Guide
Go beyond duplicate detection on iPhone
Apple’s Duplicates collection helps you merge photos it identifies as duplicates. Cleaning your camera roll also means deciding which other photos and screenshots you no longer want.
How the Duplicates collection works
Open Photos, tap Collections, then find Duplicates under Utilities. Review a set and tap Merge to combine it. See Apple’s instructions for merging duplicates for the steps on your version of iOS.
Start with the duplicates Photos finds
The collection brings together photos and videos that Photos has identified as duplicates. Review those sets first. A photo being absent from the collection does not tell you whether you still want to keep it.
What still needs your judgment
A screenshot of an old shopping list may be unique and still be something you want to delete. You might also prefer just one photo from several attempts at the same scene. Duplicate detection cannot decide which memories matter to you.
Read the walkthrough for duplicate detection and manual review →
If the Duplicates collection doesn’t appear
Photos may still be scanning your library, or it may not have identified any duplicates. Apple says detection requires your iPhone to be locked and connected to power, and can take up to a few days. See Apple’s troubleshooting guide before assuming that an empty collection means the scan is complete.
Review a little each day
Cleanup Today shows photos and videos from the same calendar date across past years, grouped by year. You review them yourself and choose what to keep or delete. Its Similar filter groups visually similar photos across every year shown for that date. Check the suggestions yourself before choosing what to delete.