Duplicate File Cleanup

Duplicate File Cleanup compares file contents, so files that are exactly the same end up in one group even when their names differ. You keep one copy in each group and delete the rest.

#Choose a scan 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. Downloads, Documents, photo import folders, and backups are where duplicates most often appear.

Minimum file can be 200 KB (the default), 1 MB, 10 MB, 100 MB, or 500 MB. A change takes effect on the next scan.

System folders, /Applications and /Library at the root of the disk, files inside app bundles, and folders managed by developer tools such as the Go module cache, Homebrew or Conda are skipped automatically. Your personal Library folder (~/Library) and temporary folders are scanned only when you choose them as the scan scope directly. Identical files in these places are usually managed by the system or an app, and deleting one copy can make an app stop working properly.

#Protected locations

In the location selector, each selected location shows Cleanable on its right. Click it to switch between Cleanable and Protected:

• Cleanable: copies in this location can be selected for deletion.
• Protected: files here are still scanned and compared but never deleted. When a parent location is protected, its subfolders show Parent protected.

For example, mark your photo backup folder as protected and Downloads as cleanable. You will find the files in Downloads that duplicate your backup, while the backup itself stays untouched.

#Review duplicate groups

The scan first narrows down files that might match by size, then compares their contents; large files are read in full only when needed. Confirmed groups appear while the scan is still running, but deleting and Smart select become available only after the scan finishes.

Each group shows the number of copies, the size of each file, and the space you can reclaim up to. The space actually freed may be less. When two folders have exactly the same contents, they are shown as one group of identical folders. Expand a group to compare the path and modification time of each copy; files in protected locations are marked Protected. You can also filter groups by file type.

#Smart select

Click Smart select to keep one file in each group and select the other copies. Use the arrow next to it to choose which file is kept: 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 protected files are kept and every other copy is selected. The button on each group's header (for example Select 2 copies) applies to that group only. Once something is selected, Smart select changes to Clear selection. When you select files by hand, each group must keep at least one file.

#Delete copies permanently

The bottom bar shows the number of selected copies and the Estimated space to free. Click Delete Permanently and confirm. You can also delete a single copy by hovering over it or right-clicking it.

The selected copies are deleted directly. They do not go to the Trash and cannot be recovered. Files in protected locations are never deleted, files that changed or became unavailable after the scan are skipped, and every group keeps at least one file. Deletions are recorded in Operation History.