How To Delete Duplicate Files On Mac For Free

Here’s a pro tip: you can switch to grid view when going through the duplicate photos. This will make the files bigger, which will make it easier to see what you’re looking at. Because of this, you can go through the photos much faster. Select the Photos You Want to Delete. You might not want to delete all the duplicate photos Gemini 2 finds. The three best duplicate file finder apps for the Mac are: Disk Drill which offers a free duplicate finder in addition to data protection tools in its trial version. MacPaw’s Gemini 2 which works well to remove duplicate files but operates via a yearly subscription. How to find and remove duplicate files automatically. An effective and time-saving solution to find duplicates on Mac is to use a free application Duplicate File Finder.The application has a complex search algorithm that automatically identifies exact duplicate photos, videos, music, documents, and other common types of files.

/Duplicate Finder /Find Duplicate Files on Mac to Remove for Free

I found that there are many duplicate files on my mac. Do you have such a situation? How do I search for duplicate files Mac?

Yes, I have the same situation as you. And I used Duplicate Finder by iMyMac PowerMyMac to quickly find the duplicate file and delete them. You can try it. Next, Let me tell you how to find duplicate file with quick ways and how to delete all duplicate files on Mac.

Mac is one of the well-designed machines which has the ability to help you deal with either your work or in your everyday life. However, over the days that you use this, eventually, your system has a risk of going slow because more and more files are created. If this happens, it is then necessary for you to manage your files especially those duplicate files on your Mac. But how to find duplicate files on Mac?

Article GuidePart 1. Why Are There So Many Duplicate Files on My Mac?Part 2. How to Find Duplicate Files on Mac to Remove?Part 3. Conclusion

Part 1. Why Are There So Many Duplicate Files on My Mac?

Why is my Mac duplicating files? One of the reasons as to why you are running out of storage on your Mac computer is because of some Mac duplicate files. At some point, you might be over thinking if why is your Mac computer duplicating your files right? Well, there are actually many reasons for 'why does my Mac duplicate files' question:

One reason is that when you try to move a patch of images to your Mac and have them viewed in Photos App. When you do this, you are actually making two copies, one copy is moved to your folder and the other copy is in your photo library. And sometimes you need tools to locate these photos for you.

Another reason is when you tend to view your email attachments first before you download them. In some cases, once you try to open one of your email attachments, your Mail app automatically downloaded a copy of the file that is why you automatically have two copies of those attachments.

One more reason for having a duplicate file is that when you unknowingly download a photo of the file twice. And if you have tried before moving a file to your external drive without deleting the original copy, that is also one reason for duplicating it.

You can actually find duplicate files on your Mac computer manually. But if you do so, you will consume a lot of time just by sorting out thousands of duplicate files on your Mac computer and that could also be exhausting on your part. Never worry because we will show you the best and easiest ways on how you can find duplicate files on your Mac computer to remove.

Part 2. How to Find Duplicate Files on Mac to Remove?

'How do I find duplicate files on my Mac to delete?' You can find duplicate files like music, photos, videos, or documents by using your Terminal command or by using a specific duplicate file finder software for Mac computer. Either way can both work. But what is the best way to find duplicate files?

What Is the Best Duplicate File Finder for Mac?

Duplicate Finder by iMyMac PowerMyMac will be the best duplicate file finder software that you can use to find and remove duplicate files Mac that are stored on your Mac computer.

This duplicate finder can scan all your Mac folders like your Downloads, Documents, Desktop and it can detect your duplicate photos, videos, apps, documents and more all in just one click of a button. This software is a safe, well-designed and a user-friendly tool. It can scan your Mac computer and can display all your duplicate files.

Free Download and Try PowerMyMac to find duplicate files. Let your mac have the best life.

PowerMyMac can detect duplicate files not only a same name of the files but also by their size, the date it was created and their file type. The software also allows you to preview your files like your photos, documents so that you won't be able to mistakenly delete your important files. It can also clear your system caches and junk files. Office 2016 for mac 32 or 64 bit. So, how to remove duplicate files on Mac? To use PowerMyMac in finding duplicate files Mac to remove just follow the steps below:

  1. Launch PowerMyMac and select 'Duplicate Finder'. Open the desired folder by choosing the path and then click the 'Scan' button for the program to check for duplicate files Mac.
  2. Once the scanning process is complete, have a view of all duplicates.
  3. Select all the duplicate files you want to remove. When you're done, just click on 'Clean' to delete all the selected duplicate files.

Find Duplicate File Using Terminal Command

Using Terminal Command can find duplicate files quickly. However, just to give you a headstart, this method is for those people who had barely used terminal before. It might mess up your Mac OS X if you enter the wrong command. Follow the steps below to use this method.

  1. Launch Finder and type terminal for it to bring out the Terminal Tool.
  2. Select a folder that you want to clean its duplicates and locate them with a cd command in Terminal.
  3. Copy this command (find . -size 20 ! -type d -exec cksum {} ; | sort | tee /tmp/f.tmp | cut -f 1,2 -d ‘ ‘ | uniq -d | grep -hif – /tmp/f.tmp > duplicates.txt) and then click 'Enter'.
  4. A file named txt. the duplicate will then be created in the folder that you have chosen earlier. You can find and delete duplicate files manually according to txt. file.

Using this method have an inconvenience side on your part because you will still manually locate and delete duplicate files Mac one by one. Searching using Terminal sometimes is not accurate in Mac.

Find Duplicate Files on Mac via Finder

You can use New Smart Folder in Finder to find duplicate files but you need to sort the files by Kind, Date, Name or Contents. This way may need your patience. Just follow the steps below:

  1. Launch Finder on Mac.
  2. Click File from the Apple menu, then select New Smart Folder.
  3. Click the Plus button beside Save and you can begin to search files by choosing parameters like Kind, Date, Name, Contents, or others.
  4. Once the searching results are displayed, you can right-click them and choose 'Move to Trash' to delete.

Part 3. Conclusion

So, with the shown methods above, now you know how to get rid of duplicate files on Mac. And PowerMyMac will still be highly recommended for you to find duplicate files and delete them. You can free try this software from the official website. It can locate and remove all your duplicate files, it can clean up your junk files and more.

Having the PowerMyMac installed on your Mac computer can be very handy because once you feel like your Mac is running slow or you feel like you have too much data stored on your Mac, you can just simply use it and get your computer clean up for you to experience a better speed like it was newly bought.

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Comment ()

Karlier2019-09-10 18:01:06

Duplicate files make my Mac run slow, so I have to regularly check and delete duplicate files and, wasting time! It's time to have a smart tool to help me do that.

iMyMac2019-09-10 18:25:23

Thanks for your support! We have a free trail for Mac Cleaner, you can have a try first. If you have any questions while using this software, please contact us via iMyMac Supporter Email: support@imymac.com.

Jiminy2019-05-07 01:21:19

Great ideas! Duplicate files are always a bother for me. But I don’t get a clear idea on how to do it on my own. So I will try your product to help me find duplicates and remove them. Your article explains this issue well.

iMyMac2019-05-08 10:03:33

Automatically Remove Duplicate Files

Thanks for your support! We have a free trail for Mac Cleaner, you can have a try first. If you have any questions while using this software, please contact us via iMyMac Supporter Email: support@imymac.com.

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You can easily have multiple duplicate files without you even realizing it. Duplicate files are not noticeable as they create themselves as you go. It’s only at a later stage that they seem to have taken over the system. By the time you notice them, your Mac will be riddled with so many duplicate files, causing it to run low on storage.

For the everyday macOS consumer, the thought of finding duplicate files is a rare occurrence. Fortunately, finding duplicate files isn’t rocket science. After a while, the Mac storage system starts filling up with the entire collection of files and folders. Usually, before modifying any large media file, users duplicate it. Such duplicates are then left around unattended. Over time, they occupy such a large portion of the macOS they cause serious system lags.

Easyfind Mac Duplicates

Despite that, deleting and getting rid of duplicate files can be easy. Since not all file duplicates are visibly displayed on the screen, it becomes necessary to find them manually. Use smart folders to find duplicates files and get rid of them to clear your system.

How To Delete Duplicate Files On Mac For Free

Using Smart Folders to Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Mac

Finding all duplicate files that are occupying your space is rather simple. If you want the process to be easy, then follow the steps outlined:

How To Delete Duplicate Files On Mac For Free

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  1. Go to your Mac’s desktop and under the menu bar, click on File.
  2. A drop-down menu will appear. Select New Smart Folder from the list of options.
  3. A new window will open. Under the new window, locate and click on the ‘+’ icon next to the Save option.
  4. Narrow down your search for duplicate files by selecting the Kind drop-down menu, then click on the file type you want to start with.
  5. Starting with the selected file type, thoroughly go over all the files that are stored on your macOS. Scroll through the file, one grid after the other until you find the duplicate files that interest you, then delete. Organize files by their name such that duplicates are replicated under the original and they are easier to identify then delete.
  6. Do a double-take to confirm that you’re deleting duplicates before proceeding. Quickly select Get Info and check the information on each file. Alternatively, you can opt to open both the original and what appears to be the duplicate then manually compare the contents. Go through all the sections including Pictures, Downloads, Documents, Music, Desktop, Videos etc.
  7. Right-click on a duplicate file and select Move to Bin/Trash to remove it from your Mac. After deleting, go to your Trash Bin and review. If you’re certain that deleted files are duplicates and what you wanted to delete, then right-click on the Trash Bin and permanently remove the files.
  8. Your Mac will be rid of duplicated and unwanted files leaving you with so much free space for new and necessary files.

Now you know how to find and delete duplicate files on mac with smart folders. Using this simple built-in feature on your macOS only requires your time and concentration. Even so, you can still use other programs to find duplicate files on your system.

How to Find Duplicate Files on Mac Using Third-Party Finders

In addition to Smart Folders, there are means of finding these unnecessary files on your system. These are apps found on the App Store and available for every Mac user to select and use as they see fit. Some third-party duplicate file finders for Mac are more thorough and thus churn out better results than Smart Folders. So, they might be worth your while.

Although there are many utilities out there that promise to find duplicate files and leave your Mac system clean, there are a few that live up to the end of their deal. Therefore, it’s important to choose wisely when opting for a third-party finder software.

How to Remove ‘Other’ Data on Your Mac

Mastering how to use Smart Folders on a Mac is only complete if you also know how to remove the ‘other’ data. Even if you identify and delete duplicate files, if you leave ‘other’ data, then your macOS storage is still riddled with unnecessary loads. Periodically check your Mac for unwanted files and remove them to keep the system light and free.

If you want a permanent and more sustainable solution. Then consider using iCloud. Move most pictures, music and video files to the cloud. You can always access them from any Mac as long as you log in. This option leaves you with enough room to do as you please and at the same time, keep your Mac clear and clean of duplicate files and memory occupiers.