Find copies by name in Finder
Most duplicates announce themselves in their names. In Finder, open the folder (Downloads is the usual suspect), press Command-F, click the folder’s name next to This Mac so only that folder is searched, and search for:
(1),(2): a browser’s second download of the same file;copy: a copy made in Finder;- a name ending in
2: a file copied where the name was taken.
Sort the results by Size: two files with the same size and a similar name are likely the same file. Press the Space bar to compare them in Quick Look before deleting one.
Find duplicate photos in Photos
On macOS Ventura and later, open Photos and click Duplicates in the sidebar under Utilities. Photos lists exact copies and near-identical shots side by side; Merge keeps the best quality and moves the rest to Recently Deleted.
Find exact copies by content
Names don’t catch a copy that was renamed. Our free duplicate file finder compares the contents of every file in a folder you pick and lists the exact copies, whatever their names. It runs in your browser, uploads nothing, and deletes nothing.
Delete the copies safely
- Keep one copy of each file, in the folder where you’d look for it.
- Move the others to the Trash (Command-Delete). Until you empty it, File › Put Back returns any of them.
- Empty the Trash (Shift-Command-Delete in Finder) once you’re sure.
Where Lisorto fits
Lisorto for Mac spots copies as files arrive: a second download of the same file goes to a Duplicates Space instead of piling up next to the first, and Free up space (Pro) offers copies for the Trash only when you pick them. Nothing is deleted on its own, and one Undo brings everything back.