How to find and delete similar photos on Mac
In this post, I will share how to delete duplicate and similar images from your Mac computer and the Photos library.
What are similar pictures?
Similar pictures have the same type, nearly identical content, and more or less the same size but differ slightly in appearance. It’s most common to find similar pictures when we take a series of photos. These photos with nearly identical content are easily noticeable when looking at your photo album. We often leave all the photos from the series, with hopes of returning to them later to delete unnecessary pics. However, these extra images consume limited storage space on your disk.
How do I find similar pictures on Mac?
You can use Duplicate File Finder to find similar photos and remove them from your Mac. The application is free to use. Download it from the App Store.
Take the following steps to find similar photos on your Mac:
- Launch the Duplicate File Finder app.
- Add the folder that you want to scan for similar photos.
- Click on Find Duplicates.
4. Then, within the scan results window, click on the Similar Photos button.
5. You will see a list of groups with similar files on the left side of the window. On the right side, you will see a preview of two images for a convenient comparison. Below each preview section are the file details.
5. Review the similar photos in each group, compare pics, and select which one you want to keep. The rest of the images in the group will be automatically marked for deletion.
6. Click on the Review to Remove button.
7. Skim the photos you are going to delete and click on the Remove button to confirm the action.
8. Empty the Trash to get rid of the unneeded similar pictures.
Delete duplicate photos from the Photos app on a Mac
The Duplicate File Finder application also helps to remove unnecessary files from your Mac’s Photos app. The Photos program stores your pictures in its internal folder called the Photos Library. Third-party applications have limited access to this Apple app’s folder. However, with Duplicate File Finder, you can scan the Photos Library to detect duplicate and similar images and easily delete them.
To delete pictures from the Photos app on a Mac, take the following steps:
- Launch the Duplicate File Finder app.
- Select Photos Library and click to start scanning for duplicate pictures in Photos.
3. In the next moment, you will see a list of groups with similar and identical photos on the left side of the app’s window. On the right side, you can preview and compare images to select unneeded files.
4. Mark the photos you want to delete and click on the Review to Remove button.
5. Review the selected items and confirm their deletion by clicking on the Remove button.
6. In the next moment, you will see a notification that the deleted files have been moved to the Selected Duplicate Photos album in the Photos app. Click on the Open Photos button to proceed with the removal.
7. Within the Photos app, open the Selected Duplicate Photos album and select all the pictures you want to remove. Right-click on any of the selected images and select Delete Photos from the menu that appears.
8. Click Delete to confirm the action.
9. These pictures will be moved to the Recently Deleted folder, and after 30 days, they will be automatically removed. If you want to get rid of the chosen photos immediately, go to the Recently Deleted folder, select all the images, and right-click on Delete Items.
10. Click OK to permanently remove the unneeded photos from your Mac.
Conclusion
Duplicate File Finder is an intuitive application for Mac users. It allows you to quickly find duplicate and similar photos, easily compare pictures, and delete unneeded files from your computer.
