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Find and Delete Duplicate Files in iTunes and Apple Music
Organize your Music library by removing duplicate songs and titles
By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 24, 2021 Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Reviewed by Jerrick Leger Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android What to Know
In Music, select Songs from the left menu bar. Choose File > Library > Show Duplicate Items. Browse and delete duplicate items.In iTunes, go to Library, select the drop-down menu from the upper-left corner. Select Music > Songs and repeat the above instructions.To find exact duplicates, hold Option and select File > Library > Show Exact Duplicate Items.
Although you can download software to deal with duplicates, the macOS Music app has its own built-in option for finding identical tracks. Here's how to find and delete duplicate files in iTunes, as well as the Music app that replaced iTunes in recent versions of iOS. With macOS Catalina (10.15), Apple replaced iTunes with separate apps for each media type: Music, Podcasts, TV, and Books. Stefano Gilera / Getty Images How to Find Duplicate Songs in Your Music or iTunes Library
Whether you're still using iTunes (macOS Mojave and earlier) or you've upgraded to the Music app, the instructions are similar. To see all the songs in your music library, including duplicates, you need to be in the right viewing mode. Before you start trashing duplicates, it's a good idea to first back up your music. If you accidentally delete a track that's not a duplicate, you can restore your library from a backup source. Open Music and select Songs from the menu bar on the left. (If you're using iTunes, navigate to the Library pane, select the drop-down menu near the upper-left corner of the screen and select Music > Songs.) Select File from the top menu bar, then select Library > Show Duplicate Items. You should now see a list of tracks that iTunes has identified as duplicates. Browse the list to locate and delete the tracks you do not want. iTunes may list remixes, covers, live versions, and compilation tracks in its Show Duplicate Items list—songs that have the same title but are not duplicates. How to Find Exact Duplicates
Lurking in Music/iTunes is a hidden option to search for the exact duplicates of songs. This feature is better to use if you have a large music library and want to make sure that you aren't deleting songs that are the same title but different versions. This way, any compilation albums that contain duplicates remain intact. From the same Songs pane in Music/iTunes: Hold the Option key and select File from the menu bar. Select Library > Show Exact Duplicate Items. In the Windows version of iTunes, hold the Shift key and select View from the menu bar. Select Show Exact Duplicate Items. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Move Your iTunes Library to a New Location How to Put iTunes Playlist Songs in the Right Order Can You Install iTunes on a Mac? How to Manually Add Music to Your iPhone How to Copy a Music CD to iTunes How to Use Sound Check on iPhone and Other Apple Devices Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which One is Right for You? How to Transfer Music from Computer to iPhone How to Use Apple Music on iPhone and iPad Syncing Part of Your iTunes Library How To Remove Duplicate Songs Using a Free Tool How to Create Smart Playlists in Apple Music & iTunes Downloading Music to Your iPad is Easy How to Convert iTunes Songs to MP3 in 5 Easy Steps How to Make a Song Your Ringtone On iPhone How to Skip Songs When Shuffling in iTunes and iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies