How do I remove duplicate image files from 'Apple Photos'?

I have multiple copies (3 & 4 copies) of images clogging up my Photos

What kind of duplicates are these? is the image format the same for all versions of the same photo? Are the dimensions of all versions the same, or are some photos smaller? Are the filenames and the meta data the same? Are the filenames the original filenames created by the camera or some random, cryptic letters? Is the content of the photos exactly identical, or are the photos just similar? Are you using iCloud Photos?

Whatever you decide to do, you have to make sure to pick the best version with the best resolution, and try to save all metadata (titles, descriptions, keywords, locations, named faces).

Both PowerPhotos and Photo Sweeper recommended by Tony are safe and powerful. I have used them both a lot.

• PowerPhotos does not look at the photo, but will find duplicates based on the file attributes (Filenames or dates). It may not be able to find duplicates with different dates and filenames, for example thumbnails or downloaded files from websites or Mail. The added bonus is, that PowerPhotos can move photos between libraries and can open a second browser window, where we can sort our photos easily by the filename or the capture date or the file size. Even the free trial version can be used as a second browser, and you may be able to find working copies, that should not have been imported to the library by sorting your photos by the filename or the falsie in PowerPhotos.
• Photo Sweeper can find duplicates by looking at the photo - it will find duplicates even, if someone keeps sending me the same photo over and again with different resolution, different filenames, and different creation dates.

When I am using PowerPhotos or Photo Sweeper, they will present possible duplicates side by side, and I am manually selecting the keepers. Sometimes it is necessary to merge the metadata from all versions. Usually the versions with the original filename created by the camera are the best "Keepers". Random letter sequences are indicating redundant working copies or smaller versions downloaded from shared albums. I would not trust either program to batch delete all duplicates sight unseen. I only let them suggest the keepers, but are checking the selection and modifying it. And then delete the rejected photos manually in Photos.

Hi.

How did you convert from iPhoto? If you imported the iPhoto library into Photos that would cause duplicates (you can't import one library into another). What apps have you tried. Many are known to cause more problems than they solve.

To answer your question:

There are no facilities in photos to automate this, so either

* manually,

* or using an app designed to work with the photos library (Ie one that marks the photos or puts them in an album, and lets you review and then delete them, rather than doing the delete itself.

Do NOT use a general file duplicate finder not designed to work with the photos library. They will damage your photos library and likely cause loss of your photos.

I personally use PowerPhotos (I also use this for copying images and data between libraries)
https://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powerphotos/


Another suitable app recommended by experts here is PhotoSweeper (I have no personal experience of this one)

https://overmacs.com/

Both are paid apps. PhotoSweeper is the lowest cost, but PowerPhotos provides a lot of functionality in addition to the duplicate detection.

Apple warns Mac users of certain duplicate photo finders damaging the photo library. But it's almost impossible to manually select photos to delete from within the Photos app because you have so many photos in your library.

I use Cisdem Duplicate Finder for Mac to remove duplicates from my library. It's designed to safely delete duplicate photos in Photos library. It will scan your library, list all the found duplicates, let you view and preview individual duplicates and automatically select duplicates for you to remove with a click. Or, instead of using the auto-selection, you can choose a desired rule from the multiple selection rules (e.g. Select New) available. When you click the Delete button, the app will move all the selected unwanted duplicates to Photos app's "Recently Deleted". You can manually delete them with a click in "Recently Deleted". Here's a detailed guide to removing duplicates from Apple Photos.

In addition, the app can also find and delete duplicate photos and other types of duplicate files in regular folders on Mac. Note that it's a paid app. It allows you to find, preview and select duplicate files for free, but you need to purchase a license to perform the deletion.

It looks safe to use, but we can only use it on the System Photos Library. This is very limiting, if we are having several libraries, because switching between System Photos Libraries will result in a new upload into iCloud, Photos Library if we are using iCloud Photos. This may take several days, even for a moderately sized library.