Duplicate Auto-Number IDs Appearing in Our Sheet — Multiple Consecutive Duplicates

Maria Dumitrica

Screenshot 2025-07-01 105929 duplicate SM ID.png

Hi all,

We're facing a strange issue in our Smartsheet where the Auto-Number column (used for Purchase Offer IDs) has started generating duplicate values — not just once, but in a consecutive block.

Here’s a screenshot of what’s happening:

We’re using Smartsheet connected to a front end via Vue. The Auto-Number column:

• Is not editable
• Is not imported from other sheets
• Is not manually copied or filled
• Generates a new value when a new row is created

But somehow we now have duplicate IDs like:

#750#751...#761#751#752...#761

Has anyone seen this before? Could this be caused by:

• Automation duplicating rows in parallel?
• Sheet copy/import/reset?
• An API integration not triggering the Auto-Number logic?

We’re only seeing this issue recently and not across all new rows — just a subset. Any insights, debugging tips, or official clarification would be incredibly helpful!

Thanks in advance!

Naeem Ejaz

You're right to be concerned — Auto-Number columns in Smartsheet are supposed to guarantee uniqueness, so duplicates, especially in consecutive blocks, are highly unusual. This behavior is rare but can occur under certain edge conditions, particularly with API integrations or automations.

Paul Newcome

Have you checked the activity log to see if rows are being moved or copied in from another sheet?