[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":51},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-en-find-duplicate-files-on-mac":3},{"meta":4,"html":13,"headings":14,"raw":50},{"title":5,"description":6,"topic":7,"date":8,"author":9,"icons":10},"How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Mac","Find duplicates by content, not by name. Learn where copies come from, how to check them by hand, what to do with photos, and how WashBear keeps one per group.","mac-cleanup","2026-10-29","WashBear Team",[11,12],"duplicate-files","file-image","\u003Cp>An installer downloaded twice becomes "Installer (1).dmg". Photos get imported from your phone a second time. While tidying up, you copy a whole folder just in case. A single duplicate doesn't look like much, but together they can add up to several gigabytes, sometimes tens of gigabytes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"where-they-come-from\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#where-they-come-from\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Where duplicates come from\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Browsers download the same file again and add a number to its name.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Photos and videos are imported more than once, or saved again from a messaging app.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whole folders get copied as a quick backup.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Several sync services sync the same set of files.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>The same archive gets extracted more than once.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"same-content\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#same-content\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Same name doesn't mean same content\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ccode>Report.pdf\u003C\u002Fcode> and \u003Ccode>Report (1).pdf\u003C\u002Fcode> might be the same file, or two different versions. Meanwhile, a renamed video can be identical to the original down to the last byte. The reliable test is to compare file contents; names and modification dates are only hints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One more thing that's easy to miss: when you copy a file in the Finder on the same APFS disk, the copy can share storage with the original until one of them changes. Delete one of those copies and you free less space than its size suggests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"manual\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#manual\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Find and check duplicates by hand\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"finder\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#finder\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>First pass in the Finder\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Open a folder where copies tend to pile up, such as Downloads, and switch to list view. Sort by Size and files of exactly the same size end up next to each other, which makes likely copies easy to spot. Sort by Name and files with a number or the word "copy" in their names line up beside the originals. If you're not sure, select a file and press the Space bar to compare the contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"verify\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#verify\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Confirm in Terminal that two files match\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>In Terminal, type \u003Ccode>shasum -a 256 \u003C\u002Fcode> (with a space at the end), drag the two files into the window, then press Return. If the long string at the start of both output lines is identical, the two files have the same content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To check a whole folder at once, run the command below. It lists files with identical content, and files in the same group share the same checksum:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode class=\"language-bash\">find ~\u002FDownloads -type f -size +10M -exec shasum -a 256 {} + 2>\u002Fdev\u002Fnull | sort | awk '$1==prev {if (!shown) print last; print; shown=1; next} {prev=$1; last=$0; shown=0}'\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Cp>This command only reads files and changes nothing. It has to read every file in full, so the more files in scope, the longer it takes. Adjust the path and the \u003Ccode>+10M\u003C\u002Fcode> size threshold as needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"photos\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#photos\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Let the Photos app handle photos\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Your Photos library is managed by the Photos app. Don't use Show Package Contents to open it and delete files inside, or you risk damaging the library. To deal with duplicate photos and videos in the library, open Photos, click Duplicates below Utilities in the sidebar, select the items you want to merge, then click Merge [number] Items. The extra items move to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them for 30 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"which-to-keep\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#which-to-keep\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Decide which copy to keep\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Keep the copy that's in use\u003C\u002Fstrong>: video projects, design files and code projects refer to their assets by path, so keep the copy they actually use.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Intentional backups aren't clutter\u003C\u002Fstrong>: copies on a backup drive or in a backup folder are there in case something goes wrong.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Synced folders sync deletions too\u003C\u002Fstrong>: delete a file in iCloud Drive or another synced folder, and the copies on your other devices are usually deleted as well.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Leave identical files inside apps alone\u003C\u002Fstrong>: identical files inside app bundles and \u003Ccode>~\u002FLibrary\u003C\u002Fcode> are normally managed by the apps, and deleting one can break an app.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"washbear\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#washbear\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Find duplicates by content with WashBear\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003C!--demo:duplicates-->\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Duplicate Cleanup\u003C\u002Fstrong> compares file contents and groups files that are exactly the same, even when their names differ. When two folders have identical contents, they appear as one group of identical folders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Choose a scope\u003C\u002Fstrong>: in the location selector at the top right, select \u003Cstrong>Common Folders\u003C\u002Fstrong>, recently used folders or disks, or click \u003Cstrong>Choose folder…\u003C\u002Fstrong> to add another location. You can select several at once.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Set a threshold\u003C\u002Fstrong>: \u003Cstrong>Minimum file\u003C\u002Fstrong> defaults to 200 KB and can be changed to 1 MB, 10 MB, 100 MB or 500 MB. If space is your main goal, start with larger files.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Protect important locations\u003C\u002Fstrong>: each selected location shows \u003Cstrong>Cleanable\u003C\u002Fstrong> on its right; click it to switch to \u003Cstrong>Protected\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Protected locations are still compared, but files in them are never deleted. For example, mark a backup folder as protected and Downloads as cleanable to find the files in Downloads that duplicate your backup. If your scope includes the Pictures folder that holds your Photos library, mark it as protected too.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Smart select\u003C\u002Fstrong>: when the scan finishes, click \u003Cstrong>Smart select\u003C\u002Fstrong> to keep one file in each group and select the other copies. Use the arrow next to it to switch to \u003Cstrong>Keep the file with the shortest path\u003C\u002Fstrong> (the default), \u003Cstrong>Keep the file with the shortest name\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Keep the earliest modified file\u003C\u002Fstrong> or \u003Cstrong>Keep the most recently modified file\u003C\u002Fstrong>. If a group contains protected files, all of them are kept.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Confirm and delete\u003C\u002Fstrong>: expand each group to check paths and modification times, then click \u003Cstrong>Delete Permanently\u003C\u002Fstrong>. The bottom bar shows the \u003Cstrong>Estimated space to free\u003C\u002Fstrong>; the amount each group \u003Cstrong>can reclaim up to\u003C\u002Fstrong> is a ceiling, and the space actually freed may be less.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>System folders, \u003Ccode>\u002FApplications\u003C\u002Fcode> and \u003Ccode>\u002FLibrary\u003C\u002Fcode> at the root of the disk, and files inside app bundles are skipped automatically, and \u003Ccode>~\u002FLibrary\u003C\u002Fcode> is scanned only when you choose it as the scope directly. See \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fduplicate-files\">Duplicate File Cleanup\u003C\u002Fa> for more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cdiv class=\"callout callout-warning\">\u003Cp class=\"callout-title\">Warning\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Deleted copies don't go to the Trash and can't be recovered. Every group keeps at least one file, files that changed after the scan are skipped, and deletions are recorded in \u003Cstrong>Operation History\u003C\u002Fstrong>. WashBear can't know which folder matters most to you, so before deleting, make sure the copy you keep is the one in the place you want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Ch2 id=\"faq\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#faq\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Frequently asked questions\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"similar-photos\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#similar-photos\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Can it find similar photos?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>No. Duplicate Cleanup only finds files with exactly the same content. Burst shots and photos that were cropped, re-exported or compressed no longer match, so they won't be grouped together. Use the Photos app to choose between similar photos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"not-many\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#not-many\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>There aren't many duplicates, but I'm still short on space. What next?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Then copies aren't the problem. Look for \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Ffind-large-files-on-mac\">the largest files on your Mac\u003C\u002Fa>, or read \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmac-system-data-too-large\">Mac System Data too large?\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",[15,19,22,25,29,32,35,38,41,44,47],{"depth":16,"id":17,"text":18},2,"where-they-come-from","Where duplicates come from",{"depth":16,"id":20,"text":21},"same-content","Same name doesn't mean same content",{"depth":16,"id":23,"text":24},"manual","Find and check duplicates by hand",{"depth":26,"id":27,"text":28},3,"finder","First pass in the Finder",{"depth":26,"id":30,"text":31},"verify","Confirm in Terminal that two files match",{"depth":16,"id":33,"text":34},"photos","Let the Photos app handle photos",{"depth":16,"id":36,"text":37},"which-to-keep","Decide which copy to keep",{"depth":16,"id":39,"text":40},"washbear","Find duplicates by content with WashBear",{"depth":16,"id":42,"text":43},"faq","Frequently asked questions",{"depth":26,"id":45,"text":46},"similar-photos","Can it find similar photos?",{"depth":26,"id":48,"text":49},"not-many","There aren't many duplicates, but I'm still short on space. What next?","\nAn installer downloaded twice becomes \"Installer (1).dmg\". Photos get imported from your phone a second time. While tidying up, you copy a whole folder just in case. A single duplicate doesn't look like much, but together they can add up to several gigabytes, sometimes tens of gigabytes.\n\n## Where duplicates come from {#where-they-come-from}\n\n- Browsers download the same file again and add a number to its name.\n- Photos and videos are imported more than once, or saved again from a messaging app.\n- Whole folders get copied as a quick backup.\n- Several sync services sync the same set of files.\n- The same archive gets extracted more than once.\n\n## Same name doesn't mean same content {#same-content}\n\n`Report.pdf` and `Report (1).pdf` might be the same file, or two different versions. Meanwhile, a renamed video can be identical to the original down to the last byte. The reliable test is to compare file contents; names and modification dates are only hints.\n\nOne more thing that's easy to miss: when you copy a file in the Finder on the same APFS disk, the copy can share storage with the original until one of them changes. Delete one of those copies and you free less space than its size suggests.\n\n## Find and check duplicates by hand {#manual}\n\n### First pass in the Finder {#finder}\n\nOpen a folder where copies tend to pile up, such as Downloads, and switch to list view. Sort by Size and files of exactly the same size end up next to each other, which makes likely copies easy to spot. Sort by Name and files with a number or the word \"copy\" in their names line up beside the originals. If you're not sure, select a file and press the Space bar to compare the contents.\n\n### Confirm in Terminal that two files match {#verify}\n\nIn Terminal, type `shasum -a 256 ` (with a space at the end), drag the two files into the window, then press Return. If the long string at the start of both output lines is identical, the two files have the same content.\n\nTo check a whole folder at once, run the command below. It lists files with identical content, and files in the same group share the same checksum:\n\n```bash\nfind ~\u002FDownloads -type f -size +10M -exec shasum -a 256 {} + 2>\u002Fdev\u002Fnull | sort | awk '$1==prev {if (!shown) print last; print; shown=1; next} {prev=$1; last=$0; shown=0}'\n```\n\nThis command only reads files and changes nothing. It has to read every file in full, so the more files in scope, the longer it takes. Adjust the path and the `+10M` size threshold as needed.\n\n## Let the Photos app handle photos {#photos}\n\nYour Photos library is managed by the Photos app. Don't use Show Package Contents to open it and delete files inside, or you risk damaging the library. To deal with duplicate photos and videos in the library, open Photos, click Duplicates below Utilities in the sidebar, select the items you want to merge, then click Merge [number] Items. The extra items move to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them for 30 days.\n\n## Decide which copy to keep {#which-to-keep}\n\n- **Keep the copy that's in use**: video projects, design files and code projects refer to their assets by path, so keep the copy they actually use.\n- **Intentional backups aren't clutter**: copies on a backup drive or in a backup folder are there in case something goes wrong.\n- **Synced folders sync deletions too**: delete a file in iCloud Drive or another synced folder, and the copies on your other devices are usually deleted as well.\n- **Leave identical files inside apps alone**: identical files inside app bundles and `~\u002FLibrary` are normally managed by the apps, and deleting one can break an app.\n\n## Find duplicates by content with WashBear {#washbear}\n\n::demo duplicates\n\n**Duplicate Cleanup** compares file contents and groups files that are exactly the same, even when their names differ. When two folders have identical contents, they appear as one group of identical folders.\n\n1. **Choose a scope**: in the location selector at the top right, select **Common Folders**, recently used folders or disks, or click **Choose folder…** to add another location. You can select several at once.\n2. **Set a threshold**: **Minimum file** defaults to 200 KB and can be changed to 1 MB, 10 MB, 100 MB or 500 MB. If space is your main goal, start with larger files.\n3. **Protect important locations**: each selected location shows **Cleanable** on its right; click it to switch to **Protected**. Protected locations are still compared, but files in them are never deleted. For example, mark a backup folder as protected and Downloads as cleanable to find the files in Downloads that duplicate your backup. If your scope includes the Pictures folder that holds your Photos library, mark it as protected too.\n4. **Smart select**: when the scan finishes, click **Smart select** to keep one file in each group and select the other copies. Use the arrow next to it to switch to **Keep the file with the shortest path** (the default), **Keep the file with the shortest name**, **Keep the earliest modified file** or **Keep the most recently modified file**. If a group contains protected files, all of them are kept.\n5. **Confirm and delete**: expand each group to check paths and modification times, then click **Delete Permanently**. The bottom bar shows the **Estimated space to free**; the amount each group **can reclaim up to** is a ceiling, and the space actually freed may be less.\n\nSystem folders, `\u002FApplications` and `\u002FLibrary` at the root of the disk, and files inside app bundles are skipped automatically, and `~\u002FLibrary` is scanned only when you choose it as the scope directly. See [Duplicate File Cleanup](\u002Fdocs\u002Fduplicate-files) for more.\n\n> [!WARNING]\n> Deleted copies don't go to the Trash and can't be recovered. Every group keeps at least one file, files that changed after the scan are skipped, and deletions are recorded in **Operation History**. WashBear can't know which folder matters most to you, so before deleting, make sure the copy you keep is the one in the place you want.\n\n## Frequently asked questions {#faq}\n\n### Can it find similar photos? {#similar-photos}\n\nNo. Duplicate Cleanup only finds files with exactly the same content. Burst shots and photos that were cropped, re-exported or compressed no longer match, so they won't be grouped together. Use the Photos app to choose between similar photos.\n\n### There aren't many duplicates, but I'm still short on space. What next? {#not-many}\n\nThen copies aren't the problem. Look for [the largest files on your Mac](\u002Fblog\u002Ffind-large-files-on-mac), or read [Mac System Data too large?](\u002Fblog\u002Fmac-system-data-too-large)\n",1793258439486]