Opting for a Mac over a PC is becoming much more commonplace. That’s for good reason, of course, there are tons of benefits to making the switch. Regardless of whether you’re new to the world of Mac, or if you’re a lifelong user, you’re bound to notice that your ability to store files shrinks over time.
What’s to blame for this storage conundrum?
Duplicate files! If you’ve never had to tackle this problem, then you probably need a little assistance. Read on to learn how to delete duplicates on a Mac!
How Do Duplicate Files Add Up?
There are many mysteries in life.
How did Stonehenge get built? Is there life on other planets? How did so many duplicate files end up on my computer?!
As it turns out, duplicate files happen for a number of different reasons. First, everything you download is saved in your downloads folder. If you copy a file from downloads instead of moving it, then you’re going to wind up with a lot of duplicates.
Duplicates on Mac also happen because you’ve downloaded the same file multiple times. Finally, duplicates are also created when you back up a device on your computer several times.
How Do You Find Duplicate Files?
Before you can delete duplicate files, you have to locate them!
To locate them, you need to make use of the Smart Finder. Start by opening up the Finder tool, clicking on File, and selecting the option for a New Smart Folder. Click on the plus button to set the parameters for your search, such as kind of file, date of file, or file name.
A number of files will come up in the Smart Folder. Open each file and verify that the files with matching names are in fact duplicates.
How Do You Delete Duplicates?
Once you have located your duplicate files, all you need to do is move them to the trash in the lower right-hand corner of your computer screen. You can do this one by one, or you can hit the command key to select multiple files and move them all to the trash at once.
From there, you’ll want to open the trash can app and empty it. If you are concerned about sensitive documents being discovered even after deletion, then hold down the command key and click on the trash icon, this will allow you to switch to the secure empty trash function.
It’s Easy to Delete Duplicate Photos and Files on a Mac!
If you’ve noticed that your computer is starting to be bogged down by files, then you likely have a duplicate file situation on your hands. Thankfully, with a Mac, it’s not super complicated to delete duplicates. You just need to do a little searching and move all the unwanted files to the trash can, and you’re done!
Easy peasy, right?
Life as a Mac owner is pretty great, but you’re bound to have some questions about it from time to time. Check out the rest of our blog for the answers to your most pressing Mac questions!
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