How to Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac: Secure Methods

Duplicate photos can accumulate on your Mac due to multiple imports, backups, or syncing issues across devices. These duplicates consume valuable storage space and make it challenging to organize your photo collection & remove duplicate photos on Mac. Removing them not only frees up space but also enhances system performance and ensures a streamlined photo library.

Removing duplicate photos on a Mac not only frees up valuable disk space but also helps in organizing your files efficiently. In this blog, we’ll explore both manual and automated methods as Mac Duplicate File Finder & Cleaner to help you identify and delete duplicate photos to keep your library clean and optimized.

Why Do Duplicate Photos Occur on Your Mac OS?

Before moving into the solutions, it’s useful to understand why duplicate photos  gather on your Mac OS:

Cause	Description
Multiple Imports	Frequently transferring photos from devices like phones, cameras, or external drives can inadvertently lead to importing the same images multiple times.
Multiple Downloads	Downloading the same image more than once from websites or emails can create identical copies.
File Duplication	Dragging and dropping photos within folders can result in unnecessary copies.
Syncing Issues	Syncing photos from services like iCloud or Google Photos can sometimes create duplicates due to synchronization errors.

Benefits of Removing Duplicate Photos on Mac

When you delete duplicate photos on mac, it provides several benefits. Here, we will mention some of them:

• Fewer files mean your Mac can index and back up files faster.
• By deleting identical images, you can free up storage for more important files, apps, or photos.
• Moreover, it can improve overall system responsiveness and performance.
• Syncing photos across multiple Apple devices, your photo collections stay constant and organized.
• Also, you can avoid purchasing additional storage locally or in the cloud.

How to Delete Duplicate Photos From Mac?

The upcoming section will describe how to optimize your Mac’s storage and performance. It will simplify how you manage your photo collections.

#Method 01: Using the Photos App to Remove Duplicate Photos from Mac

The Photos app on macOS offers basic tools to manage your photo library but does not have built-in duplicate detection. However, you can use it to find and delete duplicates if your library is manageable manually. Further, we will mention the steps as well to delete duplicate photos mac. 

• First of all, launch the Photos app from your dock or Applications folder.
• In the sidebar, scroll down to find the “Duplicates” option under the “Library” section.
• Here, Photos automatically groups duplicate images.
• After that, click on each set of duplicates to review the photos. 
• Photos will suggest the best version of the duplicate based on image quality, edits, and metadata.
• Then, click “Merge Photos.” When you do this, your Mac retains the original image and removes the duplicates.
• Also, it will maintain the best version of the image while deleting the extra copies.
• After merging, go to the “Recently Deleted” folder to permanently delete the duplicate photos from your Mac.

#Method 02: Using Finder to Extract Duplicate Photo Finder On Mac

If you prefer a hands-on approach or are using an older version of macOS, you can manually search for duplicates using Finder.

• Primarily, you should launch a new Finder window.
• Go to the menu bar and select File >> New Smart Folder.
• In the Smart Folder window, click “This Mac” to search across your computer.
• After that, click the “+” icon in the top-right corner.
• In the first drop-down menu, select “Kind“.
• Subsequently, choose “Image” to filter for photos.
• To easily spot duplicates, you can sort the images by name or size by clicking the column headers.
• Scroll through the list and identify duplicate photos based on similar names, file sizes, or previews.
• Now, select the duplicate photos, right-click, and choose Move to Trash. 
• Then, empty the Trash to permanently remove them.

Disadvantages Associated with the Manual Approach

When you perform a manual way to delete duplicate photos Mac. Then, it can be a time-consuming process and comes with several disadvantages:

• Sorting through photos manually can take a significant amount of time.
• It’s easy to mistakenly delete non-duplicate or important photos.
• Moreover, you have to delete each duplicate individually.
• Some duplicates may go unnoticed, if file names or metadata differ.
• Manual methods cannot automatically detect and suggest duplicates.
• Viewing duplicates in the Finder or Photos app offers limited visual comparison.
• The process may take longer to free up meaningful storage space.

To skip these drawbacks, using a specialized tool for duplicate detection is generally more efficient, less error-prone, and faster for most users.

#Method 03: Automated Solution to Delete Duplicate Photos From Mac

The DRS Softech Mac Duplicate File Finder & Cleaner is the best duplicate photo finder Mac. It is designed to help Mac users identify and remove duplicate files on their Mac system. Users can manage duplicate files either individually or in bulk. Apart from that, it can filter duplicates based on two main factors: file name and the number of copies. It allows deep scans of folders, covering both Root and Child directories. It can simultaneously scan multiple folders or files for duplicates, with no limitations on file size, making it suitable for large files as well. Also, it supports over 75 file formats, including PDFs, JPGs, PSTs, MP4s, and program files. This tool is user-friendly and compatible with all Mac operating systems.  Further, we will make you introduce to steps to delete duplicate photos Mac: 

Conclusion 

Regularly removing duplicate photos from your Mac is essential for maintaining an organized and efficient system. Utilizing the built-in features of the Photos app or reputable third-party applications can help you manage your photo library effectively, ensuring your memories are stored without unnecessary clutter.

Also Read: Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Hard Drive

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