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How to Find and Remove Duplicate Photos & Videos on Mac (2026)

If your Mac is running low on storage, there's a good chance duplicate photos and videos are eating up more space than you think.

Here's how to find them and safely remove them.

Why Your Mac Has So Many Duplicates

Duplicates accumulate silently. Here's how:

iCloud sync loops. When you sync photos across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, the same photo can end up stored multiple times — especially if you've ever turned iCloud Photos off and back on.

Format conversions. Your iPhone shoots in HEIC format. When you share a photo via email or Messages, macOS converts it to JPG. Now you have two copies of the same image in different formats.

Import from cameras and SD cards. If you've imported photos more than once from the same camera or memory card, you'll have exact duplicates with slightly different file paths.

Screenshots and downloads. That image you saved from the web, then saved again a month later because you forgot? Duplicate.

Video exports. Exported a video at 1080p for YouTube and kept the 4K original? Two files, same video, different sizes.

Backup restoration. Restored from a Time Machine backup? Photos that existed in both the backup and your current library are now doubled.

Method 1: Apple's Built-In Duplicates Feature

Since macOS Ventura, the Photos app has a "Duplicates" album:

1. Open Photos
2. In the sidebar, scroll down to Utilities
3. Click Duplicates
4. Review and merge detected duplicates

Limitations:

• Only works inside the Photos app — doesn't scan folders on disk
• Only finds exact or near-exact duplicates
• Won't find duplicates across different formats (HEIC vs JPG)
• Doesn't detect similar videos
• Doesn't scan iCloud Drive or external storage

Method 2: Finder Smart Folders

You can use Finder to search for files with the same name:

1. Open Finder → File → New Smart Folder
2. Set criteria: Kind = Image, Name contains "copy" or "duplicate"
3. Review results

Limitations:

• Only matches by filename — misses duplicates with different names
• Extremely manual process
• No concept of visual similarity
• Doesn't group duplicates together

Method 3: Dup — Finds Duplicates by How They Look

Dup takes a completely different approach. Instead of comparing file names or sizes, it compares what your files actually look like.

How it works:

What Dup finds that other methods miss:

• A HEIC original and its JPG export → same photo, different format
• A 4K video and its 1080p version → same video, different resolution
• A photo from your camera and the same shot from iCloud → same content, different metadata
• A video saved from iMessage and the same video in your camera roll

Key features:

• Scans photos AND videos (most tools only do photos)
• Works with iCloud Drive, Google Drive, and Photos Library
• Smart Select auto-picks the best file to keep
• 100% private — all processing happens on your Mac, nothing uploaded
• Free to use (500 MB cleanup limit, Pro unlocks unlimited)

Comparison: What Each Method Catches

Scenario	Photos App	Finder	Dup
Exact copy, same name	✓	✓	✓
Exact copy, different name	✓	✗	✓
Same photo, HEIC vs JPG	✗	✗	✓
Same video, 4K vs 1080p	✗	✗	✓
Re-encoded video	✗	✗	✓
Videos at all	✗	✗	✓
Cloud storage	✗	✗	✓

How to Prevent Future Duplicates

After cleaning up, take these steps to prevent duplicates from accumulating again:

1. Pick one import workflow. Import photos to one location (e.g., Photos Library) and stick with it.
2. Disable automatic downloads in iCloud. Use "Optimize Mac Storage" to avoid keeping full-resolution copies on every device.
3. Delete originals after import. When importing from an SD card, delete from the card after confirming the import.
4. Run Dup monthly. A quick scan once a month catches duplicates before they accumulate.

Get Started

Dup is free to download and use. The free version lets you scan any folder and clean up to 500 MB of duplicates. Pro ($14.99/year) unlocks unlimited cleanup and Smart Select.