Solved: Duplicates Not Showing in Photos on Mac (4 Ways)

Why Isn't Apple Photos Detecting Duplicates?

Photos on Mac is designed to help users organize their photo libraries efficiently. However, several factors can prevent the app from detecting duplicate photos:

❌ Incomplete scanning: The Photos app needs time to scan your entire library for duplicates. If the scanning process is interrupted or incomplete, duplicates may not be identified.
❌ Software bugs: Like any software, Photos app can have bugs that prevent it from functioning correctly.
❌ System performance: Low system resources can hinder the duplicate detection process.
❌ Photo variations: Slight differences in resolution or metadata might cause Photos to overlook duplicates.
❌ Library size: A large photo library can slow down the duplicate detection process.

How to Show Duplicates in Photos on Mac

For how to show duplicate photos on Mac, you can try the following steps to manually locate and manage duplicate photos:

Step 1. Access and open the Photos app on your Mac.

Step 2. Click on Duplicates in the left sidebar.

To merge or delete duplicate photos on macOS, tap on the Merge x Items button next to each photo set to delete unwanted duplicates.

How to Fix Duplicates Not Showing in Photos on Mac

If the Photos app cannot find duplicate images on Mac correctly, here are 4 effective solutions to fix the issue. Please try them one by one.

Way 1. Restart Photos Program

Sometimes, a simple restart of the Photos app can resolve the problem of Apple photos duplicates on Mac not showing, as it can require the app to identify all the duplicates again. There is also a possibility that the program may take a long time to find duplicate photos, so you can wait a while.

Step 1. Click on Photos in the menu bar and select Quit Photos.

Step 2. Open the Photos app again from your Applications folder.

Way 2. Restart Photoanalysisd on Mac

The photoanalysisd process is responsible for analyzing photos and identifying duplicates. Restarting this process can help resolve the duplicates not showing in Photos sidebar:

Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities to open Activity Monitor.

Step 2. In the search bar, type "photoanalysisd" to locate the process.

Step 3. Select photoanalysisd, click the X button in the top-left corner of the Activity Monitor, and click on Force Quit.

Way 3. Re-enable Spotlight Access for Photos

Spotlight helps the Photos app index and search for Apple photos duplicates on Mac. Re-enabling Spotlight access might fix the issue:

Step 1. Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner and select System Settings. Then, select Siri & Spotlight.

Step 2. Click Spotlight Privacy and then the + button.

Step 3. Tap on Pictures > Choose > Done, and wait for a while.

Step 4. Select the added Pictures folder, and click on - and then Done button to let Spotlight reindex your photo library.

Way 4. Charge Your Macbook

Low power can affect the performance of many apps, including Photos. Ensure your MacBook is sufficiently charged or connected to power to allow the Photos app to run optimally to get rid of duplicates not showing in Photos on Mac.

Free Way to Sync Mac Photos to External Drive for Storage Saving

If too many duplicate photos on your Mac occupy most of your storage space, transferring photos to an external drive using AOMEI Backupper Mac can free up significant space.

This software is a free file sync software for Mac that can help you transfer files from Mac to external drive like USB flash drive, network drive, NAS devices, and so on. Working on macOS 10.15 and later systems, it offers multiple sync options like Two-Way Sync, Mirror Sync, and Basic Sync. Also, its Scheduled Sync can help you transfer files automatically in daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

AOMEI Backupper Mac

Free Mac sync software to sync files and folders automatically

Download Freeware
macOS 10.15 or later

Having no limitations on file transfer types or sizes, you can use the AOMEI Backupper Mac sync software to transfer your photos to an external drive with the guide below:

• Download and run it on your Mac > click on New Task > choose your sync type in the lower left corner > specify your sync source and destination and start your transfer process easily.

Conclusion

It is simple to resolve duplicates not showing in Photos on Mac with the right approach. Additionally, using tools like AOMEI Backupper Mac to transfer photos to an external drive can help free up space and keep your library organized. Moreover, this tool can also help you transfer files from Mac to Mac and ensure your files are always up-to-date across devices.