# Reset checksum for files

**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/reset-checksum-for-files/616209
**Category:** Metadata & Adding Files
**Tags:** server-unraid
**Created:** [July 23, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/reset-checksum-for-files/616209 "2020-07-23T11:55:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![\_TheMikey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/_themikey/32/88159_2.png) [@\_TheMikey](https://forums.plex.tv/u/_TheMikey)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/reset-checksum-for-files/616209/1 "2020-07-23T11:55:41Z")

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Server Version#: 1.20.0.3125  
Player Version#: 4.34.4

I found a forum post, which makes logic to what I see.

> [@Plex WRONGLY MERGING files across multiple folders (within the same library)](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-wrongly-merging-files-across-multiple-folders-within-the-same-library/398524/35):
>
> The problem is the media scanner is generating a checksum property for the file which it HOLDS ON TO FOREVER AND EVER. It’s mentioned upthread that if a file changes this will trigger a rescan of the file. This is fine and good, except the checksum property IS NEVER CHANGED. If you had two files added at different times, and each file was momentarily empty when added, and plex scanned each file, plex now marks each file separately with the empty file checksum. Later on, plex looks at this chec…

The problem I got, is that I used handbrake to re-encode a bunch of files. While encoding plex scanned the newly created, still empty file, and failed to do anything with that. Once that file was fully encoded, plex scanned it again and added metadata. Next file started to encode, plex scanned the still empty file, and added it to the first empty scanned. And this is the story to the rest of all the files. They are all very different, but all are added as different versions to the first file.

Is there a way to make plex completely forget the files merged into one, and have it scan them all over, as if it has never seen them before?

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### Author: ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/reset-checksum-for-files/616209/2 "2020-10-21T11:55:54Z")

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