Install Reach: Get the browser extension from the Chrome Web Store.
When to merge
You’ll want to merge contacts when the same person exists more than once in your CRM — for example:
A customer first reached out by email and was created as a Lead, then later contacted support from a different phone and was created as a separate Contact.
Two agents imported the same list at different times and produced duplicate rows.
An integration created a second record when the first already existed.
Merging combines phone numbers, emails, channels, and conversation history into a single record, so messaging and reporting stay clean.
Warning: Merging cannot be undone. The duplicate record’s identifiers are merged into the primary, and the duplicate is removed. Review both records carefully before confirming.
Open the merge wizard
The wizard can be started in two ways:
From the home screen, scroll to the PEOPLE tools section and click Merge users. The subtitle reads Find & merge a Lead into a Contact.
From a contact’s detail view, click Merge.
If you start from the home tool, Reach opens at Select primary record with a two-step indicator. If you open it from a contact’s detail view, that contact is pre-selected as the primary and the wizard skips ahead to the secondary search — the header reads Merge users and a Change primary link lets you swap the pre-selected record.
Step 1: Select the primary record
The primary record is the one that will survive the merge — it keeps its ID, its CRM links, and becomes the target that everything gets merged into.
The wizard title reads Select primary record with the subtitle Step 1 of 2.
You’ll see the instruction Search for the contact that will be kept as the primary record after the merge.
Use the search input to find the contact. The same category chips and phone lookup from the main search screen are available here — see Searching for Contacts.
Click Select as primary on the correct contact’s row.
When Reach is opened from a contact’s detail screen, that contact is pre-selected as the primary automatically — you can still swap to a different primary from the wizard.
Step 2: Select the secondary record
The secondary record is the duplicate that will be merged away.
The wizard title updates to Select secondary record with the subtitle Step 2 of 2.
The section label reads FIND SECONDARY USER with the hint After selecting, you’ll compare both records side-by-side.
Search for the duplicate contact. Reach automatically excludes the primary record from results so you can’t pick the same contact twice.
Click Select as secondary on the duplicate’s row.
If you started the wizard from a contact’s detail view, the secondary search uses the section label FIND SECOND USER and the action button reads Compare instead of Select as secondary — the result is the same.
Intercom role rules. On Intercom workspaces, a Lead can be merged into a User, but two records of the same role cannot be merged. Rows that aren’t compatible show Cannot merge in place of the action button, with a tooltip explaining why. When you select a user-role record while a lead-role record is the primary, Reach completes the merge with the user as the surviving record and shows the note Intercom always keeps the user-role contact as the surviving record. The assignments below reflect the actual merge outcome. on the comparison step.
Step 3: Compare records
Once both records are chosen, the wizard switches to the Compare records screen. Reach shows:
Avatars for both records side by side, each labeled PRIMARY or DUPLICATE with the role shown beneath the name.
A comparison table with one row each for Name, Company, Phone, Email, Channels, and Active — primary values on the left, duplicate values on the right.
A SURVIVING RECORD card showing what the merged contact will look like, with a short summary line beneath it.
Review each field carefully. If something looks wrong, use the back button to return and re-pick one of the records.
When you’re ready, click Merge into primary to move on.
Step 4: Confirm the merge
The final step is the Confirm merge screen. It’s intentionally more verbose than the earlier steps because merging cannot be reversed.
Warning banner. A red alert at the top reads This action cannot be undone with the explanation {secondary name} will be permanently merged into {primary name}. All conversations, channels, and history will transfer to the surviving record. If the merge involves a role swap on Intercom, a line below adds Note: Intercom requires the user-role contact to be the surviving record.
Merge summary. A list of what will change, each line prefixed by a green check — for example:
{N} phone numbers combined
{N} email addresses combined
WA + SMS channels preserved
{N} conversations transferred
An amber line at the bottom reminds you Consent states may differ — review post-merge — for example, one record may have opted out of SMS while the other opted in, and you’ll want to confirm the merged consent after the operation.
Reason (optional). An input labeled REASON (OPTIONAL) with the placeholder Why are you merging these records? lets you record a note for your team’s audit trail. Leaving it blank is fine.
Action buttons.
Permanently merge users — The red primary button that performs the merge. Shows a spinner while the merge is running.
Cancel — Returns you to the comparison screen without merging.
If the merge fails, Reach shows a Merge failed error banner with the failure reason. Common causes: network interruptions, permission issues on the CRM, or a provider-side conflict. Retry after addressing the cause.
Step 5: Merge complete
When the merge succeeds, the wizard shows Merge complete with a success message:
Users merged successfully.
{secondary name} has been merged into {primary name}.
A surviving-record card lists the final contact’s name, company, all phone numbers, all email addresses, and channels.
Two actions appear at the bottom:
Send message to {surviving record name} — Jumps straight to the message composer for the surviving record, so you can follow up right away.
Back to Home — Returns to the main home screen.
The CRM reflects the merge too — subsequent CRM pages for the duplicate now redirect to the surviving record.
Good habits when merging
Always pick the primary first — It’s the one that keeps its identity. If you picked wrong, back up before confirming.
Double-check channels and consent — Two records might have opposing SMS or WhatsApp consent. The Consent states may differ reminder is there because you may need to update consent on the merged record afterward.
Note a reason when rolling out a cleanup — If you’re working through a batch of duplicates, use the reason field to record why so your teammates understand your intent.
What’s next