Email-to-Case Creates Duplicate Cases in Salesforce

This article describes how to identify and resolve the root cause of duplicate cases being created by Email-to-Case in Salesforce. The troubleshooting steps are organized by the most common causes.

Cause 1: Process Builder or Flow Creating Duplicate Cases

Check all Process Builder automations and Flows to ensure that no automation is inadvertently triggering the creation of a second case.
To check Process Builder and Flows in Salesforce Classic:

• Setup > Create > Workflow & Approvals > Process Builder
• Setup > Create > Workflow & Approvals > Flows

To check Process Builder and Flows in Lightning Experience:

• Gear icon > Setup > Process Automation > Process Builder
• Gear icon > Setup > Process Automation > Flows

If no Process Builder or Flow is responsible for the duplicates, proceed to Cause 2.

Cause 2: Email Server Forwarding Configuration Issue

Test whether the issue is caused by the email server sending the email twice before it reaches Salesforce.

1. Send an email to the customer-facing email address. Confirm whether a duplicate case is created. (Note: this behavior can be intermittent.)
2. Send an email directly to the Salesforce email service address (the long address Salesforce generates when you create a routing address). Check whether a duplicate case is created when using the service address directly.
3. Create an Email Snapshot to see how many emails Salesforce receives. If two emails are captured in the snapshot, Email-to-Case is working as expected — two emails generate two cases. For more information, see Inbound Email Snapshots.
   Inbound Email Snapshots
4. If duplicates occur when emailing the customer-facing address but not the service address directly, the email server configuration is likely duplicating the email before forwarding. Common causes include incorrect redirect rules, the address being on a CC list, or a misconfigured forwarding chain. In this case, involve your email administration team to investigate the forwarding settings on the email server.

Cause 3: Verify Email-to-Case is Configured Correctly

To verify Email-to-Case is enabled and properly configured:
In Salesforce Classic:

• Setup > Customize > Cases > Email-to-Case

In Lightning Experience:

• Gear icon > Setup > Feature Settings > Service > Email-to-Case

Note: Check whether "On-Demand Service" is enabled, as this affects how emails are processed.

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