When you take a photo, you will undoubtedly take several in a row. If you forget to clean them up afterwards, your library will be full of duplicate photos.
Since iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac can automatically sort through these and put them in a separate folder. This makes it easy to tidy up and keep only the best ones.
Artificial Intelligence in Photos
Using artificial intelligence, the Photos app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac can scan your photo library for duplicate photos. Once found, Photos will place any duplicates in a separate folder so you can easily sort them out. Previously, you had to do this manually or use a smart app like Gemini Photos
Remove duplicate photos
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad running at least iOS/iPadOS 16
- Navigate to the ‘Albums’ tab
- Scroll down to ‘Other’
- Tap on ‘Duplicate Items’.
Starting with macOS Ventura, you can find duplicate photos in the Photos app for Mac. Click “Duplicate Items” in the sidebar to see them.
Once you open the album with the parts you can compare the photos and decide for yourself which ones to delete or keep.
No duplicate photos found
If the Photos app doesn’t show duplicate items, it hasn’t had a chance to search your photo library. This only happens when your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is charging and you’re not using it or bogged down by other background activity. Close all apps and charge your device. Over time, you’ll be able to see the duplicate items in the Photos app.