Dext marks a Cost item as a duplicate because every field it compares matches an existing Cost item. Nothing is lost: you can always recover a deleted duplicate from your Submission history, and a flagged one stays in your Costs inbox until you decide.
In such cases, you may have seen the message "This item looks like another in your archive" or an error reading "Review duplicate items".
Note: If instead you got "This item already exists in your account." at the point of upload, that's a different check and the file wasn't stored. For what to do, go to Why was my document rejected?
How do I restore an item Dext deleted as a duplicate?
In Automatic mode, Dext deletes suspected duplicates without asking, so the item never reaches the Costs inbox. You restore it from Submission history.
Go to Submission history at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar.
Find the item with the status Confirmed duplicate.
Select Restore in the Action column, at the far right of the row.
The item returns to the Costs inbox. Restoring a duplicate doesn't remove or change the original item.
Tip: The Action column sits at the far right of the table and is easy to miss on a narrow screen. In that case, scroll the table sideways.
How do I tell Dext two items are different purchases?
When duplicate detection is in Review mode, Dext flags the suspected duplicate in the Costs inbox with an amber duplicate icon instead of deleting it. You open the two items side by side and decide.
Open the review from the Costs inbox
To start a review from the inbox, use the amber duplicate icon on the flagged row.
Hover over the amber duplicate icon.
Select Review item.
Open the review from the Item details page
To start a review from inside the item, use the duplicate notification at the top of the page. Select Review item in the notification.
Choose what happens to the two items
Both routes open the Review duplicate items panel, showing the original item and the duplicate item side by side. The matching supplier, total, and date appear at the top, and the decision sits at the bottom.
If the items are separate purchases, select No, it's a different purchase. Both items stay in the inbox, and Dext won't flag that pair again.
If the items are the same purchase, select Yes, it's the same purchase, then choose one of:
Delete image: removes the duplicate item.
Attach image to original purchase: keeps both images on a single item.
How do I find the item Dext matched against?
Every deleted duplicate records the Item ID of the item it matched. You use that ID to find the original and compare the two before deciding whether to restore.
Step 1: Open the item history
Find the deleted duplicate and open its history record.
Go to Submission history.
Find the item with the status Confirmed duplicate.
Select the History icon on that row.
Step 2: Copy the original Item ID
The history panel names the item Dext matched against. Find the original Item ID in the panel and copy it.
Step 3: Search for the original item
Use the Item ID filter to find the original. The original is the item that already went through, so check the Archive tab as well as the Inbox.
Go to the Costs inbox.
Open the Archive tab.
Select Advanced search.
Enter the Item ID in the Item ID field.
Select Apply.
How do I stop the same supplier being flagged over and over?
If one supplier repeatedly produces genuine purchases that Dext reads as duplicates, change the mode for that supplier rather than switching duplicate detection off.
Go to Costs > Suppliers.
Select the supplier.
Under Duplicate costs items, select Review.
Dext then flags that supplier's items instead of deleting them, so nothing disappears and you confirm each pair yourself. This is the right setting for suppliers where several identical-value purchases on one day are normal, such as travel, food and drink, or repeat filing fees.
Note: A supplier rule overrides the account-wide setting, so you don't need to change anything in Business settings to make this work. For more on supplier rules, go to How to use supplier and customer rules in Dext
Why are items being deleted when my setting is Review?
If your mode is Review but items are still disappearing, check whether Dext deleted them or a person confirmed them. The item history records both and names who did what.
Go to Submission history.
Find the item and select the History icon on that row.
Read the two duplicate events and who performed each one.
Marked as potential duplicate is always performed by Dext. That's detection finding the match, and it happens in Automatic and Review mode alike.
Confirmed as potential duplicate is the one that tells you what happened. Performed by Dext, it means Automatic mode deleted the item on its own. Performed by a named user, it means that person reviewed the pair and confirmed it as the same purchase.
If a user's name is against it, the setting worked and someone made a decision. If it's Dext, check the supplier as well as Business settings, because a supplier rule set to Automatic overrides an account-wide Review setting.
Why can't I see the Review item option?
Reviewing a suspected duplicate needs an admin-level role, so the Review item option doesn't appear for everyone.
Standard users see the amber duplicate icon but get no way to act on it. An Admin user has to review the pair, or the user's role has to change. For what each role can do, go to Roles and permissions in Dext
Why is a duplicate error blocking my expense claim?
An approved expense claim can still fail to publish with an error reading "Review duplicate items" or "This item looks like another in your archive". The claim is blocked because one item inside it is flagged, not because of anything wrong with the claim.
Work out which item it is, then clear the flag:
Note the item number quoted in the error message.
Find that item using the Item ID filter in Advanced search, checking the Archive as well as the inbox.
Review the flagged pair and choose whether it's the same purchase.
If you can't find the matching item anywhere, it may belong to another user or sit outside your access. Ask an admin to search for it, or contact our Dext support team