How to find and delete duplicate files and photos on a Mac

Duplicates pile up without you noticing: the same photo imported twice, a download you saved again, a document copied 'just in case'. None of them look big, but together they can take gigabytes. Here is how to clear them out without losing anything you need.

Duplicate photos: start in Photos

Recent versions of Photos have a Duplicates album. Open Photos and look in the sidebar under Utilities for Duplicates. Review the pairs and click Merge. Photos keeps the best version and combines the details, and the extra copy goes to Recently Deleted, where it stays for about 30 days before it is removed.

Always manage photos from inside the Photos app. Never open the Photos library in Finder and delete files from it, because that can damage the library.

Duplicate downloads and documents

Duplicates in Downloads, Documents and Desktop are easy to spot by name. Look for endings such as '(1)' or 'copy'. In Finder, press Command-F and search for 'copy' or '(1)' to find the obvious ones. Switch to list view and sort by Name or Size, and two files with the same size next to each other are worth a closer look. Press the space bar on a file to preview it before you decide.

Rules that keep you safe

• Only clean up your own files, in Documents, Downloads, Desktop and Movies.
• Never delete from the Library or System folders, from inside an app, or from the Photos library.
• Keep the original, or the copy that sits in your organised folder, and remove the stray one.
• Make a backup first if the files matter. Time Machine counts.

Similar is not the same

Burst shots, edits and exports look alike but are not duplicates. A file with the same name and a different size may be a newer version. When in doubt, open both and compare before you remove one.

Using an app

Hunting by hand is slow. Clutter Studio, in our app Speed Up My Mac, finds files that exist twice, similar photos, and big files you have not opened in a while. It shows you the results and you decide. It only looks in the folders you allow, and it asks before every move. You choose the Bin, where you can put things back, or delete permanently.

For the rest of the routine, read how to free up space on a Mac and find large files.