I noticed that my Google Photos library is overcrowded with duplicate photos. It’s making it hard to find the pictures I need quickly. Can someone guide me on how to efficiently delete these duplicates? Any tips or tools would be appreciated.
Ah, duplicates in Google Photos, the bane of digital organization! Deleting them manually, frankly, would take longer than organizing my sock drawer (which, trust me, is an ordeal). Here’s the skinny:
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Trust the AI: Google Photos does a semi-decent job at not uploading duplicates initially. But, alas, if they still sneak in…
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Manual Hunt: Go through your library in bursts. I know, it’s like watching paint dry, but it works! Click on the three-dot menu on the top right corner of each photo, hit ‘Info,’ and check out the date, file size, etc., to confirm duplicates. It’s tedious but accurate.
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Third-Party Apps: Apps like Duplicate Photos Fixer or Cleaner for Google Photos can help you out. These bad boys scan your entire library and spotlight the doppelgängers.
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Sort by Date: Sorting your photos by date often helps. Clusters of similar photos are easier to spot this way.
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Use Albums: Organize photos into albums. If duplicates are Godzilla, albums are King Kong. They make finding duplicates much easier!
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Google Takeout: Download your entire library via Google Takeout, find duplicates on your device using software like VisiPics (or the new and jazzy Lightroom’s duplicate finder), then re-upload the cleaned library. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart.
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Cloud Alternatives: Be mindful of clutter and crowd the enemies. No harm in exploring other cloud storage options if Google Photos feels like chaos.
Remember, decluttering your photo gallery isn’t just a digital detox. It’s mental relief. And if all else fails, just delete everything and start fresh. Just kidding… or am I?
Why does everything have to be so complicated? Honestly, dealing with duplicate photos in Google Photos is like trying to unravel a seemingly endless ball of yarn. You can sit there and tinker with third-party apps and hope they don’t turn your photo library into a hotspot of chaos, or you can dig in manually, which is basically inviting wrist pain and eye strain.
Let’s face it: Google’s AI isn’t a miracle worker. It might be semi-decent, but semi-decent is basically saying, ‘I can sorta do the job, but I’m often gonna make you regret it.’ So here you are, swamped in pixelated deja vu. A smarter approach: use tags! Yeah, makes things orderly. Invoke those shiny labels and when sifting through pics, just focus on one tag at a time.
But wait, if you want full throttle geek mode: slap on some keyboard shortcuts. Press Shift to select multiple images, then either shuffle 'em into the trash or an album marked ‘Clones’. Trust me, your future self will send high-fives from the less-messy-than-before timeline.
A note? Carecar, about disk space. Those third-party apps? They could inadvertently nudge a bigger problem – like eating up more space while trying to solve the problem. Remember, not every solution needs an app. Sometimes old school elbow grease does the trick.
Not knocking @stellacadente’s advice, but I say less apps, more Zen. After a wine-filled evening, of course.
Alright, tackling Google Photos duplicates, huh? Totally feel your pain. While @vrijheidsvogel and @stellacadente already poured wisdom with manual methods and third-party apps, I’ll add a bit of spice.
Pro Tips for Deleting Duplicate Photos:
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Use Visual Similarity: Google’s AI isn’t perfect, but it does offer a ‘Similar Photos’ feature now and then. Sort your photos by ‘Most Recent’ and click into the Assistant tab. It occasionally suggests ‘clean up’ which catches some duplicates.
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Bulk Action in Web Version: Use the web version of Google Photos on a big screen. Trust me, scrolling through and holding down Shift plus clicking to select multiple duplicates is way easier than on mobile. You can even use the grid view for better visibility.
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Integrate with Google Drive: Sync your Google Photos with Google Drive. Go into Google Drive’s settings and check ‘Create a Google Photos folder.’ Use Drive’s search capabilities or third-party tools you trust for better management.
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Get Creative with Faces: Enable facial recognition in Google Photos. Sometimes duplicates are of different resolutions or slightly different edits of the same face. Sort by face and you’ll find these clusters easier to purify.
On Third-Party Tools:
- @vrijheidsvogel mentioned Duplicate Photos Fixer, which is decent. But bear in mind, some third-party tools can be heavy on permissions and space. Always backup before using these!
- Apps like ‘Remo Duplicate Photos Remover’ are lighter and more user-friendly, offering similar functionality without gobbling up your storage.
Cautions:
- Backup Before Cleanup: Always make a backup before you start purging duplicates, especially when using tools. Google Takeout is great for this.
- Avoid Over-Reliance on Apps: Sometimes, they miss non-identical duplicates or worse, too diligently flag non-duplicates.
Going Hardcore:
If you’re a stickler for cleanliness and tech-savvy, use Python scripts. Libraries like imagehash or skimage for deduplication can be incredibly accurate. But yeah, not for the faint-hearted.
Remember, don’t stress too much over perfection. Happy cleansing!