How to manage your photo duplicates

Dealing with those duplicate photos is not only time consuming, but deleting them can be a risky business, too. Tekkie Help experts SARAH and BO share some of the common causes of the unwanted double-ups, how to safely remove them and what you can do to prevent them in the future.

Why do I have duplicate photos in my photo library?

Duplicate photos are usually caused by the same photos being consolidated from multiple devices or family members. Duplication from downloading the same photo from emails, Facebook or WhatsApp can also occur due to software corruption or importing photos from old backups.

How can I quickly and easily locate and delete duplicate photos?

Manually deleting duplicate pictures one by one requires a lot of patience and willpower. You also need to be very careful that you don’t delete the wrong one; for example, two photos may look identical but, in actual fact, one may only be a thumbnail image (very low in resolution) whilst the other is the original full-size image that you want to keep.

Fortunately, there’s software in the market to help identify and safely remove duplicate photos. We like PhotoSweeper, which is a fast, precise and super-efficient tool to eliminate similar or duplicate photos, even in huge photo libraries. It also detects and deletes small-sized images. It can be tricky to get to grips with, so Tekkie Help provides training workshops on how to use it.

Alternatively, if you’d rather avoid the hassle entirely, Tekkie Help can step in to consolidate all your photos from your devices and remove all the duplicate photos, leaving you with a consolidated Digital Photo Hub, free from duplicates.

How can I prevent duplicates in the future?

Try not to import the same photo again. We recommend manually importing photos from devices and taking the time each month to scan and delete identical images.

If you want to learn how to better organise and manage your photos, check out Tekkie Help’s range of training workshops at tekkiehelp.com/it-training or call 8113 8682 to arrange a private consultation.

This article first appeared in the April 2021 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe, so you never miss a copy!