Remove Duplicate Password Records

Remove duplicates without losing the only valid secret

Duplicate cleanup reduces confusion, but deletion must follow verification. Compare account identifiers, service URLs, ownership and last-tested dates without emailing or pasting secret values into a new worksheet.

Use a controlled sequence

1. 01Work from a protected duplicate and preserve the original until validation is complete.
2. 02Group likely duplicates by service, username or account owner—not by password value.
3. 03Ask the accountable owner to identify the active record and recovery method.
4. 04Rotate exposed or shared credentials through the service itself rather than merely editing the spreadsheet.
5. 05Mark the disposition and obtain review before deleting an obsolete entry.

Leave evidence without copying secrets

Keep account identifier, owner, decision, validation date, rotation status and reviewer. Do not record the old and new passwords in the cleanup log.

Pause and review when

• A duplicate is deleted only because its modified date is older.
• One password is reused across several services.
• No one can verify the account owner or recovery channel.

Encrypted files are not a password manager

Encrypted-file storage is not password autofill, browser sync or a general credential manager. Match the system to the user task and test recovery before removing the source.

Run the final independent check

Before approving cleanup, have the account owner demonstrate that the retained credential reaches the intended service and that recovery contacts are current. Record validation without exposing the secret. If two records cannot be distinguished safely, quarantine both under restricted access and escalate; do not guess. Reused credentials require rotation at every affected service, followed by session and token review where the provider supports it.

Resolve these before acting