How to delete duplicate photos on a Mac
Updated
Duplicate photos come from two places: the Photos library and ordinary folders. Photos has a good built-in tool for its own library. Copies in folders need a different approach, and the rules for what counts as a duplicate are stricter than they look.
Merge duplicates inside Photos
- Open the Photos app.
- In the sidebar, look under Utilities for Duplicates. It appears on macOS Ventura and later once Photos has found at least one set.
- Review each set. Photos shows the copies side by side with their size and date.
- Click Merge on a set, or select several sets and merge them together.
Merging keeps one photo, chosen for quality, and combines details such as keywords and favourites into it. The extra copies go to Recently Deleted, where they stay for about 30 days before they are removed for good. If you use iCloud Photos, the merge applies on all your devices.
If the Duplicates album is missing, Photos may still be analysing a newly imported library. Leave the app open on power for a while and check again.
Find copies outside the Photos library
Photos you exported, received by AirDrop, saved from messages or downloaded from the web live in ordinary folders and are invisible to the Photos tool. To review them in Finder:
- Open Pictures, Downloads or Desktop and press Command-F.
- Set the rule to Kind is Image and limit the search to that folder.
- Switch to Gallery view with Command-4 to compare pictures at a large size, or list view to sort by size and name.
- Look for names like IMG_1234 2.jpg or photo (1).jpg, which Finder and browsers create for repeated copies.
This works for a few dozen files. For hundreds, it is slow and easy to get wrong, because names are only a hint.
Know what is and is not a duplicate
| Situation | Duplicate? |
|---|---|
| Same file saved twice, byte for byte | Yes. Keep one. |
| Same picture as HEIC and as JPEG | A visual match, but different files. Keep the format you need. |
| An edited version and the original | No. Keep both unless you are sure you want only the edit. |
| Burst shots or similar frames | No. They are different photos; choose the best one by eye. |
| RAW and JPEG pair from a camera | No. They are two parts of one shot. See RAW photos. |
A check that compares file contents catches true copies. A visual check catches look-alikes, but it needs you to decide which one to keep.
Leave library packages alone
The Photos library is a single package in your Pictures folder. Finder can show its contents, but deleting files from inside it can damage the library. Always remove photos from the library in the Photos app.
Clear folder duplicates with FileSift
FileSift scans folders for identical files and for look-alike photos, and groups them so you can see each set as thumbnails. It always keeps one copy in each group, re-checks the files just before anything moves, and sends the extras to the Trash, so you can put them back. Photos that are stored only in iCloud are shown but never treated as duplicates, so nothing downloads in the background. Use the Photos app for its own library and FileSift for everything in your folders.
Common questions
Does merging duplicates in Photos delete them from my iPhone too?
If iCloud Photos is on, yes. The library is shared across devices, so the merge applies everywhere.
Can I undo a merge?
For about 30 days the extra copies stay in Recently Deleted in Photos, and you can recover them from there.
Related guides
- How to find and delete duplicate files on a Mac
- HEIC photos on a Mac: what they are and how to convert them to JPEG
- RAW photos on a Mac: viewing, finding and managing camera RAW files
- How to see which files are only in iCloud on a Mac
- How to free up space on your Mac
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