diff --git a/lib/services/remote_sync_service.dart b/lib/services/remote_sync_service.dart
index e1f5b3235..0f8c8ed78 100644
--- a/lib/services/remote_sync_service.dart
+++ b/lib/services/remote_sync_service.dart
@@ -257,12 +257,10 @@ class RemoteSyncService {
       }
       // prefer existing collection ID for manually uploaded files.
       // See https://github.com/ente-io/frame/pull/187
-      final collectionID =
-          (file.collectionID != null || file.collectionID != -1)
-              ? file.collectionID
-              : (await CollectionsService.instance
-                      .getOrCreateForPath(file.deviceFolder))
-                  .id;
+      final collectionID = file.collectionID ??
+          (await CollectionsService.instance
+                  .getOrCreateForPath(file.deviceFolder))
+              .id;
       _uploadFile(file, collectionID, futures);
     }