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NinjaOne Agent: Deduplication

  • Last Updated July 7, 2026

This article discusses agent deduplication in NinjaOne.

Environment

NinjaOne agent

Description

Agent deduplication is the automatic detection and merging of duplicate device instances in NinjaOne. A duplicate device can arise when the NinjaOne agent on an endpoint stops reporting and requires a manual uninstall and reinstall, causing the reinstalled device to register as a new entry alongside the dormant original. When enabled, agent deduplication automatically merges the new instance with the dormant device, preserving the device's historical Activities feed data.

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NinjaOne Agent: Decuplication (NinjaOne, Inc., 01:25)

How NinjaOne Identifies Duplicate Devices

NinjaOne uses the following criteria to identify duplicate devices:

  • Machine ID: A unique identifier that the NinjaOne Agent passes to the NinjaOne servers at registration. This ID consists of a unique Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) identifier and the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the device's network adapters. Adding or removing network adapters changes the Machine ID and can affect deduplication logic.
  • Organization: The duplicate device must register under the same organization as the dormant device for NinjaOne to merge them.

Important Considerations

  • Only system administrators can activate or deactivate agent deduplication.
  • On Microsoft Windows devices, agent deduplication requires the AlwaysRestoreNodeId registry key value to be set to 1. You can set this key value in the Windows Registry by navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWOW6432NodeNinjaRMM LLCNinjaRMMAgentServer, right-clicking the AlwaysRestoreNodeId registry key, clicking Modify, and entering 1 for the value. If the registry key value is missing, you can add it as a new DWORD (32 bit) value.

Setting Up Agent Deduplication

  1. In NinjaOne, navigate to Administration → General → Settings → Agent installer and click Edit.
  2. In the Installer Settings section, click Edit next to the Deduplication: Merge devices if a duplicate device is found on installation setting.
Figure 1: Administration → General → Settings → Agent installer (click to enlarge)
  1. Activate the Agent deduplication toggle, then click Update.

After activation, NinjaOne will automatically merge duplicate devices upon detection. This merge applies only to devices that enroll as duplicates after you activate the setting. When the merge completes, NinjaOne will restore the dormant device's historical Activities feed data and will continue adding new entries going forward. Refer to

Figure 2: Administration → General → System activities → Device re-enrolled (click to enlarge)
  1. The Edit activity settings window will open. Enter the following information. When finished, click Save.
FieldDescription
SeveritySeverity defines the extent to which the condition can affect operations.
PriorityDetermine whether the issue should be examined immediately or at a later time.
Create TicketNinjaOne Ticketing customers can automatically create a ticket from a ticket template. Refer to NinjaOne Ticketing: Automation Triggers and Templates for more information.
Notification ChannelsSelect the channels through which technicians receive the notification. Refer to NinjaOne Endpoint Management: Notification Channels and Alerts for more information.
Notify technicians via SMS/EmailSelect whether you want technicians to receive a notification when the condition triggers.

FAQ

Next Steps