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Similar Photo Cleaner app

This "Similar Photo Cleaner" app started up as my Mac woke up. I checked the Mac app store and didn't find this app there. Could it possibly be another prototype of Mac Cleaner app? I looked in my Applications folder and its there. Should I delete it? Does anyone else have this problem?

iPad Air Wi-Fi, iOS 9.2.1

Posted on Oct 27, 2018 4:18 PM

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Question marked as Apple recommended

See this article Using third-party apps to remove duplicate photos might damage your Photos for macOS library - Apple Support

You can open finder , select the photo cleaner app right click on it and move to trash , restart the Mac and empty the trash .

Read this also macOS Sierra: Install, update, and uninstall apps

Posted on Oct 28, 2018 3:36 AM

6 replies

Oct 28, 2018 6:15 AM in response to lovelylady68

Several other users are currently having this problem: Similar Photos Cleaner on the Mac App Store

I am still seeing this application at the Mac AppStore, but it can be installed clandestinely by other apps from the same manufacturer.


Have a look at this discussion on how to uninstall it: Re: How do I get Similar Photos Cleaner off my computer?


Some users succeeded to delete the app by holding down the Power Button to force a restart, then they could delete the application from the Applications folder, but you may need to uninstall the leftovers in the libraries and caches as well.

Library/LaunchAgents/com.techyutils.spchlpr.plist

Library/Preferences/com.techyutils.Photos-Duplicate.plist

~/Library/Application Support/Similar Photo Cleaner

~/Library/Similar Photo Cleaner

~/Library/Application Support/spc

~/Library/hlprspc

~/Library/Logs/Similar Photo Cleaner.log

~/Library/Logs/spchlpr.log

~/Library/Caches/com.techyutils.spchlpr

~/Library/Caches/com.techyutils.hlprUpdater

~/Library/Caches/com.techyutils.Photos-Duplicate

/Applications/Similar Photo Cleaner.app

~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutils.spchlpr.plist

~/Library/Preferences/com.techyutils.Photos-Duplicate.plist

Oct 28, 2018 6:39 AM in response to léonie

In Mac OS Mojave 10.14 the app was installed , opening the launchpad and clicking forcefully on the trackpad jiggles all the apple inbuilt applications and the clean app also , clicked on cross sign and then clicked on delete button , restart the Mac and empty the trash , the similar photo cleaner app is deleted permanently .

the files the you mentioned in system library and user library could not be found .

User uploaded file

Oct 28, 2018 6:50 AM in response to tygb

The problem is to get to the Launchpad, if the App is blocking all user interaction. Then force-restarting the Mac will help.

Getting rid of this application can be tricky, once it has installed items in the launch services, see for example this discussion: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8602982?answerId=34080847022#34080847022

You may want to look at related discussion in the Water Cooler, tygb.

Nov 5, 2018 6:01 PM in response to léonie

I literally installed the app similar cleaner app , by deleting from launchpad it was completely deleted from the Mac , and after that searched all the remnants of it in system library and user library folders nothing was there inside it .Launchpad can be directly opened by pinching on trackpad , there is no need to force restart the Mac .

See these steps .

Go to system preferences and click on users and groups open the pad lock by entering admin name and password ( in case if it is an admin account ) , select login items , if you see app select it and click on minus sign to get deleted .

In system preferences itself click on Security and privacy , click on Accessibility then privacy select the suspicious app click on minus sign to get deleted .

Click on finder and search in Applications and download folder .

The next step would be enter in System Library .

Click on Finder , take cursor on top menu bar click on Go - Computer - Macintosh HD - Library

You have to manually search app in some folders where they reside .

1.Application Support

2.Caches

3.LaunchAgents

4.LaunchDaemons

5.Logs

6.PriviledgedHelperTools

7.Startup-items

8.Receipts

9.Preferences - the plist of app is to be removed , if there is com.apple .xxxx .plist it could also be com.apple.xxx.plist

10.Extensions

11.Frameworks

12.internet Plug -ins

13.Input Methods

14.ScriptingAdditions

Then enter in User library ( click on finder and take cursor on top menu bar , hold option key and click on library ) .

Search in folders

1.Application Support

2.Caches

3.Cookies

4.Safari

5.Logs

6.Saved Application State

7.LaunchAgents

8.Internet Plug -ins

9.Input Methods

10.Preferences - com.apple.xxx.plist .

11.Containers are also to be checked .

Then again click on Finder - Go - Macintosh HD - System - Library - Frameworks - search the app remnants in Framework folder .

Right click on remnants from the above folders and move to the trash bin , restart the computer and empty the trash .

Similar Photo Cleaner app

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