How to Find and Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac? – The Easy Way

While centralizing data from multiple storage devices, duplicate versions of the photos and videos can appear. This will make the merged folder harder to manage and organize. Users can follow the manual steps to identify and delete duplicate photos on their Mac. But for removing duplicates from a large collection of files, use the Cigati Duplicate File Finder & Cleaner. The tool will help users free up their space efficiently. Now, let’s get started with the technical blog. It will include why the duplicates might have appeared and how to remove them.

Understanding Sets of Duplicate Photos

There are three types of duplicates in a set of photos:

• Exact Duplicates: Two/multiple photos that are the same, irrespective of their file name and size. 
• Similar Images: Images that appear the same to the human eye but are slightly different in size and resolution.
• Edited Photos: Photos that have been edited and have slight adjustments like filters, brightness, etc.

Benefits of Removing Duplicate Photos on Mac

Several common practical reasons force users to delete duplicate files. Let us look at a few of them:

• High-resolution photos and large video files take up a lot of disk space. Therefore, it is necessary to remove them.
• By removing duplicate photos and videos from the Mac, users can make the macOS system more responsive.
• For better browsing, searching, and organising, it is recommended to delete the duplicate files. 
• Also, having multiple copies of the photos and videos can create confusion while identifying them. 
• While backing up the photos and videos folders, duplicates take up an extra space. Deleting them will ensure efficient backups. 

Top Ways to Find and Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac

We will now proceed further and look at the several methods to delete duplicate photos and videos. In this section, we will explore both free and a professional reliable tool. Let’s begin.

#1: Delete Duplicate Pictures on Mac in Finder

By default, Finder is the file management application on the macOS system. It allows users to organize and manage their files efficiently.

These are the instructions to be followed to remove duplicate files:

1. First, open Finder on your macOS system.
2. Then, go to the folder containing your photos and videos.
3. Now, right-click and choose Sort By: Name, Date, or Size to spot the duplicate files.
4. After that, select the duplicate copies and drag them to the Trash. 

Limitations: Manually identifying duplicate photos and videos from a large folder can be time-consuming. Also, some duplicates will become unnoticed due to slight variations.

#2: Manually Clean Up Duplicate Photos on Mac

CleanMyMac, an Apple-notarized app, offers a smart My Clutter tool. It helps users identify and remove duplicate images. It efficiently scans the Mac system for repeated images. 

Use the following steps to start the conversion process:

1. Open CleanMyMac X and allow the necessary permissions to access the files.
2. Now, on the left-side panel, click on the My Clutter option. 
3. Next, press the Scan button to begin scanning for duplicate photos or videos.
4. After the scan is completed, click on Review All Files. 
5. Now, manually look for duplicate photos and videos. Once found, tap Remove.

Limitations: The free trial will allow users to remove a limited number of duplicates. This method may skip the images with slight variations. The user can accidentally or mistakenly delete the photos.

#3: Delete Duplicate Videos on Mac via Photos App

This method is reliable and safe for deleting duplicates. If the user enables the iCloud, the changes will be synced across the devices automatically.

These are the steps to begin deleting the duplicate files:

1. To start with, open the Photos application.
2. Either manually scroll and find the duplicates or right-click and choose the Sort by option. 
3. Now, Sort by either date, title, or file type. 
4. After that, identify the duplicate videos or photos. 
5. Once found, select them and press Command+Delete to move them to the Recently Deleted folder. 

Limitations: It is a time-consuming process for identifying and deleting thousands of duplicate photos or videos. There may be some duplicates that cannot be identified because of slight variations. 

#4: Most Reliable Solution to Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac

The Cigati Duplicate File Finder & Cleaner helps users optimize storage by finding and removing duplicates. It deletes the duplicates of the types, documents, photos, videos, music, and more. One can also search for duplicates based on file groups, extensions, or similarity. The user can also skip the scanning process in Desktop, Applications, hidden folders, or System files. Also, the results are exported in CSV format.

Simple steps to begin removing duplicate photos on Mac:

1. Start by installing and downloading the tool.
2. After that, click the arrow icon and choose the All Files option. 
3. Now, drag and drop the files or folders to scan for duplicates.
4. Then, apply the necessary filter by clicking on Scan Options. 
5. Afterward, click on the Start Scan button to start scanning the files.
6. Once the scanning is completed and view the report.
7. At last, choose the desired deletion option and delete them.
8. You can also export the results in CSV format.

Conclusion

Managing multiple versions of the same photos and videos on a Mac can be frustrating at times. Removing them is the best option. While the manual methods that we’ve explored work well, but are repetitive and prone to error. Conversely, the automated tool, Cigati Duplicate File Finder & Remover, is the most reliable option to delete duplicate photos on mac. It ensures data privacy and data integrity throughout the entire process. Instead of spending hours looking for duplicates, choose the tool for a quick scan.

You May Also Read: Remove Duplicate Photos in Windows 10

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