SeekframeHow to find and delete duplicate photos on a Mac
For photos in the Photos library, click Duplicates below Utilities in the Photos sidebar and merge each set. Photos only checks its own library, so copies saved in folders, in Downloads or on external drives need another tool. Seekframe Pro compares every photo in the folders and drives you add, on your Mac, and moves the copies you mark to the Trash.
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Merge duplicates in the Photos library
- Open Photos and click Duplicates below Utilities in the sidebar. If Utilities is collapsed, hold the pointer over it and click the arrow. If you don't see Duplicates, Photos hasn't found any duplicates.
- Look through the sets and select the ones you want to clean up.
- Click Merge and confirm. Photos keeps one photo from each set and moves the others to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them for 30 days.
Find duplicates in folders and on drives with Seekframe
Copies pile up outside the library too: the same trip exported twice, a phone backup copied to a drive, pictures saved from chats into Downloads. Seekframe Pro compares what the photos show, so it still catches a copy that was resized, re-saved or renamed.
- Add your folders and drives to Seekframe and let it index them.
- Choose Library › Find Duplicates… from the menu bar. Seekframe compares every photo with every other, on your Mac.
- Each group shows the photo to keep, marked ★ (the one with the highest resolution), and its copies, already marked for the Trash. Click any photo to mark or unmark it.
- Check the summary at the top, which shows how many photos will go and how much space you'll free up, then click Move to Trash.
Nothing is deleted outright. The photos go to the Trash, and choosing Put Back there returns them to their folders.
Bursts and retakes
By default, Seekframe shows only copies of the same picture, so a photo with no copy is never offered for the Trash. To also see near-duplicates, such as ten shots of the same moment or the same pose a second later, turn on Include near-duplicates (bursts, retakes). Seekframe never marks these for you; you pick which ones to throw away.
| Photos | Seekframe Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it looks | The Photos library | The folders and drives you add |
| What it compares | Photos and videos | Photos, plus near-duplicates if you turn them on |
| Where the copies go | Recently Deleted, for 30 days | The Trash |
| Price | Included with macOS | Seekframe Pro, $19.99 one-time |
Questions
Which copy does Seekframe keep?
The one with the highest resolution; if two match, the bigger file, and then the older one. It's marked ★. Every photo in a group can be marked or unmarked with a click, so you decide which copies go.
Does Seekframe find duplicate videos?
No. The duplicate finder compares photos only. To track down copies of a video, search for what's in it.
Is the duplicate finder free?
No, it's part of Seekframe Pro, a one-time purchase of $19.99, which also adds more folders, external and network drives and all your video. Searching your photos is free for one folder.
Does it delete anything by itself?
No. Nothing moves until you click Move to Trash, and even then the photos go to the Trash rather than being deleted right away.
Are my photos uploaded to compare them?
No. The comparison happens on your Mac, and Seekframe has no account or server to send them to.