Tech how-to: Remove duplicate photos and declutter your digital library

December 27, 2024

By Kim Komando

If your photo library feels out of control after the holidays, you’re not alone. Between taking multiple shots to get the perfect one and sharing images with friends and family, duplicate photos pile up quickly. Here’s a simple guide to declutter your digital photo collection.

1. Start with built-in tools

Try the free tools already available on your device. These can help you quickly locate and remove duplicate photos.

iPhone or iPad: The Photos app makes this easy‑peasy.

• Open your Photos app and select Albums.
• Scroll down and choose Duplicates. (I just looked at mine and had 2,933 duplicate photos and 49 videos!)
• Hit Select > Select all, then tap the Trash icon to delete them. You can also select Merge to combine your dupes into one great shot.

For Android: Don’t delete your duplicates manually; open the Files by Google app, select Clean, then:

• Tap Confirm and free up > See junk files and select what you want to clear.
• When you’re ready, tap Clear > Clear. That’s all it takes to remove screenshots, memes, duplicates and other junk mixed in with your important photos.

For Google Photos: Sorry, there’s no built-in duplicate-cleaning tool here, so it’s up to you.

• Log into Google Photos, and click Photos in the left panel.
• Select any photos you no longer need (or want), and click Delete.

2. Get an app made for the job

If you have thousands of duplicates, deleting them manually takes forever. A third-party app like Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro is a quicker solution. None of these apps are perfect, but take any help you can get!

3. Go beyond duplicates

Most of us have a lot of crappy photos, making it hard to find the ones we actually want to see. Blurry shots, similar pics and other junk won’t make it into your duplicate purge — you’ll have to do that manually. Here are a couple of methods to deal with the madness:

• Make it a habit: Pick a time that works for you, like when you’re watching TV, stuck in a waiting room or, yes, on the throne. Instead of scrolling social media, use those spare minutes to delete photos you don’t need. A little effort here and there adds up quickly.
• Get strategic with same-day sweeps: If you’re more of a planner, try cleaning up photos taken on today’s date across all years in your library. For example, on Jan. 2, tackle photos taken on Jan. 2 from years past. It’s a bigger upfront effort, but, over time, your library will be totally decluttered.

Pro tip: Once you’re caught up, set a calendar reminder to spend 15 minutes a month reviewing and deleting photos. Pick the same date, and it might even become a ritual you look forward to.

4. Revisit your special memories

Decluttering is such a good opportunity to remember cherished moments. Don’t just look at the pic again and forget about it. Try one of these ideas:

• Print your favorites to create physical photo albums.
• Make a digital slideshow to share with family.
• Set a rotation of your best photos as your phone’s wallpaper or screensaver.

“Kim, this sounds like work.” It is! As someone who has taken on this task, I can tell you it’s absolutely worth it. Don’t rush, have fun and trust the process.

😂 I once got in a photo with REM. Look! That’s me in the corner.