Step 4: Choose what happens to the results

Label the items you found or complete the cleanup by merging, moving, copying, or deleting them.

Use a status column

Mark found items with an existing status column or create a new one. When creating a column, you can reuse an existing column with the same name or always create a new column.

• Select existing: choose a status column already on the board.
• Create new: let the app create a status column for the results.
• Status text: set the label applied to found results. The default is “Duplicate.”

TipIf a newly created column is not visible after completion, refresh the page or open another board and return.

Merge duplicates

Merge duplicate sets into a single item. This action is available when Step 3 uses “Duplicates, excluding the first,” “Duplicates, excluding the last,” or “All duplicates.” In most merge cases, select “All duplicates.”

Merge table

The table lists every supported board column and lets you decide which value is kept, replaced, joined, or customized. All column types support these four rules:

Keep first non-empty

Keeps the first value unless it is empty, then uses the first incoming non-empty value.

Keep any first

Keeps the first value even when it is empty and ignores all incoming values.

Keep any last

Replaces the current value with every incoming value, including an empty value.

Keep last non-empty

Replaces the current value only when the incoming value is not empty.

Custom column actions

Number, Name, Text, Long Text, Status, Timeline, and Date columns also support a custom option. Use Select/Input to assign a fixed value to the merged item, or Join to combine all values using a separator you select.

Input fields with an arrow contain suggested values, but you can type your own value. For example, a Status column can be set to a blank status or to a custom label such as “Merged.” Save the row with the check icon or cancel it with the cross icon.

Merge options

Include updates

Include item updates in the merge. Join collects updates from every duplicate and attaches them to the merged item.Keep any last attaches only the updates from the final duplicate.

Example: For three duplicate items with updates A, B, and C, Join moves the B and C updates onto A. Keep any last moves only C onto A.

Attach creator name

monday.com assigns the person who initiated the merge as the creator of copied updates. Enable this option to append the original creator’s name to each update. You can also set a prefix such as “Created by.”

After merge

• Delete duplicates: the default. Deletes the extra items after their values are merged.
• Do nothing: leaves the extra items alongside the merged item.
• Move duplicates to group: moves extra items to a group you select.

Move or copy

Move items between groups on the same board, or create matching items on another board. Moving to another board—or changing the column mapping—creates destination items and deletes the source items. Copying follows the same process but keeps the originals.

Choose a destination

• Use an existing board in a workspace where the app is installed, then select an existing group or create a group.
• Create a new board in an installed workspace and provide the new board and group names.

Include and map columns

Choose whether columns other than the item name should be moved or copied. Select Edit to configure how source columns map to destination columns.

Delete

Deletes every item returned by the search. Confirm your Step 3 result type and filters before completing a delete action.

Need help with a configuration?

Tell us what you are trying to clean up on your board.