Why do I get duplicates of an image with numbers like 1-1-1 but it's the identical image of original

[dorothys71779845]

I continue to get duplicates of images with additional numbers like 1-1-1.  I'll have up to 10 images of the original image with different numbers added.  It seems to happen when I add photos to Elements but Elements will tell me some photos are already in Elements and those photos won't be added.  I do have several categories, for example WILDLIFE is a category that has sub-categories under it like Elk, Deer, Birds, etc.  Could this create the problem?  However, I get the same problem in FLOWERS where there are no sub-categories.  I had to restore my Elements and bring back all my photos from my hard drive and when I did this I accepted all the tags, so if photos were in a few different tags would this have caused all this duplication?  I know this is confusing but it takes me hours and hours to delete all these duplicates.  This shouldn't happen!

[Greg_S.]

Elements does not create duplicates of your files unless you tell it to.  Your tag system has nothing to do with creating duplicates of files stored on your hard drive.  When you are editing your files in the Editor, you are probably making a copy, using the Save As command, and also keeping it in a Version Set.  When you do this, you will end up with one file e.g. Original file.jpg and another one called Original file-edited-1.jpg.  The edited file will be at the top of the stack.  So, if you decide to edit it again and do a Save as, it will create a new file called Original file-edited-2.jpg.  If you decide to edit that file and do a Save As, but as a copy, not in a Version Set, the file will by default called Orginal file-edited-2 Copy.jpg.  If these files are placed in a watched folder, you will be prompted to import the file into the catalog.  Since the file has been created as a copy, it will not be considered as a duplicate of the original and will be imported again into the catalog. 

There are various other workflows that could cause true duplicate files to be imported into the catalog with various different naming conventions.  If you tell us more about your workflow, we might be able to give further explanation.  But clearly, not all of your files are duplicates.  Instead, they are edited copies.

As for deleting the unwanted duplicates, you could use a file name search (Shift+Ctrl+K) and enter, e.g., -1 in the search text box.  This will display all files with that suffix.  You can then delete them if you no longer want them in your catalog and on your hard drive.

[ragnarp47034604]

Hello, I have exactly the same problem after  I have added tags and run ctrl-W to write the tags to files (in bulk).  I will have duplicates on som files with my initials added to the original file name. It is reall annoying.

[Greg_S.]

. . .  and you didn't give us details of why you had to restore Elements or how or where you did it.  It is possible that your restoration created copies of your files from a backup and if you restored it into the same file structure, your OS gave the copies an additional suffix.

[dorothys71779845]

Your explanations are the most clear so far.  Thank you for that.  When I edit I get exactly what your describe.  It's the photos I have never edited that seem to get these additional -1-1-1-1 numbers.  But since I did have to restore my entire computer and have several backup drives I'm thinking this is where my problem started.  I love your suggestion for deleting the unwanted duplicates, but many photos taken on different dates have the same number with or without that -1, i.e., 2387 taken on 10/25/21 and 2387-1 taken on 4/5/22.  So, I may be deleting photos that shouldn't be deleted.  My only solution has been to go into my hard drive, display photos in detail, and compare each number to make sure I'm only deleting duplicates of the same photo.  So far I've deleted thousands and thousands.....and I'm trying to keep two computers (in two different states) up-to-date on all these photos, new and old.  It's exhausting!  But thank you for your clear explanations.

[Greg_S.]

@ragnarp47034604, even with the little information you have provided, you don't have exactly the same problem as the OP.  I am reasonably confident that Elements is not creating any duplicates of your files without you telling it to. 

Based on the limited information you have given, the only possibility I can think of is that when you write the metadata to the files, a temporary copy is being created and that somehow you are importing those temporary files into the catalog, perhaps via a Watched folder.

See this discussion.