Can you undo a contact merge in Clio Manage?

The short answer

Not with a button. The Clio help articles we read describe combining duplicate contacts as a manual job and mention no merge or undo-merge function. In our guide to merging by hand, the last step is deleting the duplicate, so the closest thing to an undo is recovering that deleted record. Clio's article Recover Deleted Contacts says that in Clio Manage you can restore a contact deleted in error from the Recovery Bin, which holds deleted items for six months, and that the recovered contact returns to your contacts table where you can compare it against your records and re-enter anything absent.

What a deletion does, and what can be recovered

According to Edit and Delete Contacts, deleting a contact releases its notes, client portal access and Clio for Co-Counsel access, while bills, matters, transactions and payments stay in Clio Manage without a contact attached. The article separates two outcomes:

• Recoverable for six months: contacts deleted from a contact record or from the contacts table.
• Permanent: contacts deleted with the bulk operations tool. The recovery article repeats this: contacts removed that way remain deleted, and the Recovery Bin does not retain them.

The same article says you can view a record of which user deleted each contact from the Firm Feed on your Clio Manage dashboard.

How to recover the deleted record

1. In Clio Manage, click Settings > Recovery Bin.
2. Click Filter, and under Type select Contact, then click Search.
3. Click Recover beside the contact, then Ok.
4. Open the contact's dashboard and check it against your own records.

Clio warns that a recovered contact may return with some information absent. Its list to check: contact information (phone numbers, email addresses and addresses), custom fields, billing preferences including the payment profile and any client rates, the client's matters and any associated matters, and contact notes. After recovery, the client portal and Clio for Co-Counsel access are re-enabled.

What recovery does not promise

The article describes bringing back the deleted record. It does not describe moving back the matters, notes or documents you already moved to the other record. Those stay where you put them until you move them again, and the article's own advice is to check the matters and notes and re-enter what is missing. So the practical protection is a record made before the merge: which matters, notes and documents moved, and what each field looked like.

For the manual steps and what Clio's duplicate tool covers, see how to find and merge duplicate contacts in Clio Manage.

Option: Tidyroll

Tidyroll is a web app made by Atesen Software for law firms on Clio Manage. You connect through Clio's own sign-in and run a free, read-only scan; nothing in Clio changes until you confirm a merge. It is built so that a merge can be reversed:

• Nothing deleted. The duplicate stays unchanged with a note saying where everything went.
• A journal. Every change is journaled with its old value and read back from Clio, so a single merge or a whole run can be undone for 30 days.
• You choose first. You pick the record to keep and the value of each field, read a plan of every matter, relationship, note and document that moves, and type a confirmation such as MERGE 12.
• Blocked when it is not safe. A merge stops when the duplicate has bills, trust or bank transactions, credit memos, Clio Payments, a balance, or client portal or co-counsel access.

Good to know. Tidyroll works only with Clio Manage accounts in Clio's US region (app.clio.com) today; the Canada, Europe / UK and Australia regions are not open yet. It needs a Clio Manage plan that includes apps and integrations (API access). It is not in the Clio App Directory, and Clio has not reviewed it. It is a data clean-up tool, not legal advice: you decide which records are the same client. The undo window is 30 days, so it does not replace a record of your own.

Disclosure. Atesen Software, which publishes this guide, makes Tidyroll. The Clio steps above work without it.

Price. The scan is free and shows duplicate counts with 3 sample groups. A Cleanup Pass is $199 once for 90 days of one Clio account; Monitor is $29 a month for a weekly re-scan, bulk edit and 50 merges a month. Checkout is by Paddle on Tidyroll's own site.

About Tidyroll Run a free scan on its own site

Which route fits

• A contact deleted in error in the last six months: the Recovery Bin, then check the record.
• A contact removed with the bulk operations tool: not recoverable from the bin.
• Merges you want to be able to reverse: keep your own record, or use a tool that journals them, such as Tidyroll if your firm signs in to app.clio.com.

Atesen Software is independent. Clio is a trademark of Themis Solutions Inc., and this page is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Clio. Clio help centre articles were checked on 22 October 2026; menus and plans can change.

Questions about this guide: support@atesensoftware.com.