Best Photo Deduplication Software for Mac: Streamline Your Photos Library

Are you tired of dealing with duplicate photos taking up valuable storage space on your Mac? The Photos app on your Mac stores alterations to images, thumbnails of pictures, and iCloud data in the Photos Library directory. However, it also has a feature that automatically copies newly added images to this library. This can be frustrating for users who like to manage their pictures through the Finder or another file system-based approach.

Fortunately, you can easily disable this feature and stop importing (copying) pictures to the Photos Library on your Mac. To do so, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the 'General' tab in the Photos app preferences.

2. Look for the option 'Importing: Copy items to the Photos library.'

3. Uncheck this box to disable image copying.

Alternatively, you can also pull down the 'Photos' menu and choose 'Preferences' to access these settings.

It's essential to understand that disabling this feature will only prevent copying of image files at the file system level. It will not affect duplicates found within the actual Photos app. Additionally, this feature is aimed at more advanced users who want to manage their pictures through the Finder or another file system-based approach and use the Photos app as a means of browsing through an existing hierarchy of pictures.

It's worth noting that Apple leaves this feature enabled by default for good reason. Therefore, it's recommended only for users who have a specific need to manage their photos in this way. For most users, it's best to keep this feature enabled and let the Photos app handle the task of organizing and storing your photos.

Best photo deduplication software mac