Stop duplicate Contacts created by Einstein Activity Capture

To resolve duplicate Contacts caused by Einstein Activity Capture (EAC), complete the five steps below in order. First, remove users from the active sync configuration to stop further duplicates. Then delete EAC permission sets, mass delete duplicate Contacts, clean up the email client Contacts folder, and finally reassign users to the configuration.

Step 1: Remove Users from the Active Sync Configuration

Removing users from the active Sync Configuration stops Einstein Activity Capture from continuing to sync and create new duplicate Contacts.

1. Go to Setup > Einstein Activity Capture > Settings > Configurations Tab and click Edit on the relevant Configuration.
2. Make sure that users are not listed in the Selected Users box. Remove any listed users.
3. On the Contact Filter, change the setting to Contact's Users Own instead of All Contacts.

Note: After the initial sync, changing the Contact Filter setting is not always respected by the app — the initial settings may continue to apply. This is a known limitation.

1. Click Save.

Step 2: Delete Einstein Activity Capture Permission Sets from the User

After removing users from the Sync Configuration, delete their Einstein Activity Capture (EAC) permission set assignments to fully disconnect their email sync.

1. Go to Setup > Users and select the username.
2. Under Permission Set Assignments, delete Inbox with Einstein Activity Capture or Standard Einstein Activity Capture.
3. Under Permission Set License Assignments, delete Inbox or Standard Einstein Activity Capture.
4. Under OAuth Connected Apps, revoke all SalesforceIQ connections if they appear.

Step 3: Mass Delete Duplicate Contacts in Salesforce

After stopping the sync in Steps 1 and 2, proceed to delete all duplicate Contacts in Salesforce.
Use Salesforce's Mass Delete tool to remove the duplicate records. For detailed instructions, see Perform Mass Deletes.
If you need additional help with mass deletion, open a new case with the Salesforce Data Management team.

Step 4: Delete the Salesforce_Sync Folder in Outlook or Gmail

On the Outlook or Gmail account of each user who was assigned to the Sync Configuration, delete the Salesforce_Sync folder located under Contacts. This removes the synced contact data from the email client side and prevents re-sync of duplicates when the user reconnects.

Step 5: Reassign Users to the Sync Configuration

After cleaning up the duplicate Contacts in both Salesforce and the email client, reassign users to the Sync Configuration.

1. Assign users to the permission set Inbox with Einstein Activity Capture or Standard Einstein Activity Capture.
2. Add users back to the Sync Configuration:
   1. Go to Setup > Einstein Activity Capture > Settings > Configurations Tab and click Edit on the Configuration.
   2. Add users back to the Selected Users box.
   3. On the Contact Filter, confirm the setting is Contact's Users Own (not All Contacts).
   4. Click Save.
3. Each user must reconnect their email account: go to Profile Icon > Settings > Connected Account and add their email account.

After the initial reconnection, monitor for 24 to 48 hours to confirm that duplicate Contacts are no longer being created.

When to Contact Salesforce Support

If these steps do not resolve the duplicate Contact issue, open a case with Salesforce Support and provide:

1. Links to sample Contact records showing the duplicate issue.
2. A report of the duplicate Contacts showing creation dates and times of the Salesforce records.
3. Screenshots or data extracts showing creation dates and times of records from Microsoft Exchange or Google Suite (G Suite).