diff --git a/lib/classes/fileredact/services/exifremover_service.php b/lib/classes/fileredact/services/exifremover_service.php
index 81c342cb33e..9bc5f56e66f 100644
--- a/lib/classes/fileredact/services/exifremover_service.php
+++ b/lib/classes/fileredact/services/exifremover_service.php
@@ -230,6 +230,8 @@ class exifremover_service extends service {
             'itemid'    => $this->storedfile->get_itemid(),
             'filepath'  => $this->storedfile->get_filepath(),
             'filename'  => $this->storedfile->get_filename(),
+            'repositoryid' => $this->storedfile->get_repository_id(),
+            'reference' => $this->storedfile->get_reference(),
         ];
         $fs = get_file_storage();
         $existingfile = $fs->get_file(
diff --git a/lib/filestorage/file_storage.php b/lib/filestorage/file_storage.php
index 732490063b5..372cabcda09 100644
--- a/lib/filestorage/file_storage.php
+++ b/lib/filestorage/file_storage.php
@@ -1493,6 +1493,10 @@ class file_storage {
 
         $newrecord->pathnamehash = $this->get_pathname_hash($newrecord->contextid, $newrecord->component, $newrecord->filearea, $newrecord->itemid, $newrecord->filepath, $newrecord->filename);
 
+        if (!empty($filerecord->repositoryid)) {
+            $newrecord->referencefileid = $this->get_or_create_referencefileid($filerecord->repositoryid, $filerecord->reference);
+        }
+
         try {
             $this->create_file($newrecord, $notify);
         } catch (dml_exception $e) {