How to remove duplicate files on my MacBook Pro running Sonoma?

Question

Level 1

14 points

How to remove duplicate files on my MacBook Pro running Sonoma?

I am on a MacBook Pro M2, 2022, with Sonoma 14.5 OS.

Last year, I used CC Cleaner on my laptop to clean files. For the first time, I said to clean duplicate files. Well, for some reason, TONS OF FILES were erased. It was like I was back in factory settings!

I used a couple of programs I found to try and retrieve the erased data (Ease US Data Recovery and DiskDrill), and I recovered from an old backup. I was freaked out as some of my work and travel pictures were gone.

So, now we are back to square one in my efforts to retrieve lost files. I have many duplicate files on my HD that are taking up space. As someone suggested in another post, I don't have the time to go through it manually.

Any suggestions, software, etc., that I can use to clean up? I am not tech-savvy, so please keep this in mind for your suggestions or software; please provide details about anything you can think of. Please don't be general because I have already done enough damage on my own trying to delete duplicates in the first place!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Jun 21, 2024 9:35 AM

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Answer 1

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,116 points

Jun 21, 2024 9:44 AM in response to hedykay

hedykay wrote:

I am on a MacBook Pro M2, 2022, with Sonoma 14.5 OS.

Last year, I used CC Cleaner on my laptop to clean files. For the first time, I said to clean duplicate files. Well, for some reason, TONS OF FILES were erased. It was like I was back in factory settings!

I used a couple of programs I found to try and retrieve the erased data (Ease US Data Recovery and DiskDrill), and I recovered from an old backup. I was freaked out as some of my work and travel pictures were gone.

So, now we are back to square one in my efforts to retrieve lost files.

I have many duplicate files on my HD that are taking up space.

As someone suggested in another post, I don't have the time to go through it manually.

Any suggestions, software, etc., that I can use to clean up?

I am not tech-savvy, so please keep this in mind for your suggestions or software; please provide details about anything you can think of. Please don't be general because I have already done enough damage on my own trying to delete duplicates in the first place!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

re: CC Cleaner

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS

and why so many "duplicate files" to begin with...? This is not a typical issue.

Duplicate files where?

Duplicate files of what?

General house cleaning...

How to free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support

Free up storage space - Apple Support

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Answer 2

hedykay Author

Level 1

14 points

Jun 25, 2024 6:33 AM in response to leroydouglas

Long story short, the duplicate files result from buying a digital products package containing hundreds of ebooks and PLR articles. Unfortunately, they were not appropriately organized when I purchased them, and there were many duplicate downloads. Then, after the first deletion, in my efforts to retrieve them - I now have multiple copies of these files and am not really sure where to go as there are a few locations where the data recoveries put them.

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