---
id: duplicates.which-copy-is-kept-in-a-cloud-account
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/which-copy-is-kept-in-a-cloud-account
category: "Duplicate files"
subcategory: "Duplicates in cloud accounts"
question: "Which copy is kept when I clean duplicates in a cloud account?"
alt_questions:
  - "Suggested keeper cloud duplicates"
  - "Which Google Drive duplicate will be kept?"
  - "How does it choose the copy to keep in Dropbox?"
  - "Keep best, remove duplicates cloud"
short_answer: "In a cloud account the suggested keeper is the copy nearest the top of the account, then the one with the shortest path. You can remove individual copies instead, and every confirmation names the copy that stays before anything is removed."
tags: ["duplicates", "cloud", "keep"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/which-copy-does-storage-studio-recommend-keeping", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-remove-cloud-duplicates"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Which copy is kept when I clean duplicates in a cloud account?

In a cloud account, the suggested copy to keep — marked **Keep** — is the one nearest the top of the account (the fewest folders deep), then the one with the shortest path. A file filed near the top is usually the one you meant to keep, while extra copies usually sit deeper inside folders.

You're not tied to it: use **Remove just this copy** on any individual copy instead, and the confirmation always names the copy that stays and where it is before anything is removed.