Skip to main content
Question

How to resolve files duplicating (with alternate email address appearing in parenthesis)

  • January 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 319 views
C

I’m trying to prevent what appears to be an authorization or syncing issue: sometimes, a file gets automatically duplicated by Box with one of my email addresses appearing in parenthesis after it. I and I alone access this file from multiple different devices---and sometimes by a different email address or login (that I also own). How do I let Box know which email addresses are authorized to be able to access the same file? It’s not clear to me where in the Settings I would need to go to do this. Note that I close the file each time that I use it (regardless of which email address I’m using at the time), so I don’t believe it is a timing or syncing conflict issue). Thank you.

    1 reply

    Jey Bueno Box
    Forum|alt.badge.img
    • Jey Bueno Box
    • Community Manager
    • January 22, 2026

    👋 Hi ​@Condado beach, welcome to the Box Community!

     

    This commonly happens when two users (also applies to another account you may be using) open and edit the same file at the same time in Box Drive, Box Sync, or Box Edit. In these cases, Box creates a separate copy with the email address appended to prevent overwriting changes. The same behavior occurs when you open the file on multiple devices. This is by design, as Box does not merge changes between conflicting document versions and aims to preserve all edits safely.


    For more details, please see our article on File Version Conflicts.


    You can also review Duplicate Files With Email Address Added After Sync, which explains why these email‑appended duplicates may appear when using Box Sync.


    To avoid file version conflicts, you can lock the document before editing. If you prefer real‑time collaboration, you can use Box for Office Online. Please check out our community articles for more information:


    If the issue persists, please submit a support ticket to our Product Support team for further investigation.

     

    Thanks, and have a great day!

    Terms of ServiceAccessibility statement