How many duplicate rules can you have in Salesforce?

You can have a maximum of 5 active duplicate rules per object in Salesforce. This is a platform limit that applies across all editions. For complex organizations with multiple regions or business units, this limit can be restrictive. Native workarounds include combining multiple matching conditions into a single rule or using formula fields. AppExchange tools like No Duplicates, Cloudingo, and Plauti are not subject to this limit.

Can Salesforce merge more than 3 records at once?

No. Salesforce's native merge functionality is limited to 3 records per operation — this applies to both the Lightning Experience UI and the API (Apex merge() and SOAP merge()). If you have 4 or more duplicates, you must perform multiple merge operations. AppExchange tools like No Duplicates and Cloudingo can merge larger groups in a single operation with configurable master record and field value selection strategies.

Does Salesforce duplicate management work on custom objects?

Partially. You can create duplicate rules and matching rules for custom objects to detect and prevent duplicates. However, Salesforce does not provide a merge interface for custom objects — the merge UI only works for Account, Contact, Lead, and Case. To merge custom object records, you need custom Apex code, manual data manipulation, or an AppExchange tool that supports custom object merging.

How to automate duplicate merging in Salesforce?

Salesforce does not provide native auto-merge functionality. Duplicate rules can block or alert when duplicates are created, but they cannot merge existing records or run on a schedule. To automate merging, you can build custom Apex scheduled jobs (requires developer resources) or use AppExchange tools. No Duplicates offers 22+ configurable auto-merge strategies with scheduled scans, and Cloudingo provides bulk merge with scheduled detection jobs.

One post tagged with "matching-rules"

Why Salesforce Duplicate Management is Not Enough

December 2, 2025 · 15 min read

Artyom Bazyk

Founder of No Duplicates

Salesforce provides native Duplicate Management through Matching Rules and Duplicate Rules. These tools can detect potential duplicates and prevent new ones from being created — and for many orgs, that's a solid starting point. Salesforce's own Trailhead module on Duplicate Management walks through the setup.

But prevention is only half the problem. Native duplicate management has five specific platform limitations that affect how far you can go with detection, merging, and automation. This article breaks down each one, explains native workarounds where they exist, and covers how AppExchange tools address the gaps.