Multiple copies of your downloads, such as songs, photos, videos, etc. occupy so much-needed space on your Mac, slowing it down and denying a place to store up your important files. Same or similar copies of particular files unavoidably present on your Mac are of no use, and they hog the useful space on your hard disk. That’s why there is the urgent need to get rid of them.
There are loads of duplicate finders designed for Mac on the Internet, and you are wondering which one to get for your Mac. However, there are some things to bear in mind when choosing a good duplicate file for any Apple computer.
Find Out the Key Features a Duplicate Finder Must Possess
The important features you have to look out for in a good duplicate finder include:
- Ability to scan for duplicates using a fast, precise, and efficient scanning algorithm;
- It must be optimized for the operating system you’re using, be it Mac OS X or macOS;
- It must support multiple file types and formats so that it can identify various duplicates, not only images or music;
- It must support external storage devices and be able to run in-depth scan on both internal and external hard drives, USB drives and also network directories on Mac;
- Have an option of recovering removed files from Trash. This will give you a second chance to restore any accidentally deleted data that you’ve realized you wish to keep.
The following features are desirable, although not mandatory. The thing is, these additional characteristics will ensure you have a great experience removing duplicates from your Apple computer.
- It should be able to sort out and remove groups of found duplicates in few clicks — that should be the difference between using a duplicate finder and removing duplicates manually;
- It must have an easy-to-use interface and preferably support many versions of Apple’s operating system;
- It is desirable for a good duplicate finder to be able to detect not only multiple duplicate files in a folder, but also match duplicates scattered in different folders, as this will make the result more compact, elaborate and meaningful;
- It should also have an option of selecting some folders or groups of files to be excluded from the scan in order to ensure a fast scanning of target folders for the quick identification of duplicate files;
- You should be able to Pause/Resume and Stop the scan at any time for any reason;
- The app should give a preview option for the identified duplicates before their removal so that the user can look through them before confirming deletion;
- It should also possess the ability to identify duplicates with the same content but with different filenames, as well as identify duplicates located in hidden files and folders.
- Support multiple languages, so you can customize it and choose your preferred language. This will ensure that you understand all the instructions and follow them for the best result and safety (for example, you will be able to know when the app is giving you a warning sign for final removal of files).
Some of these features are, however, unavailable in free versions. Hence, you might sometimes need to upgrade to a Pro version to be able to take advantage of them.
One more feature sets itself apart as it requires engaging smart algorithms based on the full-scale artificial intelligence. We’re talking about the ability to correctly identify files with very similar yet different content. An example here would be a series of photos taken split seconds apart. Or an audio track and its remix. Frankly, there are not many applications capable of such things. If you meet one with such functionality that is proven working – you definitely should consider purchasing it.
On the other hand, some characteristics are being hyped by manufacturers but are grossly useless. Such features include:
- Creating a list of the duplicates found as the scan proceeds. This is not an added advantage but a mean of cajoling users. The duplicates found should be shown at the end of the scan or upon pausing for the user to preview before deleting;
- The option of identifying the original copy using priorities. It’s not really an important feature because duplicates are mostly of the same creation time. Therefore, identifying the original copy makes little or no difference and many at times the original copy identified by the app is not really the original file. It is also useless because the original copy is not always the preferred copy that you wish to keep, a modified version might be all you desire;
- An auto select option is also of no use, as the best approach here is a range of customizable search preferences that can be pre-set before the scanning begins.
Removing duplicates usually goes a long way in freeing up a very large volume of space on your drive. Hence, if you’re racking your brains over the question how to speed up iMac, Mac mini or MacBook, use the above-described criteria to get a quality duplicate finder online now, and you would be amazed at the amount of space that will be reclaimed afterward. The good part is that many quality duplicate finders are available for free.
The removal of these bulky, scattered and unwanted duplicates helps to improve the performance of your Mac. It enhances the speed of your backups and boosts performance when handling highly disk space demanding tasks, e.g., video editing or gaming.