My Mac has multiple backups at different locations and it is really hard to find all duplicate files, especially the images. The free space is too less and I need to find and delete all duplicate files on mac. What is the best way to do this now? It seems macOS does not provide a native duplicate file finder and remover app by default.
You can probably do it with Forklift.
Better using a dedicated app as it is more efficient. It could take hours to find and delete duplicate files on mac manually. Here are two good solutions you can try out:
https://gist.github.com/Alexwi1son/6e4c5125ed48e917f0487a6b07fcf834
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Note, both of these programs have a learning curve when it comes to understanding what the interface is telling you and how they expect you to achieve a result. That said, once you reach the “ah, that’s what it wants me to do”, then they are basically the best programs I’ve used to work through very complex situations.
https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka (polish for “hiccup”)
Good for finding unorganized duplicate files across filesystems, but the interface is rather confusing to use at first. Happy to answer questions if you have them.
https://freefilesync.org/download.php
If you have two folders that haven’t diverged too much, this can help sync them or figure out (visually) how to sync them if they both have changes.
I recommend doing a test on some dummy folders and files before going YOLO on your data.
If most of your duplicates are photos, check out the built-in Photos app first – it actually has a “Duplicates” album (added in macOS Ventura) that automatically detects duplicate images and lets you merge them with one click. Not many people know about it but it works surprisingly well for photos specifically.
About the duplicate file remover for mac, fdupes is a command-line tool that scans specified directories for duplicate files by comparing file sizes and contents.
1.Install Homebrew if you haven’t:
/bin/bash -c “$(curl -fsSL https//raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)”
2.Install fdupes:
brew install fdupes
3.Run fdupes in the terminal:
fdupes -r /path/to/folder
Follow prompts to delete duplicates.
Using Terminal with fdupes is a powerful, free way to find and remove duplicate files on Mac, especially if you’re comfortable with command-line tools. It’s a reliable choice for a duplicate file remover for Mac users who prefer open-source solutions.
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Finder’s so limited, using it for any serious search is a joke. You honestly just advised someone to do a thorough file lookup with Finder? 
To the OP:
Best 6 bucks you’ll have ever, but ever spent. Not just for your current issue either.
I wouldn’t do without it.
I’ve been pretty-much satisfied with using Gemini 2 from MacPaw.
Runs in the background with a minimal CPU/memory footprint.
About the duplicate file finder for Mac. fdf is a command-line utility that you run in the Terminal. You type in commands, and it performs powerful, precise actions based on your instructions. It’s designed to be a cross-platform tool, and for Mac users, it fully leverages the modern APFS (Apple File System) that your Mac uses. This is its superpower: it can create “copy-on-write clones” of files, a feature unique to APFS that allows you to deduplicate files without actually using extra disk space.
You can define what constitutes a “duplicate file finder for Mac” for your needs. You can tell it to match files based on:
- content (default): The most reliable method, comparing the actual data inside the files.
- name: Finds files with identical names.
- size: Finds files that are the same byte size.
- name+size: Finds files that have both the same name and size, which can be a much faster initial scan.
- parent or path: Matches files based on the name of the folder they’re in or their full path.