diff --git a/gns3server/api/routes/controller/images.py b/gns3server/api/routes/controller/images.py
index c4a06a4f..736c44c3 100644
--- a/gns3server/api/routes/controller/images.py
+++ b/gns3server/api/routes/controller/images.py
@@ -148,11 +148,6 @@ async def upload_image(
     if os.path.commonprefix([base_images_directory, full_path]) != base_images_directory:
         raise ControllerForbiddenError(f"Cannot write image, '{image_path}' is forbidden")
 
-    image = await images_repo.get_image(image_path)
-    if image:
-        log.warning(f"Image '{image_path}' already exists")
-        return image
-
     try:
         allow_raw_image = Config.instance().settings.Server.allow_raw_images
         image = await write_image(image_path, full_path, request.stream(), images_repo, allow_raw_image=allow_raw_image)
diff --git a/gns3server/utils/images.py b/gns3server/utils/images.py
index 2638cfe7..794abf6a 100644
--- a/gns3server/utils/images.py
+++ b/gns3server/utils/images.py
@@ -342,6 +342,12 @@ async def write_image(
         allow_raw_image=False
 ) -> models.Image:
 
+    db_image = await images_repo.get_image(image_path)
+    if db_image and os.path.exists(image_path):
+        # the image already exists in the database and on disk
+        log.info(f"Image {image_path} already exists")
+        return db_image
+
     image_dir, image_name = os.path.split(image_filename)
     log.info(f"Writing image file to '{image_path}'")
     # Store the file under its final name only when the upload is completed
@@ -381,6 +387,10 @@ async def write_image(
         except OSError:
             log.warning(f"Could not remove '{tmp_path}'")
 
+    if db_image:
+        # the image already exists in the database, no need to add it again
+        return db_image
+
     return await images_repo.add_image(
         image_name,
         image_type,