The dreaded “running low on storage” error message — we all hate it. When your Mac starts to run out of space, one of the most effective ways to clean it up is to find any duplicate files you can delete. Photos, videos, songs, email attachments, old documents — anything that's easy to download and forget about.
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Duplicate files on your Mac are largely useless, and managing them is important. The more duplicate files there are on Mac, the less efficient it is because duplicates can affect Mac’s resources and performance.
There are many good-quality, paid duplicate-file-finding apps for Mac. You can find them with a quick trip to the Mac App Store. DupeGuru, dupeGuru Music Edition, and dupeGuru Pictures Edition. RELATED: 10 Ways To Free Up Disk Space on Your Mac Hard Drive. We also recommended dupeGuru for finding duplicate files on Windows. This application is. Your Mac will be rid of duplicated and unwanted files leaving you with so much free space for new and necessary files. Now you know how to find and delete duplicate files on mac with smart folders. Using this simple built-in feature on your macOS only requires your time and concentration.
Many users just don't think to find duplicate files on their Mac, much less delete duplicate files when they're aware of them. There are a few really good ways to remove duplicate files on your Mac; we'll show you the absolute best methods here.
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Best ways to remove duplicates on your Mac
Having duplicate files on your Mac may not be your fault. There are times when you duplicate a file to alter it, but never get around to those changes. You may also import images you already have in your Photos app, or have multiple video or audio files lurking.
Sometimes, apps download multiple files or folders they need to operate properly. You can dig through your file system and manually delete files, but that's a tedious process.
Find duplicates manually
You can, of course, just go through every folder, hidden or not, and delete the files that you remember seeing somewhere else. But how long would that take you? Your files love to spread throughout multiple destinations, and some apps like iTunes or Photos keep their own libraries of your files, which are hard to get to.
Smart Folders can help. Your Mac lets you create Smart Folders inside Finder. These folders have automated actions to make finding file types easier.
Here's how to use Smart Folders on Mac:
- Open Finder
- From the menu bar, select “File”
- Select “New Smart Folder”
- In the finder window, choose “Kind”
- Next to “Kind,” select the file type you want to isolate for the smart folder
This is Apple's imperfect method; it can help you find all types of files, but there's no automation for duplicates in Smart Folders. If you have multiple versions of a presentation, for example, Smart Folders can help you find all of your presentations, no matter where they're stored on your Mac. You can delete them in the Smart Folder, too, and those files will be placed in Trash.
How To Remove Duplicate Files On Mac Free
Photos
You can also use Smart Folders to find duplicate images. Simply choose Kind > Image > and the type of image you want to find a duplicate of.
Downloads
Finder has a search field that can be handy for finding duplicate files. To use it for your Downloads folder, open Finder, and make sure you have the “Downloads” folder selected from the menu on the left side of the window. In the search bar on the top right, enter the name of a file you want to find a duplicate of.
Mail downloads
Your mail downloads have a home on your Mac. Again, this is likely your downloads folder; to make sure, go to your mail app, select its name in the menu bar, and choose “Preferences.” In its preferences menu, it allows you to designate where you want your downloads to go.
All you have to do from there is search the folder your mail downloads go to for duplicate files as noted above.
How to find duplicate files with a Terminal command
Before you start using Terminal, know this: any changes you make to Terminal and not reversible, and could have lasting effects on your Mac. Be careful!
To find duplicate files on Mac using Terminal, follow these steps:
- Open Terminal on your Mac
- Use the cd command to change directories.
Note: If you have to change directories multiple times – say if you want to search a folder deeper in your file hierarchy – simply use the cd command multiple times until you reach your destination - Enter this command: find . -size 20 ! -type d -exec cksum {} ; | sort | tee /tmp/f.tmp | cut -f 1,2 -d ' ' | uniq -d | grep -hif – /tmp/f.tmp > duplicates.txt
- Press 'Enter' on your Mac keyboard
This creates a text file of all your duplicate files in the folder you're searching for – but doesn't delete them! You still have to go looking for those files.
Find Duplicate Files On Mac
Get rid of duplicate files and folders with duplicate files finders
Just as with most maintenance tasks, finding duplicates has been automated for quite some time now. Apps like Gemini and Disk Drill are excellent duplicate file finder apps, able to scan your computer and clear out the excess completely in minutes.
Gemini is beyond easy to use. It's able to swiftly inspect your Mac, sort all the results by type or date, and even find similar files beyond just duplicates.
When you launch the Gemini app, it will prompt you to add a folder to scan. This can be any folder on your Mac, including common folders like your Home folder, Pictures folder, and Music folder, where your iTunes library lives. You can also drag and drop folders onto the Gemini window.
After Gemini finishes the scan, it'll show you how many duplicates it found and recommend which ones to automatically delete. You can click the Smart Cleanup button to delete the files that Gemini suggests or click Review Results to see all the duplicate files and make your own decisions.
The Review Results window contains everything you need to decide, too. For each duplicate file, you can see where each version lives on your hard drive when it was last modified, how large the file is, and of course preview it. The sidebar also distinguishes exact duplicates from files that are just very similar. You can sort any list by size or file type, and then check the boxes for any files you are comfortable deleting.
To see everything you have selected for deletion so far (including the choices Gemini made on your behalf), just click the Selected section in the left-hand sidebar. And when you're finished making selections, just click the Smart Cleanup button in the bottom-right and that's it! Gemini deletes your duplicate files and you're all done.
Disk Drill has similar functionality, and some extra features. The tool can recover deleted files that haven't been overwritten yet, salvage files from a corrupted external hard drive or SD card, and check the health of your main hard drive. Pretty useful, we think.
When you launch the app, click the Find Duplicates feature in the toolbar and add a folder for the app to scan. Your Home folder is a good place to start.
After the scan, Disk Drill will show all the duplicate files it has found. You can click the arrow next to any to see all the locations on your hard drive where that file was found and choose the one to delete. You can click a little magnifying glass icon to open the file's location in the Finder or click the eyeball to preview the file with Quick Look.
The app doesn't automatically select any files to delete, but has a few handy features. The default view puts the largest files on top of the list, but you can re-sort that however, you like. If you select all versions of the same file to delete, Disk Drill highlights that file name in red as an extra visual warning that you're about to delete them all.
Once you've made all your selections, just click the Remove button at the top-right of the window, confirm that you're really deleting them, and, poof, they're gone.
Conclusion
Finding duplicate files on your Mac can be tedious without great apps. That's likely why your memory is filled with duplicate files. It's also why most of us don't bother finding the duplicates to delete!
Gemini and Disk Drill making finding duplicate files really simple. Both have awesome features, and make finding and deleting duplicate files a snap.
All these apps are also part of the Setapp collection. In fact, there are about 200+ more useful apps for your Mac. And with a free trial, you can try these tips and free up space on our dime.
Duplicate File Finder is a great tool for dealing with low disk space issues, but there is more you can do to clear space and improve your PC's performance. Auslogics BoostSpeed is a powerful optimizer that lets you clean out junk files, resolve registry issues, eliminate slowdown causes, clear privacy traces to protect your confidential data and so much more. Duplicate Files Finder is another solid, if simplistic option. While it doesn’t have a ton of unique features (it’s not even the only app with this name), it’s easily one of the fastest.
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Duplicate File Finder Recover wasted disk space on your HDD, SSD, or in the Cloud Storage and speed up your computer by removing duplicate files. Duplicate File Finder™ is a powerful application that uses intelligent algorithms to identify all types of duplicate files. Easy Duplicate Finder 7 vs. Easy Duplicate Finder 5. We're excited to offer you EDF 7, a new version of Easy Duplicate Finder that uses a different technology that greatly improves speed and performance and offers OS Catalina and Big Sur support for our Mac users. Duplicate Finder is an open-source app that helps you identify all duplicate files beneath a certain folder. When duplicate files are found, Duplicate Finder visualises each one, and even allows you to delete the files you select.
Duplicate File Finder - About
The Free FastDuplicate File Finder will find duplicate files in a folder, computer or entire network. The application will compare the content of the files and will find duplicates even if they are using different file names.
The Professional version can find similar files regardless of their file types. It will analyze the file data in order to find duplicates and not just file attributes like name and size as the standard clone removers do. It uses advanced algorithms while searching for related files and provides accurate results, which is not true for the commonly advertised FUZZY search methods.
The duplicate remover uses fast binary comparison algorithm and has internal preview supporting a lot of image, video, music and text file formats. It can also preview the common file formats.
After the scan process is finished the program shows all the duplicated files in groups and can automatically mark the oldest for deleting. The auto-mark algorithm has advanced settings to exclude from auto mark files with user specified extensions, file sizes, file dates, and file names. A 'source' folder can also be excluded from the auto mark. There is an option to protect system files and folders which is enabled by default and guarantees that the application will not remove any critical system files.
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How To Find Duplicate Files?
- Start the Scan: Select computer, drive, folder or network location to scan and choose among the multiple detection modes - 100% equal files, similar files, similar file names and many more.
- Review Results: The tool automatically selects true duplicates for removal, but the identified files can be previewed inside the application and the selection can be modified manually if needed.
- Delete Duplicate Files: Duplicated files can be removed in one go or moved to a folder or backup drive. You can now enjoy a fast and organized computer.
Duplicate File Finder - Features
Duplicate Finder Windows
The duplicate cleaner is a powerful utility for finding repeating files in a folder and all its sub folders. The duplicate remover has the following features:Find Duplicate Files On My Computer
- Find duplicate files in user specified folders, hard drives, computers or entire networks
- Find similar files - documents( word, excel, text files), archives, binary files. We have dedicated duplicate image finder to find similar images and duplicate MP3 finder to find similar songs. Read our article about Which Duplicate File Finder to Choose.
- Fast binary comparison algorithm
- Internal preview supporting images, videos, music, text and binary files
- Older or smaller files can be automatically marked for deletion
- Redundant files can be moved to Recycle Bin, custom folder or deleted permanently
- Support for all kinds of removable media - usb drives, diskettes etc.
- Has intuitive interface and rich documentation
- Process priority settings that will let the application scan in your computers IDLE time
- Protection for system files and folders that will prevent damages to your system files when removing redundant files
- Automatically locate duplicated files in Windows Explorer
- Open file with associated program
- Powerful filter and exclude from auto-check options
- Powerful Quick Check/Uncheck dialog
- Multi-language file system support
- Native support for 64 bit and 32 bit operating systems
- Lifetime License!
Duplicate File Finder - Command Line Parameters
Command-Line Parameters Usage: (Available only in Pro version)
DupFileFinder.exe -run -s -exp <semicolon delimited list of export formats>
-run - performs a duplicate files scan immediately after the program is started
-exp <semicolon delimited list of export formats> - Export command line parameter. Depending on the file extension will export the corresponding file type. Multiple formats can be exported at once by separating the paths with semicolons. The variables {DATE} and {TIME} will be replaced with the current date and time.
-s – stands for SILENT. Using the option the GUI will not be displayed during the scan and the application will exit after the command line actions are processed.
Example: DupFileFinder.exe -run -s -exp 'c:result_{DATE} {TIME}.xml;c:result_{DATE} {TIME}.fdff;c:result_{DATE} {TIME}.csv'
Note: If some of the parameters contain spaces, you must enclose them in double quotes as displayed above.
System Requirements
- Operating system: Windows 10/Windows 8.1/Windows 8/Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows XP/Windows NT/Windows 2000/Windows 2003/All Windows Server operating systems
- CPU: Pentium-233 MHz or higher
- 128 MB RAM
- 5 MB free hard disk space
- True Color display and video card
- Mouse or other pointing device
Duplicate File Finder - Testimonials
David Cardinal - PC Magazine
'If you suspect you've wound up with multiple copies of large files like photos, music, or videos, there are utilities that can help you locate and delete duplicates. One nice free one is Duplicate File Finder from MindGems'
Gavin Cooper, D&D Consulting - www.timesunion.com
'Duplicate files over time you often move files around especially music photos and video files leaving the originals to sit and gather dust - there are a few free applications out there that can help to de-duplicate files good free one is Fast Duplicate File Finder.'
Long time Mac users have one problem in common, that is duplicates files in the system that not only clutters the precious space but also colonize it unnecessarily. The situation is most common amongst the photographers and those people who love to keep memories intact in the system. If these photos are not sorted now or kept in an organized manner, there could take up your precious system space. And you don’t want that to happen, right? Now the question comes how should I delete photos from Mac and which is the best duplicate photo finder for Mac. Keep scrolling, and you will find your answer regarding duplicate photo finder for Mac soon.
Before we move ahead, let’s clear the concept of duplicate photos about why they are created and how they interrupt in the workflow.
How Are Duplicate Photos Created?
No one creates duplicate photos in their Mac unless needed, yet they show up in the system. How? Well, they could be because of:
- Mistakenly downloaded multiple times from the browser.
- You might have copied these photos from one location to another but forgot to delete from the original location.
- If the photos are edited multiple times, they are created with different names and even extensions.
- If you are not able to locate the downloaded initially photos and new photos are downloaded once again.
These are the most popular ways photos are duplicated, and the need for duplicate photo cleaner tools rises.
How To Remove Duplicate Photos From Mac?
Although you can go for the manual method to remove duplicate photos, it is always recommended to use one of the best duplicate photos finders for Mac to save time, energy and precious space instantly.
Manual Method: In the case of manual method to remove duplicate photos on Mac:
Step 1: You can open Finder > go to Apple menu from the top bar > select File > New Smart Folder.
Step 2: Click ‘+’ icon from the top right corner > select Kind > Any (Images). As the images are detected, you can pull them down in the Trash.
However, this method still may leave the traces of duplicate photos on the Mac, especially if they are available in different file formats, and there are similarities between the pictures. It is best to go on an excellent duplicate photo finder for Mac and get rid of unnecessary duplicates in a quick snap.
Best Duplicate Photo Finder Mac 2021
1. Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro
USP: Overall best duplicate photo cleaner tool
How Do I Delete Duplicate Files On My Mac For Free
One of the best duplicate pictures cleaner, this product by Systweak is well-trusted and easy to use. It allows you to add individual photos, photos library or even a folder. It not only provides the result for duplicates but similar files (for example, clicking in burst mode, slightly photoshopped, identical with less than 100 meters, etc.)
Once you select the folder/photos, you can customize the search results as per your requirements. You are free to slide the bar for Matching Level, Bitmap Size, Time Interval in which the pictures were clicked and GPS to change the geolocation. All this in one tool merely is ecstatic. Scan for the duplicates and similar photos and get the results displayed in a very organized fashion to avoid any confusion.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Finds duplicate as well as similar photos to save Mac’s space. ● Self-navigating interface ● Results are displayed in a group-wise manner. | ● Cannot be used without paying $1.99 |
2. Gemini 2
USP: Cleans other duplicate files along with duplicate photos
Many Mac users choose Gemini 2 as smart duplicate photos cleaner. This laser-accurate tool helps in recovering a lot of space in the system when you add a folder or tons of images for the process. While scanning is done at lightning speed, all duplicate and similar photos are displayed on the screen in a few moments.
They say “Your photos matter, their copies don’t”, and it stands true when Gemini 2 is installed as one of the best duplicate photo finders for Mac. Gemini 2 is simple with a smart and robust algorithm, and this is why it is an excellent choice for many users.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Compatible interface for newbies as well as experienced users. ●Image similarity detection ● Cleans duplicates from an external drive | ● Consumed more system resources as compared to others. |
3. Easy Duplicate Finder
USP: Capable of removing duplicates from cloud
Starting with a very simple and clean interface, these duplicate pictures cleaner can be comfortably used by newbie’s and experts alike. The backup of powerful technology allows you to search for any kind of duplicates from in or outside the system, be it HDD, SSD or Cloud. Interestingly, it works multi-platform like Windows and Mac and applies to emails, videos, music, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
If you talk about image formats, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG and GIF are all supported. Once scanned, you have a plethora of options to sort the files. Advanced filters could be applied to find the duplicate photos with this best duplicate photo finder for Mac.
Duplicate Finder For Mac
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Cleans duplicate pictures, videos and music. ● More than 10 scan modes for file management ● Can find duplicates from iPhotos and Photos | ● Quite slow and expensive when compared with others. |
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4. Duplicate File Finder Remover
USP: Preview, compare and merge duplicates
This duplicate photo finder for Mac by Nektony has a fast scanning algorithm that makes it stand out in the list. It can easily find duplicates in multiple folders and drivers simultaneously and even supports external drives. When the results are displayed after the scanning, they can be searched by file type, file list and even viewed in the form of chart reporting.
Its Free version has options to view all the duplicate photos in the Mac, get a visual report, check the cleanup hints, and even delete the duplicate files in the Trash. When the Pro version is being discussed, this duplicate photo remover mac software offers to remove similar photos, merge folders and even restore the removed duplicates.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Easy customization options ● Gives you an option to preview the files. ● Lively and navigable interface | ● Advanced features can be used only after payment. |
5. PhotoSweeper X
USP: Cleans duplicate videos and photos
How would you like to have a duplicate pictures cleaner that can sort the gallery and even auto-lock the sorted pictures? Interesting, right? PhotoSweeper X is indeed a fantastic duplicate photo finder for Mac that deletes duplicates and similar photos while also analyzing iPhoto.
Once the photos are scanned and displayed, you can bulk rename the files when moving to some other folder. As the personal customization options are vast, viewing of photos could be made according to ‘One by One’, ‘Face to Face’ and ‘All in One’. The removal of photos is also pretty safe as they can be restored from the Trash unless you have emptied the Trash all over.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Supports a wide range of formats, including RAW, HEIC, PDF, DNG, etc. ● Flexible and multiple settings ● Cleans duplicate photos and videos from an external drive | ● There have been reports of constant crashes. |
6. Cisdem Duplicate Finder +
USP: Crystal clear representation with charts
If you wonder why this tool is one of the best duplicate photos finders for Mac, you should know that it helps in finding ‘real’ search results were not just the file names are compared but also the content within so that accuracy is maintained. Apart from finding duplicate photos in the library, it also scans all the internal and external hard drives.
It is wonderful to know that scanning speed is faster when compared to other tools, and all the scanningresults are displayed in real-time. When all the duplicates are mentioned in chart format, it becomes easier for user to understand which photos are taking so much space in the Mac.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Very easy to use interface that entices the users ● Shows results for image similarity ● Fast scanning saves time | ● One cannot exclude a folder from scanning. |
7. Duplicate Photo Cleaner
USP: Simple to use for Newbies as well as Professionals
One would love to have this amazing duplicate photo remover for mac tool in their Mac, which by the way also supports Windows, for its image similarity finding function. The image comparison algorithm is super smart with special scan mode, flexible settings and much more options that it offers to its users.
In fact, professional photographers and other professionals alike keep trying their hands on this duplicate cleaner tool for their help and get the whole gallery sorted.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Smart multi-platform utility ● Organises the pictures in different albums ● Easy to use interface | ● Very less advanced features when compared. |
8. Easy Duplicate Finder
USP: Capable of removing duplicates from cloud
Starting with a very simple and clean interface, these duplicate pictures cleaner can be comfortably used by newbie’s and experts alike. The backup of powerful technology allows you to search for any kind of duplicates from in or outside the system, be it HDD, SSD or Cloud. Interestingly, it works multi-platform like Windows and Mac and applies to emails, videos, music, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
If you talk about image formats, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG and GIF are all supported. Once scanned, you have a plethora of options to sort the files. Advanced filters could be applied to find the duplicate photos with this best duplicate photo finder for Mac.
9. Disk Drill
USP: Add multiple locations and folders at a time
This duplicate photo finder for Mac is easy to install and understand to find duplicate photos and other files as may need to be removed. For your ease, you can quickly search the files with filters that mention ‘Auto’, ‘Old’ or ‘Newest’ files. If you select the ‘Oldest’ option here, all the oldest duplicates will be removed, and new ones will be kept intact.
Probably called the best free duplicate photo cleaner because of the free trial version that doesn’t ask you to invest first handedly and saves an optimum amount of space quickly.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Easy to use ● Finds duplicate images, files, documents, videos and songs ● Gives you option for manual or automatic cleaning | ● Functionality is a little complicated. |
10. DupeGuru
USP: Highly customizable according to the needs of the user
If you are not looking for many advanced features but a simple duplicate photo finder for Mac that can find and delete duplicates, this tool is meant for you. You can place filters before scanning and later select any of the modes from three categories. As the scanning takes place, the real-time result is displayed alongside.
As the results are displayed, you just need to tick mark and delete them. Bravo! All the duplicates are landed in the Trash, and space is saved once again. A very simple and best duplicate photo cleaner it is!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ● Free to use and known as best free duplicate photo cleaner ● Supports a plethora of file formats ● Multi-lingual support | ● Doesn’t allow previewing of files. |
FAQs: Duplicate Photo Finders For Mac
1. Can Mac Photos find duplicates?
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As Mac doesn’t hold a particular in-built feature to find duplicates, one needs to go through a manual method for finding and removing duplicates. The method needs you to open Finder > go to Apple menu from the top bar > select File > New Smart Folder. Now click the ‘+’ icon from the top right corner > select Kind > Any (Images). As the images are detected, you can pull them down in the Trash.
2. How do I quickly delete duplicate photos on my Mac?
Using any of the best duplicate photo finders for Mac like Duplicate Photo Finder by Systweak or Gemini 2, you can quickly delete duplicate photos on your Mac.
3. Why do I need a duplicate photo finder for Mac?
Duplicate photos clutter your system while covering a lot of precious space within it. It is highly recommended that you clean the system using a good photo finder that also helps in optimizing the working space.
4. What is the best duplicate photo finder for macOS?
The best duplicate photo finder could be termed as a tool which can speedily scan the system, find the duplicates and remove them very quickly. This duplicate photo finder must have various options to filter and customize it accordingly.
5. Why do I have so many duplicate photos on my Mac?
As you copy files from one location to another and forget to delete the originals, you can create duplicate photos on your Mac. Similarly, when the same photo is downloaded more than one time in the system, duplicates are automatically created.
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Conclusion
When we talk about the best duplicate photo finder on Mac, we liked Duplicate Photo Finder Pro by Systweak because of high customization, accuracy and finding of similar photos in an effortless way.
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