---
id: duplicates.what-does-doesnt-publish-file-fingerprints-mean
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/what-does-doesnt-publish-file-fingerprints-mean
category: "Duplicate files"
subcategory: "Duplicates in cloud accounts"
question: "What does it mean when a cloud account \"doesn't publish file fingerprints\"?"
alt_questions:
  - "doesn't publish file fingerprints, so we can't compare files there"
  - "Why can't Storage Studio check this account for duplicates?"
  - "Cloud account not supported for duplicates"
  - "No content fingerprint for duplicates"
short_answer: "The service doesn't provide content fingerprints, so its files can't be compared without downloading every one — which Storage Studio won't do. It means \"we couldn't look\", not \"no duplicates\"; your files there are untouched."
tags: ["duplicates", "cloud", "error message"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/does-duplicate-scanning-download-my-cloud-files", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-dont-google-docs-show-up-in-duplicates"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What does it mean when a cloud account "doesn't publish file fingerprints"?

It means the service doesn't provide content fingerprints for its files, so there's no way to tell identical files apart without downloading every one of them — which Storage Studio won't do. The message reads *"… doesn't publish file fingerprints, so we can't compare files there without downloading them — which we won't do."*

It's an honest "we couldn't look", not "there are no duplicates". Your files in that account are untouched. Other accounts, and your Mac, are checked normally.