Merging duplicate records
Key Takeaway
To merge records, users need "Delete" on the object. To merge records from a duplicate record set, users also need "Edit" on the object and access to duplicate record sets, which you must grant first.
Merging combines duplicate leads, contacts, or accounts into one record, so your data stays clean and your team can trust it. You pick one record as the principal record, which is the record the others merge into. Then you choose which field values to keep. Salesforce moves the other records to the Recycle Bin.
How Salesforce finds duplicates
There are two ways to find duplicates. To find them one record at a time, activate duplicate rules and the "Potential Duplicates" component. Users then see a message on a record that has duplicates. To find them across the org, run duplicate jobs. The results of a duplicate job land in duplicate record sets. Users merge the records from those sets.
Matching rules decide how Salesforce identifies duplicates. Duplicate rules and duplicate jobs both use them, so if duplicates aren't being flagged, fine-tune the matching rules.