I’m running out of storage space on my Mac and noticed I have a lot of duplicate photos. Does anyone know an efficient way to find and remove these duplicates? I’d appreciate any advice or app suggestions.
Bro, I totally get the storage crunch! It’s like, one minute you’re snapping pics of that adorable squirrel in the park, and the next thing you know, your Mac is wheezing for space. Anyway, here’s how you can tackle this photo-clog disaster:
Method 1: Manual Search
Dig through your Photos library manually. Yeah, I know, it sucks, but sometimes the old ways are the best. Look for duplicated photos by their dates and names.
Method 2: Use Preview
Open Finder, go to the ‘Pictures’ folder, right-click and select ‘Show View Options,’ then make sure the ‘Show icon preview’ and ‘Show item info’ boxes are checked. This’ll give you a peek at the photos so you can easily spot duplicates.
Method 3: Smart Folders
Use Smart Folders in Finder. Set one up for files larger than 1MB (or whatever size you choose) and with the kind set to ‘Image.’ This view can make duplicates more obvious.
Apps to the Rescue
- Gemini 2: This app is like your photo cop. It scans and finds duplicates, plus it has a cool interface. Super user-friendly.
- Duplicate File Finder Remover: Free to use. Pretty straightforward and gets the job done. Reviews are good.
- Photos Duplicate Cleaner: Specifically for Photos library. Works like a charm!
Final Words
Backup your photos before you go medieval on them. Use an external drive or cloud service. There’s nothing worse than accidentally deleting a precious momento with no way to get it back.
Let’s be real—the road to a clutter-free photo library is paved with cold, hard deletions. Go forth and conquer!
Hey, running out of storage space sucks, no doubt! You shouldn’t have to deal with duplicates manually; who has time for that? Been there, done that, not again. Here’s a different spin on this:
Method 4: Automator
Automator is your Mac’s built-in tool that can help automate tasks—think of it as the Butler of macOS. With Automator, you can create a custom workflow to find and delete duplicate photos.
- Open Automator and choose ‘New Document.’
- Pick ‘Workflow’ and click ‘Choose.’
- In the ‘Actions’ panel, find ‘Files & Folders’ and then ‘Get Specified Finder Items.’
- Add ‘Filter Finder Items’ and set the parameter to ‘Kind is Image.’
- Add ‘Duplicate Finder Items’ to mark copies, then ‘Move Items to Trash.’
A bit of setup, but it’s all automated after that. Plus, it makes you feel like a hacker.
Method 5: Terminal Commands
If you’re comfortable with a bit of coding, use Mac’s Terminal to find duplicate files. Commands like fdupes can search for duplicates based on file content.
Apps Worth Considering:
- Photo Sweeper: In case Gemini 2 or Duplicate File Finder Remover don’t float your boat, Photo Sweeper is worth a look. It’s great with photo libraries and reasonably priced.
- MacKeeper: While polarizing, some users swear by its duplicate finder. Comes with a full suite of tools, so it’s kinda like cutting your lawn with a Swiss Army Knife.
Cloud Services Sorting
Upload your images to Google Photos or iCloud. They have built-in algorithms to detect and recommend deletion of duplicates. Plus, offloading to the cloud can free up space real quick.
Pro Tip: Use Different Storage
Sometimes it’s good to offload old images onto an external drive or even to an SSD. You keep your more current snaps handy while having a digital attic for the rest.
Oh, and check your Trash bin often. App-generated auto-deletes end up there too. Empty it after mass deletions to see an actual drop in used space.
Lastly, avoid going too nuclear. Accidental deletions are a nightmare—maybe not as scary as producing a musical about it, but close. So, backups are your friend whether it’s to an external drive or somewhere up in the cloud. Keep some semblance of order while you massacre those duplicates.
Caminantenocturno mentioned some solid apps already, but I figured I’d toss a couple more tricks in the mix. You’ve got this!