Find and delete duplicate files on Mac and Windows
The same file sits twice in a folder, once as “Photo.jpg” and once as “Photo (1).jpg”. It happens with repeated downloads, copying and backups. With photos and videos it quickly adds up to many gigabytes.
By hand: compare name and size
Neither macOS nor Windows has a built-in duplicate search for arbitrary files in Finder or File Explorer. By hand, sort by name, watch for files with “(1)” or “copy” in the name, and compare the size in the column next to it.
That is unreliable, though. Two files can have the same name and differ, or have different names and be exactly the same.
The Photos app on Mac
The Photos app on a Mac (macOS Ventura and later) has a “Duplicates” album under “Albums” and “Utilities”. It only covers the Photos library, not normal folders.
How to really recognize duplicates
Only comparing content is reliable. Files are first grouped by size, then their content is checked. If the content is the same, the files are identical, whatever they are called.
How it works with GetSpace
GetSpace compares the content of files, not their names.
- Choose a folder and open the filter. Start “Find duplicates” there.
- “Only duplicates” shows only files that exist at least twice. The card says how many identical files there are.
- Keep one file, delete the others. Everything goes to the trash only after you confirm.
GetSpace is a program for Mac and Windows and doesn’t run on phones. Send yourself the link and download it on your computer.
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