remove duplicates from Notes folders in multiple Outlook and Exchange Server mailboxes and PST files. Schedule the utility using Windows Task Scheduler along with the command line application.

FAQ

How can I save the original notes in place when removing duplicates?

If you know which folders contain original notes, give them a high priority when configuring the utility. The originals will be left in place, and any identical notes from other folders will be removed.

How do I preview duplicates before removing them?

The tool gives you the choice of deleting duplicates immediately or moving them to a folder where you can preview them before removal. If you cannot find removed duplicates in the selected folder, switch to More Apps > Folders in the left pane. You will see a full folder tree of your mailbox and all items.

What criteria can be used to remove duplicates?

Duplicates can be removed based on selected fields: subject, body, and color. You can use these fields together or separately. To activate the fields to compare, check the "Use the fields to compare" box in the General tab.

Is it possible to undo the remove operation?

Yes, you can undo the removal. You must select the "Move duplicates to folder" option when setting up the utility. Then use the Merge Folders tool to put the removed notes back in their original folders.