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Macs are revered for the decent amount of storage space they offer but it’s still not unlimited. As a user, you need to keep track of the usage of the space and also ensure that you are saving enough. When it comes to space utilization on your Mac, duplicate files are perhaps the biggest culprit. They often tend to build up inside your system stealthily and you may have them cluttering your Mac even before you know.
At the same time, finding duplicates can be a challenge, and deleting them may be an even bigger concern. This will require a lot of time and patience. So it makes sense to understand how these files get stored in your system over time so that you can resolve the issue before it becomes hard to handle. Here are some possible reasons why your Mac may be having multiple duplicate files.
The same files are downloaded multiple times
More than once, you may need to download files as a part of our daily tasks. There are chances of downloading the ones that you already have on your disk. At times, you click the download button and nothing seems to happen, so you end up clicking it multiple times and downloading the file as many times. It is important to locate and remove the extra copies there and then to prevent them from cluttering your Mac unnecessarily.
Sharing the same files across multiple applications
Another reason why your Mac may have multiple copies of the same files is when you share them across multiple applications. This is quite possible because you may be running several different applications on the system at the same time. Although the files may be shared unintentionally or intentionally, they aren’t great to have because they waste the space on your Mac.
Same photos with different filters
The duplicate files on your system may not be only documents, but photos and videos as well. The problem with photos is that they get duplicated easily- every time you edit them or apply some filters, there will be a new copy. To make things worse, they are hard to detect, though a duplicate finder for Mac can be of great help. No matter how similar the photos maybe, the tool will pick them and get rid of the extras within minutes. No hard work and you are sorted!
Multiple backup sets
Users often create backups of other devices such as smartphones and flash drives on their Mac. While backing up your iPhone to your Mac keeps the data safe and secure, there is always a risk of having duplicate files on your system. These files are redundant because you wouldn’t ever need multiple backups, so you would want to clear them sooner rather than later.
While having duplicates on your computer is normal, the implications are far-reaching because they can clutter your Mac over time. It may even run out of storage space eventually, which is the last thing you would want to happen. So it makes sense to identify and get rid of the duplicates before things go out of control.