How to Remove Duplicate Files From Your Mac: 5 Quick Ways

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Hashir Ibrahim

Last updated: December 29, 2024

Expert verified

Duplicate files like photos, documents, or songs can quickly clutter your Mac. I recently cleared mine and want to share quick ways to remove them. Let’s dive in!

How to Remove Duplicate Files From Your Mac

Wondering how to remove duplicate files on Mac? I’ve got four easiest and most practical methods to find and remove duplicate files from your Mac. Check them out below.

1. Delete Duplicate Files on Mac In One Click With MacKeeper

MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder is quick, simple, and clears space in one click. Here’s how to remove duplicate files from your Mac using MacKeeper:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Open MacKeeper on your Mac and click Duplicates Finder in the left sidebar.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. Select a folder in the left menu to review duplicate files before deletion.

5. Alternatively, click Check All and tap the Remove Selected button to remove all duplicate files at once.

6. Tap the Remove button on the pop-up to confirm the deletion.

7. This will remove the selected files, and you’ll get a Removal Completed message. Click Finish to end the process.

2. Find and Remove Duplicate Files With Smart Folders

Smart Folders on Mac make finding duplicates easy by filtering files by type, name, or date. Save settings for auto-updating folders. Here’s how to use them:

1. Open Finder on your Mac, click the File menu, and select New Smart Folder.

2. Click the + icon in the upper-right corner of the New Smart Folder window.

3. Set the search parameters for finding duplicate files. For instance, select Kind as the first condition, Image as the second, and PNG as the third if you want to access duplicate image files on your Mac.
4. Click the + sign again, select Name, choose is, and type in copy.
5. Click Save to save the search results as a Smart Folder.

6. Specify a name and location for your Smart Folder and tap the Save button.

7. Review the search results and delete the duplicate files.

Smart Folders speed up finding duplicates but still require manual review. Focus on specific folders, types, or sizes for quicker results. Here’s how:

How to Find Duplicate Files in Specific Folders

To locate duplicate files within certain folders, here’s how to create a Smart Folder for a targeted search:

1. Open Finder and navigate to the folder you wish to search.
2. Choose File > New Smart Folder from the menu.

3. At the top of the window, in the Search bar, select the folder name.

4. Click the + icon in the top-right corner.

5. Specify your search parameters and hit Save.

6. Give your Smart Folder a name and decide on its save location.
7. Arrange your files by name, size, or creation date to easily spot duplicates.
8. For removal, drag the duplicates to your Bin.

How to Find Duplicates of Specific File Types

To locate duplicates of certain file types, use Smart Folders with customized search criteria. Follow these steps:

1. Go to File > New Smart Folder.

2. Click the + in the top-right corner.

3. In the first drop-down menu, choose Kind.
4. Select Image from the second drop-down menu and choose a specific file extension in the third drop-down menu.
5. Click Save.

6. Name your Smart Folder and select a save location.
7. Once saved, select the duplicate files, right-click, and choose Move to Bin.

How to Find Duplicates by File Sizes

To search for duplicates based on file size, particularly useful for removing larger duplicates, follow these steps:

1. Open a Finder window and click the + in the top right corner.

2. In the first drop-down, select File Size. If it’s not visible, choose Other…, search for File Size, and add it to the menu.
3. Specify your file size criteria.
4. Click Save, name your folder, and choose its save location.

5. After creating your Smart Folder, select the duplicates, right-click, and select Move to Bin.

3. Delete Duplicate Photos Using the Photos App

Importing photos into the Photos app creates duplicates by copying files into the library. To remove them, follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app by searching for Photos in Spotlight search (Command ⌘ + Space).

2. In the Photos app, navigate to the Duplicates tab in the sidebar to see all your pictures.

3. Select the duplicate photos you wish to delete. You can pick photos from a single row or multiple rows to delete them all at once.
4. Then, click Merge Photos.
5. By doing so, your Mac will retain the original image and remove the duplicates.

4. Remove Duplicates in Apple Mail Downloads

Apple Mail’s hidden Mail Downloads folder stores attachments, creating duplicates when saved again. Clear duplicates from this folder to avoid clutter. Here’s how:

1. Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, and select Go to Folder.

2. Type the following path in the empty field and press Enter:

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.MailCacheDelete/

3. Open the Data folder in MailCacheDelete directory.

4. In the Data folder, open Library and go to Mail Downloads.

5. Here, you’ll see the duplicate mail downloads. Right-click the files and folders you want to remove and select Move to Bin.

5. Find Duplicate Files With Terminal

Use Terminal carefully if you’re familiar with it, as incorrect commands can cause issues. I’ve tested these steps, but double-check inputs. Here’s how to find duplicates with Terminal:

1. Open Terminal by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

2. Navigate to the desired folder using the cd command. For instance, for Downloads, type cd ~/Downloads and press Enter.
3. Enter the following command to find duplicates and press Enter:

find ./ -type f -exec md5 {} \; | awk -F '=' '{print $2 "\t" $1}' | sort | tee duplicates.txt

This generates a text file of duplicates but may miss some. You’ll need to manually identify originals, as similar names might not be flagged.

How to Prevent Duplicate Files on Your Mac

Knowing how to remove duplicates is important, but preventing them is key. Here are my strategies to keep files organized and avoid duplicates.

• ☁️ Sync Smarts: Configure cloud sync settings to prevent duplicates.
• 📑 Avoid Multiple Copies: Keep one copy of each file instead of scattering them.
• ➡️ Transfer with Care: Check for duplicates when importing from external devices.
• 🗂️ Use File Management Tools: Use file management tools for better organization.

Delete All Duplicate Files on Your Mac

Now that you know how to delete duplicate files on Mac, you may want to optimize its performance further and free up space on your Mac. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Find and delete duplicate photos from your Mac to save valuable storage space.
• Keep your system running smoothly by clearing junk files regularly on your Mac.
• Free up RAM on your Mac to prevent it from overheating.

Frequently Asked Questions