How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac?

How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac? Every now and then, we save numerous images of the same subject or scene. But how do we organise and eliminate them? That is what we will be discussing in this essay. With the release of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, Apple added a new erase duplicates feature to the Photos app, allowing you to eliminate all duplicate copies from one or more photo albums.

While the photos on your Apple devices are vital, some of them (especially duplicate copies) is unnecessary and should be deleted. Duplicate photographs on Apple devices may be quickly removed using the Shortcuts app and the (recently upgraded) Photos app.

How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac?

Here is the list of 4 methods to delete duplicate photos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac:

Method #1. By Using iPhone

1. Navigate to the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. From the bottom, select the Albums tab.
3. Swipe down until you see Duplicates under “Utilities.”
4. Examine the duplicate matches (Tap any of the photo pairings or duplicates to see if they are sufficiently similar.)
5. You can either 
   • Select all of them by hitting Select -> Select all -> Merge.
   • Tap Merge after selecting separate photos.
6. Confirm the duplicate merging process by selecting Merge Duplicates.

Method #2. By Using Mac

On Mac, open the Photos app.
Duplicates can be found in the left sidebar, under “Photos.”
The found duplicate images will appear in the Duplicates section.
Examine the various sections and remove any duplication.
Now, either click Merge or press the delete key.

Method #3. By using third-party apps

To delete duplicate or redundant images from your Mac, you can use tools such as Delete duplicate finder or Gemini 2. I’ll walk you through the steps of eliminating duplicate images in Gemini 2.

1. Start the Gemini app.
2. When you first run it, it will display a Plus icon (+) and a window where you can drop folders for inspection.
3. If you click the Plus (+) symbol, you will be presented with folder options such as Home, Pictures, or Music.
4. Click Scan for Duplicates, which will search the folder for duplicates.
5. From the prompt, choose “Review Results.”
6. To make sure any other files aren’t included in the list, firstly, deselect all by going to the All Duplicates tab -> Select Duplicates -> Deselect All.
7. Now, from the sidebar, select Photographs (or the folder where you’ve saved your images).
8. Select Duplicates from the top left menu and then Automate.
9. Click Remove in the bottom right corner to begin eliminating duplicate photos.

Method #4. By Using Siri Shortcuts to delete duplicate photos on iPhone

1. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, launch the Shortcuts app.
2. Select the shortcut “Delete Duplicated Images.”
3. If it finds any duplicates, it will notify you and ask you to review them.
4. After reviewing, press the Done button.
5. If you want to get rid of the duplicates, choose Delete from the pop-up menu.
6. If you wish to go over the photographs again, choose Show all.

If you select the Don’t Delete option even once, you will receive an error. Follow the steps outlined below to go over it:

1. Tap the three dots that appear in the top right corner of the shortcut.
2. Navigate to the Privacy tab by selecting the (i) button at the bottom.
3. Choose Ask to Delete from the drop-down box next to Photos.
4. You may now proceed by tapping on Done.