---
title: "Duplicate management and detection"
url: "https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/article/duplicate-management/"
type: "article"
category: ["Highlighted features", "Tagging, data & search"]
tags: ["Admin users only", "Premium+ plans", "DAM"]
language: "en"
published: "2024-06-25T08:40:31+00:00"
updated: "2026-07-23T07:29:58+00:00"
summary: "A great way to keep your Kontainer lean is by using the image Duplicate Manager and Detector. The Premium and Enterprise plans include this feature. To activate get in touch with Customer Success. The…"
---

# Duplicate management and detection

A great way to keep your Kontainer lean is by using the image **[Duplicate Manager and Detector](#o)**. The Premium and Enterprise plans include this feature. To activate get in touch with [Customer Success](mailto:support@kontainer.com).

There are two separate mechanisms at play, and it's worth knowing the difference:

- **Uploading a file with the same name** triggers an upload-time prompt (Overwrite / Keep both / Skip), which is really a versioning feature.
- **The Duplicate Detector** is a separate tool that scans file *content* — not file names — to find true duplicates anywhere in your Kontainer.

## Uploading files with the same name

If you upload a file with the same file name as an existing file in the same folder, a warning box appears with options to:

- Overwrite
- Keep both
- Skip

This is a versioning feature: it only triggers when the file name matches a file already in that exact folder. It does **not** compare file content, and it does not run if you're uploading to a different folder.

![Kontainer duplicate upload warning](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kontainer-Duplicate-Management_Upload-Warning.png?v=1763368898)

# Duplicate Manager and Detector

**Premium+ Feature**

The Duplicate Detector is a separate feature from the same-name upload prompt above. Instead of comparing file names, it generates a content hash (SHA256) for every file and flags files as duplicates whenever their content is identical — regardless of file name, regardless of which folder they're in, and regardless of file type. This means images, videos, PDFs, and documents are all covered, not just images.

There are four key ways to use the duplicate detection tool:

1. [Duplicate indicator](#1)
2. [Global scan for duplicates](#2)
3. [Track the location of duplicates](#3)
4. [Scan specific image duplicates](#4)

Here is a very quick and straightforward guide.

## Duplicate indicator

When the tool is active in your Kontainer, any file with a content-identical duplicate elsewhere will be marked with the duplicate icon at the bottom left of the thumbnail — this applies to images as well as videos, PDFs, and documents.

![Duplicate icon highlighted on an image in Kontainer](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kontainer-Duplicate-Manager_Duplicate-Icon.png?v=1763368898)

## Global scan for duplicates

To scan your entire Kontainer for all duplicates, click the button at the top of your window next to the search bar. You can do this from any folder, and it will scan your entire Kontainer — matching files by content across all folders and file types, not by file name.

![Showing the global duplicate scan button in Kontainer](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kontainer-Duplicate-Manager_Global-Scan.png?v=1763368898)

## Track the location and manage duplicates

When using the global scan, you can find the location of each file by hovering your cursor over it. From the results, you can, of course, delete the duplicates and keep the one that is placed in the desired folder.

![Results of a global duplicate scan in Kontainer. One image hovered with the cursor showing the folder location of the duplicate](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kontainer-Duplicate-Manager_Track-Location-of-Files.png?v=1763368898)

## Scan a specific image for duplicates

If a file has the duplicate icon, you can find its duplicates by right-clicking it and selecting the option **Find Duplicates**.

![Image with duplicate icon with the right-click menu open. Marking around the option Find Duplicates](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kontainer-Duplicate-Manager_Find-Duplicates-on-Image.png?v=1763368898)

That's it, really. [Let us know if you have any questions](mailto:support@kontainer.com).

## Other languages

- [Deutsch](https://helpdesk.kontainer.com/de/article/dublettenerkennung/index.md)

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