# Cannot merge first and second post in a topic even though both are written by the same author
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [30.Август.2016 16:56:02 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444 "2016-08-30T16:56:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@meglio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/meglio)
#### Post date: [30.Август.2016 16:56:02 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/1 "2016-08-30T16:56:02Z")
If you select the first and the second posts of a topic, no “Join” option appears in the admin wrench menu. Is this a bug?
Please note that both messages are written by the same author.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [30.Август.2016 17:26:42 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/2 "2016-08-30T17:26:42Z")
I’ve noticed this as well at Stonehearth.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [30.Август.2016 23:25:39 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/3 "2016-08-30T23:25:39Z")
I don’t think that is in scope for this feature, as the first post is a bit special.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [30.Август.2016 23:31:51 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/4 "2016-08-30T23:31:51Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> as the first post is a bit special
What makes it special? Doesn’t this feature just merge the posts - in essence automating the process of copying and pasting the content and then deleting all but one post? At the moment, when a user (typically new) posts multiple times in a topic (because they can’t have more than 1 image), we merge all the posts (except the first) and then manually copy and paste the image links and delete the remaining post. Not merging with the first post removes a big use case for us from this feature.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [31.Август.2016 00:17:37 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/5 "2016-08-31T00:17:37Z")
> [@jomaxro](#):
>
> What makes it special?
The first post, although a post, is in a real sense also “the topic”.
So this would be like merging a post not into, but with a topic.
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### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [11.Апрель.2018 08:14:50 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/6 "2018-04-11T08:14:50Z")
I’m having this issue and it’s frustrating.
I have two posts from same author. I moved them to their own, new, topic, and only after the move did I want to merge the two posts.
Guess I will have to try to move them back, merge, then move them to new topic again. Silly.
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### Author:  [@rhrmn](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rhrmn)
#### Post date: [24.Июль.2018 03:15:44 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/7 "2018-07-24T03:15:44Z")
Same issue. New user posts new topic and posts a reply instead of editing their original post. I would like to merge the two posts but this isn’t an option for the first two posts in a topic. Please consider allowing the first two posts in a topic to be merged.
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### Author:  [@tobiaseigen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tobiaseigen)
#### Post date: [24.Июль.2018 03:52:50 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/8 "2018-07-24T03:52:50Z")
Why not just edit the first post in the topic to clean it up on their behalf, then delete the second post?
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### Author:  [@rhrmn](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rhrmn)
#### Post date: [24.Июль.2018 04:14:27 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/cannot-merge-first-and-second-post-in-a-topic-even-though-both-are-written-by-the-same-author/49444/9 "2018-07-24T04:14:27Z")
That works. Thank you.