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Duplicate Post Finder

Find duplicate posts, tags and categories, warn editors while they type a title, and stop new duplicate posts from being published.

Download ZIP (v1.0.1)Read the docs

Free, GPLv2. Coming soon to the WordPress.org plugin directory.

  • Duplicate Post Finder icon
    Duplicate Post Finder by Quintaphon
    Version 1.0.1WordPress 5.8+PHP 7.2+Block & classic editorFree & GPL

    Duplicate Post Finder keeps your site to one post per title. It lists the posts, tags and categories that exist twice so you can clean them up in a few clicks, and it stops new duplicates at the source: editors see a warning while they type the title, and a post with a title that is already published can not go live. Every feature is free, with no upgrade to buy.

Features

  • Duplicate posts
    Lists every group of posts that share a title, per post type, with status, date and author. Trash single copies, keep one and trash the rest, or mark a group as not a duplicate.
  • Smart title matching
    Loose matching ignores case, accents, punctuation and symbols, so "Galaxy A15: USB Driver" and "galaxy a15 usb driver" are caught. Exact matching only ignores case and extra spaces.
  • Warning while writing
    The block editor shows a notice, and the classic editor a box under the title, as soon as the title matches another post, with links to the posts that already use it.
  • No new duplicates
    A post can not be published, scheduled or made private while a published post has the same title. The block editor shows a clear error; the classic editor, Quick Edit and imports save the post as a draft instead.
  • Safe for old content
    Published duplicates you already have can still be edited as long as their title stays the same. Drafts with a used title can always be saved, so no work is lost.
  • Duplicate tags and categories
    Finds terms with the same name in a taxonomy, such as "Android 13" and "android-13", and merges them into the one you keep: posts move over and child categories move under it.
  • Posts in several categories
    Lists posts filed in two or more categories, with Keep only on each category. A category together with its own child counts as one by default.
  • Fast on large sites
    Checks 50,000 posts in seconds, caches the result until a post changes, and checks a single title in milliseconds while you type.

Screenshots

Duplicate posts. Posts that share a title, with the post that is kept marked.
Block editor. A warning as soon as the title is already used.
Before publishing. The pre-publish check lists the posts with the same title.
Publish blocked. The post stays a draft until the title is changed.
Classic editor. Saved as a draft, with the reason and links to the matches.
Duplicate terms. Categories and tags with the same name, merged in one click.
Multiple categories. Posts filed in several categories, with Keep only.
Settings. Post types, statuses and title matching.

How to use

    1. Download the ZIP, then in WordPress go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin, choose duplicate-post-finder.zip, install and activate it.
    2. Open Duplicates in the admin menu. The Overview shows how many duplicate posts, tags and categories your site has.
    3. Under Duplicate posts, open each group: keep one and trash the rest, trash single copies, or mark the group as not a duplicate.
    4. Under Duplicate terms, pick the term to keep and click Merge into selected.
    5. That's it for new content: the editor now warns as soon as a title is already used, and a duplicate can not be published. Fine-tune this under Settings.

FAQ

  • How does it decide two titles are the same?

    With Loose matching (the default), case, accents, punctuation and symbols are ignored, so "Galaxy A15: USB Driver!" matches "galaxy a15 usb driver". With Exact matching only case and extra spaces are ignored. Titles are compared within one post type.

  • What happens when someone tries to publish a duplicate?

    In the block editor, publishing fails with a message naming the post that already uses the title, and the post stays a draft. In the classic editor, Quick Edit and imports, the post is saved as a draft and a notice explains why.

  • Can I still edit duplicates I already have?

    Yes. A published post that keeps its title can always be updated. Only renaming a published post to a title another post already uses is refused.

  • Some titles are meant to repeat. Can I allow them?

    Yes. Mark the group as Not a duplicate and that title is skipped by the list, the warning and the block. You can also let administrators publish duplicates anyway, or turn the block off and keep only the warning.

  • Does it delete anything?

    Only when you ask. Trashed posts go to the WordPress trash and can be restored. Merging terms deletes the terms you merge away, after moving their posts to the term you keep.

  • Does it slow down my site?

    No. Nothing runs for visitors. The scan runs when you open the plugin and is cached until a post changes, and the editor check looks up one title at a time.

  • Is it free?

    Yes. Duplicate Post Finder is free and open source under the GPLv2 license, with every feature unlocked. If it saves you time, you can support its development with a coffee.

  • How do I get help?

    Read the documentation, or reach us through the support page.

What's new

    • 1.0.1The plugin sidebar links to the plugin site.
    • 1.0.0First release: duplicate posts, duplicate tags and categories, posts in several categories, the editor warning and the publish block.