Over time, it’s inevitable that your Mac will become cluttered with junk and duplicate files. Whether you like to copy files to have a backup or accidentally download things more than once, a buildup of identical documents, images, videos, and more is almost unavoidable. However, it’s easy to fix.
With the help of a duplicate file finder, you can identify and remove all cloned files, folders, and archives on your Mac, external storage drives, and cloud-based backups in no time. But with so many options to choose from, which should you use? Here is the best software to find duplicate files on Mac.
Top 3 duplicate file finders on Mac based on my research:
| Rating | Name | Features | Price |
| 1 | MacKeeper | A complete suite of tools for cleaning and improving the performance of your Mac, all of which are fast and easy to use. | From $10.95 per month |
| 2 | Gemini 2 | A fast, polished, and simple solution for duplicate file removal that comes with an affordable price tag. | $19.95 per year |
| 3 | Disk Drill | Combines a duplicate file finder with all the tools you need to recover lost data from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android device. | $89.99 |
In this article you will find the following:
Before we start:
If your Mac is overloaded with duplicate files and folders, take control with MacKeeper Duplicates Finder. This powerful utility can seek out all the duplicates on your machine, including similar photos and screenshots, and helps you remove them safely in just a few clicks. Here’s how to use it:
- Download and install MacKeeper.
- When the app opens, select Duplicates Finder in the MacKeeper sidebar.
- Click the Start Scan button.
- Select the duplicates you want to delete, then click the Remove Selected button.
- When prompted, click the Remove button to proceed.
- Click Finish once the process is complete.
Best programs to find duplicate files on Mac
When it comes to choosing the best duplicate file finder on Mac, there are lots of great options. Here are nine of our top picks:
- MacKeeper
- Gemini 2
- CleverFiles Duplicates Finder
- Nektony Duplicate File Finder
- Easy Duplicate Finder
- Duplicate Detective
- dupeGuru
- Disk Drill
- Duplicate Sweeper
Read on to learn more about each application, including their pros and cons, pricing, and which one might best fit your MacBook, depending on your needs.
1. MacKeeper
MacKeeper is a complete suite of system cleanup and optimization tools for your Mac that help ensure your machine is always running at its best. It can help you free up storage space and RAM, remove malware, and improve your Mac's performance. If you want to know why your MacBook is running slow, MacKeeper can help you fix it.
MacKeeper also includes its own cleaning and performance optimization features:
- Duplicate Finder: Performs a full system scan that weeds out cloned files, similar photos, and duplicate screenshots you likely don’t need to hold onto.
- Memory Cleaner: Frees up unnecessary data from your RAM to improve Mac performance and make active applications snappier.
- Smart Uninstaller: Removes unwanted software from your Mac in just a few clicks and doesn’t leave behind any associated files that can take up space.
- Safe Cleanup: Trawls through your Mac’s hard drive to find all hidden junk and then removes it to quickly and safely free up lots of space.
MacKeeper can also look for duplicates automatically as it carries out its scheduled daily scans. If a certain amount of duplicate data (the default is 1GB, but you can adjust this) is detected, MacKeeper will notify you that it’s time to remove some copycat files to free up space.
Important:
While MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder doesn’t offer some of the more advanced features that other solutions provide, it’s incredibly simple to use, which makes it ideal for new or novice Mac users. That’s why, compared with its other utilities, it’s the best Mac app for finding duplicate files.
- Features: Clean and modern UI, a complete suite of features for Mac optimization that includes a Memory Cleaner, Smart Uninstaller, and Smart Cleanup tool for removing unnecessary system junk, and an easy-to-use and effective Duplicates Finder
- Official website: MacKeeper
- Price: $10.95 per month or $71.40 per year
- Free trial: Yes (7 days)
- Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Modern design that’s clean and easy to use | More expensive than standalone duplicate removal tools |
| Fast duplicate file finding and removal | May be overwhelming for some users |
| Packed with essential tools for maintaining your Mac, including a built-in antivirus | |
| Helps improve the performance of your Mac | |
| Offers 24/7 support from Mac experts |
2. Gemini 2
Gemini 2 is one of a few pieces of software on this list that focuses exclusively on helping you find and remove duplicate files and photos rather than combining a collection of tools for different tasks. One of the advantages of this is that it means Gemini 2 is one of the most powerful options to choose from.
The main selling point of Gemini 2 is its intelligent learning algorithm, which takes note of the kinds of duplicate files you typically delete to make better suggestions about what you should and shouldn’t keep. It’s also very effective at identifying which files are copies and originals.
In addition to spotting duplicate documents, photos, folders, and screenshots, Gemini 2 can pick out cloned music and video files and even duplicate applications. Its clean and simple user interface makes it easy to use and surprisingly fast, even when dealing with larger storage drives.
Another good reason to try Gemini 2 is that its free trial includes all the features, so you can try everything before you decide whether it’s worth your money. In fact, some of its features are permanently free, which makes Gemini 2 one of the best ways to remove duplicate photos on Mac.
- Features: Simple interface, intelligent learning algorithm, effective removal of various kinds of duplicate files
- Official website: Gemini 2
- Price: $19.95 per year
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Free version is fairly generous | Free version is limited to 500MB of data removal |
| Scanning and data removal are fast | No additional Mac cleaning features |
| Finds similar files as well as duplicates | |
| Learns how you work for better suggestions | |
| Easy to use |
3. CleverFiles Duplicates Finder
CleverFiles Duplicates Finder is a no-nonsense solution ideal for those on a tight budget. At first glance, its barebones user interface suggests CleverFiles Duplicates Finder may be somewhat primitive and not very useful, but don’t be fooled—it has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.
In addition to performing a complete system scan to find duplicates across your entire drive, CleverFiles Duplicates Finder can scan only a single folder or multiple individual locations. It works on both local storage devices and cloud-based storage drives.
After finding all your duplicates, CleverFiles Duplicates Finder lets you auto-select the files you want to delete in just one click and gives you the power to decide how to remove those files. You can also preview unwanted files before they’re purged to ensure you don’t delete anything important.
One thing that’s important to note about the CleverFiles Duplicates Finder is that it’s available as a standalone solution if a duplicate file finder is all you need or as part of the Disk Drill data recovery program for Mac, also made by CleverFiles. More on that option below.
- Features: Scans local and cloud-based storage drives, finds various duplicate file types, lets you preview duplicates before you delete them
- Official website: CleverFiles Duplicates Finder
- Price: $2.99
- Free trial: No
- Compatibility: macOS 10.12.6 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | No free trial |
| Simple design that’s easy to use | No additional cleaning features |
| Searches local and cloud-based drives | |
| Has automatic duplicate detection options |
4. Nektony Duplicate File Finder
The Duplicate File Finder from Nektony is one of many apps on this list that aims to gain an advantage over the competition by offering unique features. Like its rivals, it covers the basics of finding duplicate folders, photos, audio files, and more.
However, the Nektony Duplicate File Finder can also compare and merge duplicate folders so that important data isn’t inadvertently lost during the cleanup process. This ensures that any individual files present in only one of the folders aren’t deleted when duplicates are wiped.
Aside from this key selling point, the Nektony Duplicate File Finder is very similar to other duplicate file finders in that it’s easy to use with a polished interface, and it does everything you would expect. It can scan cloud backup drives and local storage devices, and it’s available as a free version.
- Features: Scans local and cloud drives, polished interface that’s easy to use, lets you compare and merge duplicate folders
- Official website: Nektony Duplicate File Finder
- Price: $7.99 per month, $14.99 per year, or $34.99 as a one-time purchase
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Clean and simple design | Free trial is very limited |
| Has the ability to merge duplicate folders | No additional cleaning features |
| Can scan local and external drives | |
| Restores accidentally deleted files |
5. Easy Duplicate Finder
Easy Duplicate Finder by Webminds does a compelling job of competing with many of its rivals on feature sets. It can find duplicate documents, photos, videos, music, and even archives on both local and cloud-based storage drives, and it has a “Wizard” that takes care of a lot of the hard work for you.
With more than ten scanning modes, the ability to preview duplicate files before they’re deleted, and a simple undo feature for recovering data you’ve wiped by accident, Easy Duplicate Finder has its advantages. However, it falls behind in its user interface design, which leaves a lot to be desired.
Although it’s easy to navigate and use, the interface offered by Easy Duplicate Finder is not at all easy on the eye. It looks more like a ‘90s website than a modern macOS application, suggesting that it’s no longer actively developed—despite getting regular updates and supporting the latest macOS releases.
Given that Easy Duplicate Finder is far from the cheapest option on this list, there’s very little reason to choose it over alternatives with more modern and more attractive designs. However, with much older software versions still readily available, it might suit those still using a vintage Mac computer.
- Features: 10+ scanning modes, duplicate file previews, easy undo feature, older releases for vintage Macs still readily available
- Official website: Easy Duplicate Finder
- Price: $39.95 per year
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 10.7 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Scans local and cloud-based drives | Very dated and clunky design |
| Has a wizard for a more guided experience | Expensive for what it is |
| Various versions available for older macOS releases | No additional cleaning tools |
6. Duplicate Detective
For novice users looking for a super simple way to remove duplicates from Mac, there’s Duplicate Detective. This is one of the lightest and most basic options, but that’s not a bad thing. Duplicate Detective is more than capable of finding and removing various file types, and for many, it’s all you really need.
Duplicate Detective isn’t quite intelligent enough to find similar files, but it can identify exact copies of images, videos, music tracks, and more. It allows you to filter and sort duplicates by file type, size, and date to make cleanup easier, and it quickly removes large batches of files and folders when required.
If you’re looking at how to free disk space on Mac quickly, Duplicate Detective lets you increase the minimum duplicate file size and ignore anything smaller. This speeds up each scan, and ensures that you’re targeting the biggest data hogs on your Mac’s internal and external storage drives.
- Features: Duplicate file filters and sorting, minimum file size option, basic and very easy to use
- Official website: Duplicate Detective
- Price: $4.99
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 10.7 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | Lacks features offered by other duplicate file finders |
| Lets you folder and sort duplicate files to target larger folders or specific content | No additional cleaning tools |
| Very basic interface that should be welcoming to novices |
7. dupeGuru
Looking for a completely free solution for duplicate file removal? Check out dupeGuru, the open-source duplicate finder for Mac. It’s incredibly customizable, making it a compelling option for power users. It can be set up to automatically remove all duplicate files, so you never have to take action yourself.
In addition to locating files with the same name, dupeGuru can also pick out similarities in file content and display a match percentage for each one. Once all duplicates and similar files are found, you can select as many as you like and delete them all in one go.
Like many freeware and open-source solutions, dupeGuru lacks the kind of polish you’ll see in most of the paid options on this list. It can also be complicated to learn because of the many customization options it offers. However, once you’re familiar with it and have it set up to your liking, dupeGuru is fast and effective.
- Features: Plenty of customization options, such as the ability to ignore smaller files, set custom search commands, and automatically remove empty folders; lightweight, ideal for power users
- Official website: dupeGuru
- Price: Free
- Free trial: N/A
- Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Completely free to use | Can be complicated and overwhelming |
| Lots of customization options | No additional cleaning tools |
| Very lightweight and fast | Not updated very often |
8. Disk Drill
As we touched on above, Disk Drill is another CleverFiles solution that combines the Duplicates Finder tool with a complete data recovery system for macOS. The Duplicates Finder itself works in exactly the same way and still exists as a standalone application when purchased with Disk Drill.
However, if you opt for the complete package, you will also be able to recover files, photos, and other data you’ve accidentally deleted from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Disk Drill also includes a cleanup tool for freeing up space, disk health monitoring, data backup, and more.
If all you’re interested in is duplicate file removal, Disk Drill is certainly over the top—and likely to be a little overwhelming. CleverFiles’ standalone Duplicates Finder is a much better option in that scenario. However, if you could benefit from Disk Drill’s other features, the complete package is worth a look.
- Features: Duplicate file removal, data recovery, disk health monitoring, and backup tools
- Official website: Disk Drill
- Price: $89.99 one-time purchase
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 10.15.7 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Combines CleverFiles Duplicates Finder with data recovery tools and more | May be more than you really need for duplicate file removal |
| Can recover files from Mac, iPhone, and iPad | |
| Monitors disk health to avoid data loss from failed drives |
9. Duplicate Sweeper
Duplicate Sweeper is another application worth checking out if you prefer something simple and lightweight. It can find cloned photos, videos, music, documents, and more, and it has a custom search algorithm that quickly identifies files with the same content.
Despite its rather dated design, Duplicate Sweeper has some modern luxuries that could prove very useful to you, like the ability to automatically save files that were modified most recently. Similar to most duplicate file finders, Duplicate Sweeper sends deleted files to the trash so you can recover them if necessary.
While Duplicate Sweeper is a free download from the App Store, this version can only perform duplicate file searches. If you want to actually remove those files—and you don’t want to do it manually—you’ll need to pay to upgrade to the premium version.
Unless you’re looking for something simple that doesn’t include convenient extras (or a more attractive design), there are better alternatives to Duplicate Sweeper that are more affordable.
- Features: Finds duplicate files across various formats, can automatically save recently modified files, is incredibly lightweight and easy to use
- Official website: Duplicate Sweeper
- Price: $19.99
- Free trial: Yes
- Compatibility: macOS 12 or later
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast and easy to use | Free version is very limited |
| Offers basic customization options | Premium version is expensive for what it is |
| Supports a wide range of file types | No additional cleaning tools |
Conclusion
There are lots of excellent duplicate file finders for Mac, so it won’t be difficult to find one that meets all your requirements. Whether you’re looking for something basic and easy to use, like Duplicate Detective, or a more advanced solution that’s highly customizable, like dupeGuru, there’s something for everyone.
For a complete package that includes duplicate file removal alongside all the tools you’ll need to clean and maintain your Mac, we highly recommend MacKeeper. Its powerful Duplicates Finder is bundled with a complete antivirus tool, a system junk cleaner, a smart app uninstaller, and lots more.
