How to Manage Multiple Subscriptions in Shadowrocket: Groups, Sorting, and Duplicate Cleanup

1. Distinguish Subscription Sources, Server Entries, and Config

A subscription link provides server settings and may return multiple server entries. Server names shown in Home are not unique identifiers: entries with the same name can have different addresses, while entries at the same address can use different ports or protocols. Before checking for duplicates, identify which subscription each entry belongs to.

Config manages configuration files, including their rules and policies. Giving two subscriptions different remarks does not create two sets of routing rules, and changing the list order in Home does not change the rule matching order in Config. Settings controls app behavior. Maintain these separately.

For example, if source A has 12 entries, source B has 8, and there are 2 manually added entries, record each group’s count before organizing them. The total of 22 is a baseline for checking changes, not a target to reduce to. If the count changes later, you should be able to trace the change to its source.

2. Group Subscriptions by Source to Avoid Duplicate Imports

Give each active subscription a clear source remark, such as “Source A | Daily” and “Source B | Backup.” Use remarks for identification only; don’t include subscription tokens, account details, or full URLs. Preserve the boundaries between sources instead of treating subscriptions as the same just because their names include the same region.

1. Review Existing Entries

   Open Home and review the existing subscription groups and remarks. Open each subscription’s edit screen to check its URL and confirm whether the same entry is already there. To refresh an existing entry, don’t add it again using the “+” button in the upper-right corner.

2. Add a Missing Source

   If a source is genuinely missing, go to Home → “+” in the upper-right corner → Type → Subscribe. Paste your existing subscription link into URL, add an identifiable source remark in Remarks, then save.

3. Update and Check One at a Time

   Return to Home and pull down to refresh subscriptions. When organizing them for the first time, handle one source at a time. Check the returned entries, any error messages, and changes in count so you can identify which source caused each change.

4. Keep a Record of Sources

   Keep the source-to-remark mapping in your own secure records. If you need to log troubleshooting results, note changes such as “Source A: 12 → 10.” Don’t include full subscription links in screenshots or public records.

Updating a subscription fetches its contents again from the existing entry; it does not create another entry. If your provider changes the subscription URL, check the URL in the existing subscription’s edit screen before deciding whether to replace it or add a separate source. Two links that differ only by a token can’t be assumed to be the same based on appearance alone.

3. Sorting Changes the Display Order, Not Routing

Sort by source first, then by purpose, and use test results last. To reorder subscriptions or servers, use the editing or sorting controls available for that list in Home. Sorting options may differ between lists, so don’t assume that drag-and-drop or sorting is available in every group. After making changes, return to Home and confirm that each entry is still grouped under the correct source.

If the current list offers sorting by name or latency, name sorting is useful for finding specific entries, while latency sorting can help with a one-time check. Run the same set of tests before sorting by latency; don’t directly compare results from yesterday on Wi-Fi with today’s results on a cellular network. A good result in one test doesn’t guarantee higher sustained throughput.

• Everyday order: Put frequently used sources first and backups after them. Keep remarks consistent so entries are easy to find after updates.
• Troubleshooting: Expand the source you want to check, test only that group, and note your local network, the time, and the results.
• After an update: Confirm that the selected entry is still there. If a source was renamed, check policies that refer to its old name.
• Can’t reorder manually: Keep entries grouped by source and use consistent remarks to identify them. Don’t reimport an entire subscription just to change its order.

Use Global Routing to check how traffic is actually routed. Don’t change the routing mode while organizing lists. If you need to compare test results, note the original mode and active configuration first, then restore them when you’re done.

4. Check Server Settings for Duplicates, Not Names

Duplicates commonly come from either adding the same subscription twice or receiving some of the same servers from different subscriptions. In the first case, remove the redundant subscription entry. In the second, preserve source information first, then decide whether any individual entry needs attention. Deleting servers just because their names match can remove a backup connection by mistake.

Open a server entry’s edit screen to review its settings without changing them. Compare Type, server address, port, and authentication details, as well as TLS, SNI, transport, and related settings. Check authentication details only on your device; don’t copy them into public troubleshooting records.

For example, two Trojan entries at the same address and port 443 may still use different configurations if their SNI values differ. A VLESS entry and a VMess entry with the same name also can’t simply be merged. Protocol names and port numbers alone aren’t enough to determine whether entries are duplicates.

5. Check for Update Issues Before Removing an Inactive Subscription

An update timeout doesn’t necessarily mean a subscription is permanently inactive. First determine whether the link can’t be reached, authentication has expired, the returned content can’t be parsed, or a server connection has failed. The first two issues occur while fetching the subscription; the last occurs when using a server. A successful refresh doesn’t mean every server in the list will connect.

1. Keep the original URL and source remark. In Home, update the subscription again and note the specific message. Don’t keep adding the same subscription.
2. Check your provider account to see whether the link was reset or its authorization has expired. A token in a link is sensitive information; don’t share it with others for testing.
3. If your local network can’t reach the subscription source but you have another working proxy connection, check Settings → Subscribe → Update via Proxy and try again while the proxy is available.
4. If the update succeeds but a server won’t connect, check that entry’s settings and test results. Don’t delete the entire subscription group right away.
5. After confirming that a source has been deactivated, its URL replaced, or the entry is genuinely duplicated, use the delete option for the target subscription in Home. Make sure you’re deleting the entire group or just an individual entry, as intended.

Update via Proxy isn’t a universal fix for update errors. If the current proxy isn’t working, relying on it to update can create a loop. After changing the setting, retry once and record the result. If it doesn’t help, restore the previous setting and continue checking the URL, authorization, and network access.

Before deleting a whole group, check whether Config refers to any specific names from that group. Configurations with custom policies or fixed server names may need those references updated after a source is removed or renamed. Don’t bulk-edit DOMAIN-SUFFIX, GEOIP, IP-CIDR, or FINAL just to organize Home; these keywords match traffic and don’t clean up subscriptions.

6. Common Questions About Managing Multiple Subscriptions

After organizing your subscriptions, you should be able to answer three questions: where each subscription comes from, what changed with each update, and which policy currently determines the connection. Maintain them in this order—check the source → update → review changes → test the connection. This keeps records clearer than periodically deleting and reimporting everything.