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How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone

Updated October 2026 · 4 min read

Duplicates pile up quietly: photos saved twice from messages, re-downloaded from iCloud, or imported again from a computer. They take space and make your library harder to browse. Here's how to clear them.

Method 1: the Duplicates album in Photos

Since iOS 16, the Photos app finds exact copies for you.

  1. Open Photos and scroll down to Utilities.
  2. Tap Duplicates. If you don't see it, Photos hasn't found any yet, or it's still indexing your library. Keep your iPhone charging and locked overnight.
  3. Review each set and tap Merge. Photos keeps the highest-quality version and moves its details, such as captions and keywords, into it.
  4. To clear everything at once, tap Select → Select All → Merge.

Merged extras go to Recently Deleted, so you can still recover them for 30 days.

What the Duplicates album misses

Photos only matches copies that are practically identical. It won't group:

These similar photos usually take far more space than exact duplicates.

Method 2: clear duplicates and similar shots with Emberoll

  1. Open Emberoll and allow access to your photos. The scan runs on your device.
  2. Tap Duplicates for exact copies, or Similar for near-duplicates and bursts.
  3. In each group, the best photo is marked Best and kept. It's picked for sharpness, exposure and open eyes. The rest are selected for deletion.
  4. Tap any photo to change the selection, then tap Delete and confirm.

Don't forget Recently Deleted

Deleted photos keep using storage for 30 days. To free the space right away, open Photos → Utilities → Recently Deleted, tap Select and Delete All. Only do this once you're sure.

Do it in two minutes with Emberoll

Emberoll finds duplicates, similar shots, screenshots, large videos and blurry photos for you. Everything is analyzed on your iPhone.

Get Emberoll on the App Store

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