How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on macOS? (4 Ways)
Do you really have no space left on your Mac? In 2026, people are more likely to deal with high-resolution pictures and 8k videos. But in doing so, one of the major issue is duplicate files or the extra copies you do not even know you have. This could eventually slow down your Mac and waste tons of storage spaces. As a result, you can go through this write-up on how to delete duplicate files on macOS.
There are a couple of tools that are built into Mac that can help you, but they don’t give you the accurate output or catch everything with precision. An easier and quicker alternative is to use an advanced tool. It does not just find exact duplicate files, but also the similar looking content, such as several versions of the same photo, song, or video. So, after this, you will get the free space without spending hours to clean the duplicate files.
How to Delete Duplicate Files on Mac Using Finder?
In this segment, we will be discussing the manual method to find and eliminate duplicate files using the Finder application. This method focuses on visually examining the file names, sizes, and content.
Key Considerations:
- Time-consuming for large folders.
- Carefully verify files before deleting them.
- Sorting options in Finder help in the identification process.
- Permanently delete files by emptying the Trash.
A Step-by-Step Framework:
- Open the Finder by clicking on the Finder icon or pressing cmd + N.
- Browser to the folder where the suspected duplicate files are available.
- Next, tap the “View” menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- After that, choose “Show View Options” or press Command + J.
- In the View Options panel, go to “Sort by” → “Name” and close the window.
- Now, find the files with similar names or other parameters.
- Then, pick the duplicate files by holding down the Command key and clicking on each identical.
- Right-click on the Dock → “Move to Trash.”
- Don’t forget to empty the bin, right-click on the Trash icon, and select “Empty Trash.”
Note: Cross-check the files before deleting them so that you may not remove important data. The best practice is to take a backup of files before performing any operation.
How to Eliminate Identical Files on macOS with Terminal?
In this unit, we will be gaining insights on how to use the Terminal to find and delete duplicate files on Mac. In general, Terminal is an advanced and script-based application to detect and get rid of duplicate files.
Key Considerations:
- Requires familiarity with Terminal commands.
- Use caution with the rm command to avoid accidental deletions.
- Customize the command based on the file type.
A Step-by-Step Framework:
Open Spotlight Search by Command + Space and type “Terminal.” Then, hit Enter to open the Terminal.
Use the cd command to navigate to the folder where the duplicate files are present. For instance:
cd /path/to/your/folder
Replace “/path/to/your/folder” with the actual path of the folder.
Copy the command given below to find the duplicate files based on their MD5 checksums:
find . -type f -exec md5 -r {} + | sort | uniq -w 32 -dD
By using this command, the system will calculate the files MD5 checksums, sort them, and display the results only containing the duplicate files.
Review the displayed output to confirm the selection.
Next, use the rm command carefully to permanently delete duplicate files. For Example:
rm /path/to/duplicate/file
Replace “/path/to/duplicate/file” with the original path of the duplicate file.
Besides this, you can use the following find and xargs commands to scan and clean up the duplicates of a specific extension. Remember to replace the “[file_extension]” with the actual file extension.
find . -name “*.[file_extension]” -exec md5 -r {} + | sort | uniq -w 32 -dD | cut -d ‘ ‘ -f 3- | xargs rm
How to Get Rid of Duplicate Files on Mac Through Smart Folders
Smart Folders available in Finder are mainly used to create dynamic folders based on your search criteria. Further, this approach simplifies the detection of identical data using visual cues.
Key Considerations:
- Set precise search criteria to narrow down results.
- Sorting options aid in the identification process.
- Drag and drop files from the Smart Folder to the Trash.
A Step-by-Step Framework:
- Launch the Finder window. In the Finder menu, go to “File” → “New Smart Folder.”
- On the Smart Folder window, you will see a search bar in the top right corner. Then, click on the “+” button adjacent to add search criteria.
- Pick the criteria that can help in identifying duplicate files. Here are some of the criteria “Name,” “Date Modified,” or “Kind.”
- Let’s take an example: To find duplicate images, you can use the “Kind” criteria and others are self-explanatory.
- Next, sort the files by clicking on the column headers (e.g. Name, Date Modified) to arrange the files in a proper order. Now, visually examine the files and choose the files by holding the “Command” key and clicking on each file. Then, right-click and go to “Move to Trash” or drag them to the Trash icon in the Window.
How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files Using Automator?
Automator is a visual scripting tool that allows you to automate any task. We know that manually identifying and erasing duplicates can be hectic and challenging at times. As a result, using this workflow can help you in curtailing the overwhelming situation.
Key Considerations:
- Requires basic knowledge of Automator.
- Workflow actions include finding and moving files based on Name, Date Modified, etc.
- Run the workflow to execute the deletion process.
A Step-by-Step Framework:
- Open the Automator from the Applications folder.
- Next, the Automator will ask you to choose a specific type of document. Pick the “Workflow.”
- In the left sidebar of Automator, find the “Files & Folders” category.
- After that, Drag the “Get Specified Finder Items” action on the Automator window’s right side.
- Once again, drag the “Find Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folder” category under the “Get Specified Finder Items” action.
- Then, tap on the “Options” button in the “Find Finder Items” action.
- Here, set the first dropdown to “Name,” the second dropdown to “Contains,” and leave the third field blank.
- Lastly, drag the “Move Finder Items to Trash” action from the same category and place it below the “Find Finder Items” action.
- Save your workflow by clicking “File” → “Save” and give it a name (e.g., “Delete Duplicates”).
- Click the “Run” button in the top-right corner of the Automator window.
The workflow will execute, finding files with duplicate names and moving them to the Trash.
Apart from this, you can adjust the workflow according to your search parameters and specific requirements. Remember to double-check the results or take backups of respective files before deleting them.
Read More: Ideal answer on “how to delete duplicate photos on PC?”
Limitations in the Above Manual Methods to Delete Similar Files on Mac
No Near-Duplicate Detection: Using the manual ways and the powershell basic scripts, you will end up finding exact matches on the basis of name or MD5. But all in all, it misses the burst photos, edited images, or changed-bitrate audio files.
High Risk of Human Error: Terminal rm commands and bulk deletion of duplicate files are destructive in nature. This eliminates the chances of reviewing the files or undo the mistakenly deleted files.
No Smart “Keep” Logic: The inbuilt tools are not proficient enough to detect which file to keep or delete, this is where the pro tools come into play. They use advance algorithm to select the duplicates.
Poor Cloud Storage Scanning: Mostly it is seen that Finder and Automator struggle to compare the duplicate files present on your iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox without even downloading them into your PC.
Severe Time & Scale Limits: If you have a large data set of 50,000 files of 1TB data, going with the manual option is impractical as a result the pro tools does this for you by finding and removing the similar files using the multi-core processing.
Metadata Blindness: Manual method is best for detecting duplicates that have similar name, but usually ignores the internal metadata to scan for true identical files with different filenames.
How to Delete Duplicate Files on Mac? – Expert Solution
No doubt the above techniques can be handy for short file sizes and scanning through names, and date modified. But cannot cater the similar results for large file sizes. Also, it is not compatible when you want to scan similar content files. Considering such a case, we offer you the best duplicate file remover tool. This tool is efficient enough to run on macOS (Macintosh Operating System) to find and remove clogged-up identical files. Further, this tool has rich features for finding any type of file format.
Here are some of the features of this distinct application:
- Efficient scanning engine
- Deep recursive scanning option
- Wide range of supported file extensions: EXE, MSI, MSIX, APP, DMG, PKG, ZIP, TAR, RAR, 7-ZIP, TGZ, GZ, ZIPX, etc.
- Move or delete duplicate photos easily
- Visual similarity detection
- Preview before deleting photos
- Compatibility with external storage devices (e.g., Pendrive, SSD, External disk, Camcorder, etc.)
Simple Steps to Identify and Remove Identical Files on macOS:
Step 1. Download and Set up the Duplicate finder and remover application on your macOS.
Step 2. Hit on the “Add Folder” tab to add the folder containing the suspect duplicate files.
Step 3. Next, pick the right scanning parameters. Then, select any particular file extension under the “Select from file extension in folder” option. After that, tap on Continue.
Step 4. Press on the “Delete” button to eliminate the similar files collected on the system.
Step 5. In the end, you will see that Action column, the message tag is changed to Deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I delete duplicate files for free?
Ans. All the methods shown in this article are available for free, you can use the tool or method according to your need to get the best results. However, make sure to have a backup of the suspected folder before operating.
Q. Does Mac have a duplicate file finder?
Ans. No, Mac doesn’t have an in-built application such as a duplicate file finder. But you can make a partial copy of it by using any of the above methods.
Q. Is there a quick way to delete duplicate photos on Mac?
Ans. Yes, you can use the utility i.e. duplicate file finder and remover listed above to detect and delete identical files.
Q. How do I find duplicate files on my Mac Air?
Ans. You can easily find duplicate files on your Mac Air using Finder on macOS:
- Open Finder and navigate to the folder or drive.
- Use Command + F or go to “File” → “Find.”
- Click “+” to add criteria, choose “Kind” and set it to “Any.”
- Add another criterion with “+” and select “Other,” search for “Size,” and add it.
- Set a reasonable size range.
- Click “Save” for future use.
- Arrange results by name or size to spot duplicates easily.