How to Delete Duplicate Photos and Videos on Mac

Tired of sorting through a messy pile of media on your Mac? Managing photo and video duplicates can be a real challenge. This guide tackles the issue head-on. We cover accidental downloads and photo duplicates. The journey explores both manual (free) and professional (quick) solutions. It’s your ticket to a more organized digital experience on your Mac. Join us in simplifying your media world. If you want to know particularly about images, follow the guide on “how to Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac Catalina?”

What Will Happen if I Don’t Delete the Duplicate Photos and Videos on Mac?

Choosing not to eliminate identical clips on macOS can lead to various consequences. First, your available storage space diminishes as similar photos and videos accumulate, causing clutter and disorganization in your files. This, in turn, increases backup size unnecessarily, impacting system performance.

Identifying original videos becomes challenging with copies of files in the mix. Moreover, the presence of duplicates complicates data recovery after a system failure. Additionally, the time spent searching for videos significantly increases when dealing with clones.

Manual management poses a risk of mistakenly deleting important files. To address this, consider utilizing duplicate management tools to efficiently remove duplicates. Implementing regular maintenance by periodically cleaning up your files contributes to maintaining an organized file system.

How to Get Rid of Duplicate Photos and Videos Using Photos App?

This method isn’t very popular with users because they typically use the Photos App for images. However, it can also handle video content. Let’s explore how:

To begin, open the Photos App on your Mac. If your videos aren’t in the library, either drag and drop them or utilize the “Import” option.

Next, create a Smart Album by clicking on “File” in the menu bar and selecting “New Smart Album.” Set criteria for duplicates, such as File Name or Date.

Review the Smart Album to locate matching videos. Once identified, select the duplicate videos within the Smart Album and press “Delete,” confirming your action.

Deleted videos move to “Recently Deleted.” For permanent removal, navigate to “Recently Deleted,” select videos, and click “Delete All” or “Recover.”

In summary, despite lower popularity, this method proves useful for managing video content in the Photos App, offering a straightforward process to detect and delete duplicates.

How to Remove Duplicate Photos and Videos on macOS in Terminal?

In this section, we’ll discuss the step-by-step process of identifying and removing identical videos from your media library using a technical approach. Familiarity with basic Terminal commands is assumed. Now, let’s jump right in:

To begin, launch the Terminal by navigating to ApplicationsUtilitiesTerminal.

Next, using the ‘cd‘ command, navigate to the video directory. For example:

cd /path/to/video/folder. Or cd /path/to/photo/folder.

Now, pinpoint duplicates by executing the following command:

find . -type f -exec md5 {} \; | sort | uniq -w32 -d –all-repeated=separate

Once identified, manually remove duplicates using the ‘rm‘ command. Here’s an example:

rm /path/to/duplicate/video or rm /path/to/duplicate/photo

Important reminders:

  • Always back up your files before deletion to prevent accidental loss.
  • Exercise caution, as Terminal commands have the potential to permanently delete files.

However, If you want to know particularly about videos, follow the blog on “how to delete duplicate videos on Mac?”

Shortcomings in the Manual Solutions to Remove Duplicate Photos and Videos

Operating manual methods poses significant challenges. The demands on computing power for identifying and deleting files result in delays. This free process heightens the risk of unintentional data loss. Storage optimization is easily overlooked in manual deletion.

As datasets grow, easily accessible approaches become impractical. Relying on consistent file naming impacts accuracy. Complimentary deduplication necessitates frequent adjustments, exposing sensitive information and posing risks. Identifying legitimate versions amid duplicates proves challenging.

Meeting regulations without automated solutions is difficult. The above processes lack flexibility in deduplication criteria. Manual methods restrict adaptability and fall short of addressing these challenges effectively.

How to Delete Duplicate Photos and Videos on Mac OS? – An Ideal Tech

In the given text, we notice that the described procedure is cost-free but has certain drawbacks. To address this, we opt for a user-friendly Mac duplicate file finder. This tool effectively eliminates duplicate video clips on Mac Big Sur, Ventura, Sonoma, and all versions. Moreover, it simplifies the process with just a few clicks. Here are key features:

  • Transitioning to intelligent file scanning.
  • Employing recursive scanning for thorough results.
  • Effectively moving or deleting duplicate video files.
  • Scanning a wide range of file extensions (e.g., .mp3, .mp4, .png, .jpg).
  • Identifying visually identical images for precise results.
  • Preserving user data integrity during scanning.
  • Feel free to explore the functionality with a complimentary trial version.

Steps to Find and Remove Duplicate Photos and Videos on macOS

  • Commence by downloading and installing the Duplicate Photo and Video File Finder Tool on your computer.
  • Then, seamlessly click on “Add Folder” to select your preferred directory.
  • In the ensuing dialog box, fine-tune the scan settings, specifying file types like MP4, AVI, JPG, PNG, etc.
  • Click “Continue” to proceed.
  •  
  • Efficiently obliterate duplicate photo and video files with a straightforward click on the “Delete” button.
  • Once the elimination process concludes, swiftly inspect the Action tag for the “Deleted” status.

Final Takeaway

In this blog, we’ve explored ways how to delete duplicate photos and videos on Mac OS. We’ve covered manual (free) and expert (quick) methods for macOS Ventura and older versions. While manual methods are free, their reliability may fall short. Thus, we recommend a distinctive duplicate video removal application for a more effective solution.

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.