Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Mac: 5 Easy Methods

Macs usually offer a good chunk of storage space, but if your device starts to slow down, it’s likely you’re facing storage issues. The first thing to do is check for copies of files lurking around on the system. These duplicate files eat up space and can seriously slow down your Mac’s performance.

But manually sorting and deleting duplicate files can be tedious, so why not use a third-party tool to do the work for you? Stick around, and you’ll learn how to find and delete duplicate files on Mac, both with or without a tool.

Why are there Duplicate Files on My Mac?

There can be many reasons why duplicate files crop up on your Mac. Here are the most common ones:

• Multiple re-downloads of the same file or email attachment.
• Dragging and dropping a file to the desktop.
• Importing the same photos over and over.
• Creating several backups in different locations.
• Syncing your Mac with other devices having identical libraries.

Is it Possible to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Mac?

A quick response would be, Yes! Although macOS doesn’t offer a built-in utility for sorting duplicate files, there are other ways to do it. You can use the Smart Folder feature to spot identical files, or go to specific apps, such as Photos and Music, to find and delete duplicate files on your Mac.

There’s also a Terminal command available for scanning duplicate files. However, the most hassle-free and time-effective method would be to use a specialized tool to perform the task for you. Below, we’ll guide you through all of these approaches.

So let’s get started without further ado.

Method 1: Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Mac Using Smart Folder in Finder

Duplicate files can be hidden all over your hard drive, making finding them quite challenging. However, with the Smart Folder feature in Finder, you can streamline your search using specific parameters, compare each file for the same name, size, or other criteria, and delete them.

The downside of this method is that manually comparing files with a large library can be time-consuming.

Note: While this works, there is a risk of accidentally deleting important files.Proceed with caution to avoid potential data loss.

Here’s the rundown:

Step 1: Go to the Finder menu, click File > New Smart Folder.

Step 2: Click the + button at the top-right and use the drop-down menu to select the parameters: Kind, Date, Name, Content, and others.

Step 3: To search and sort files more easily, click Other and use the + button to add new filters. For instance, to find duplicate pictures, choose ‘Image’ for the type and add file types like .png, .jpg, or .tiff.

Add as many filters as you want to narrow your search and spot all the duplicates by size, type, dimensions, name, and more.

Step 4: Open files with the same name or size, right-click on the duplicate, and hit Move to Bin.

Method 2: Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Mac Using Terminal

Terminal is a useful tool for those familiar with Unix commands and who prefer a hands-on approach to managing files on a Mac. It lets you search for and eliminate duplicate files within chosen folders. The system verifies the file sizes and MD5 signatures, ensuring a thorough byte-by-byte comparison.

Note: Use rm command with caution, as you could end up deleting unintended files. Double-check the duplicate file list before executing the command to delete them.

To find duplicate files on your Mac, using Terminal:

Step 1: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight search and launch Terminal.

Step 2: To find duplicate files, execute the following command: find . -type f ! -empty -exec cksum {} + | sort | tee /tmp/f.tmp | cut -d ‘ ‘ -f 1,2 | uniq -d | grep -hif – /tmp/f.tmp

Step 4: The system will check for duplicate files in the current folder and generate a list.

Step 5: To delete the duplicate files, execute the following command: find . -type f ! -empty -exec cksum {} + | sort | tee /tmp/f.tmp | cut -d ‘ ‘ -f 1,2 | uniq -d | grep -hif – /tmp/f.tmp | cut -d ‘ ‘ -f 3-999 | xargs rm

Method 3: Find and Remove Duplicate Files in Photos Library

Getting rid of extra copies of photos and videos in your collection is simple. Just check the Duplicates section under Utilities; you can easily find and remove them from there.

Remember, if you have got a lot of pictures, it might take a bit for the duplicates to show up because the Photos app is sorting through them all.

Here’s the rundown:

Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your Mac.

Step 2: Click Utilities > Duplicates.

Step 3: From here, you can either Merge or Delete the duplicate files.

Method 4: Find and Remove Duplicate Mail Downloads

If you’re using Apple Mail and notice your downloads folder is getting crowded, it’s probably time to tidy up. Wondering why you see the same file more than once?

Here’s the thing: when you download an email attachment, it gets saved in your downloads folder. But the moment you open the email, Apple Mail also saves a copy in another folder, creating duplicates.

Here’s how to find duplicate mail downloads on Mac:

Step 1: Press Shift + Command + G.

Step 2: A Go to Folder box appears.

Step 3: Now type the following and enter: ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail Downloads

Step 4: A folder containing all your mail attachments will appear. Look for files with similar names, sizes, or dates, and delete them.

Easiest Method: Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Mac Using Specialized Tool

As you can make out from the aforementioned methods, manually sorting copies of your files can be really difficult. So let us break it down for you – the quickest and most straightforward way to get rid of duplicate files on your Mac is to use specialized software.

Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is one such DIY tool that offers a suite of features to manage data and optimize the overall performance of your Mac. The software includes a “Duplicate Finder” and “Large Files Finder” feature to help you scan, group, and delete large or duplicate files in a single click. It also offers a “Speedup Mac” feature to help you sort & remove unnecessary files and optimize your system for better performance.

Stellar Data Recovery for Mac comes with disk imaging capabilities and a drive health monitoring system that can track the health, performance, and S.M.A.R.T attributes of all the connected drives. And now comes the best part: if you end up accidentally delete a file or lose your data for some other reason, you can use the software to restore it with ease. It recovers data across all loss scenarios, even from a crashed or non-booting Mac.

Here’s how to find and delete duplicate files on Mac using Stellar Data Recovery for Mac:

Step 1: Download, install, and launch Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

Step 2: Click on More from the sidebar and select Search Duplicate Files.

Step 3: Select the storage drive you want to scan for duplicates and click Search.

Step 4: After the scan is finished, all the duplicate files are displayed, sort them by size or time of access and preview them.

Step 5: Select the files you want to delete and click on Clean to remove them in one go.

How to Avoid Duplicate Files on Mac?

Take the following steps to avoid creating duplicate files on your Mac:

• Be cautious with email and message attachments; double-check before downloading files.
• Organize your files by creating a consistent file system.
• Avoid dragging and dropping files to desktop or saving them in multiple locations.
• Avoid using multiple methods to sync files to your system.
• Avoid using third-party apps that download files without permission.

Summing Up

It’s common to create duplicate files on your Mac. These extra copies can take up space and make your system disorganized, potentially slowing it down. You can remove duplicates either manually or with a specialized tool.

Cleaning them manually involves using Terminal, setting up smart folders, or looking for copies in your Photo Library and email downloads. This means checking each file one by one, which can be time-consuming.

Alternatively, tools like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac can speed up the process. You simply choose a disk, start the scan, and the app shows you all the duplicates. This method lets you quickly delete them without sorting each file individually.

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About The Author

Rishabh Singh

Rishabh is a senior content specialist at Stellar Information Technology, where he writes about comprehensive data care solutions. His hands-on approach helps him deliver tailored DIY guides & solutions that resonate with tech enthusiasts and lay readers alike. With a keen eye for emerging trends, Rishabh doesn’t just write about the future – he lives it. In his six years of content writing experience, he has covered frontier technologies like P2P networks, distributed ledger technology, smart contracts, decentralized finance, and decentralized physical infrastructure network. In his downtime, you will find him tinkering with the latest DePIN protocol or deep diving into the world of DeFi to uncover new yield farming opportunities.