Short answer: in iOS 16 and later, open Photos › Collections › Utilities › Duplicates (on iOS 18: Albums › Utilities) and tap Merge; Photos keeps the best-quality copy and combines the details. It only finds exact or near-exact copies. For similar shots, bursts and re-saved copies, use a scanner such as Spaceclear, which also picks the best photo of each set for you.
Steps
- Open Photos and scroll to Utilities, then tap Duplicates. (If you don't see it, your iPhone is still indexing; leave it charging overnight.)
- Review each pair and tap Merge, or Select › Merge for several at once.
- For similar photos and retakes, open Spaceclear and tap Similar Photos: each set has the best shot marked BEST, the rest pre-selected.
- Review, delete, then empty Recently Deleted to free the space.
Built-in Duplicates vs Spaceclear
| Feature | Photos › Duplicates | Spaceclear |
|---|---|---|
| Exact copies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Re-saved or resized copies | some | ✓ |
| Similar shots and retakes | — | ✓ (best kept) |
| Burst frames | — | ✓ |
| Blurry photos | — | ✓ |
| Lookalike videos | — | ✓ |
| Price | free | free to scan; Pro $8.99 once |
FAQ
Does merging duplicates lose anything?
Photos keeps the highest-quality version and combines captions, keywords and favorites. The other copy goes to Recently Deleted for 30 days.
How does Spaceclear decide which photo is best?
It prefers your favorites and edited photos, then the sharpest, best-composed shot (Apple's on-device image analysis) and the highest resolution.
Will deleting duplicates on my iPhone delete them from iCloud?
Yes, if iCloud Photos is on: deletions sync everywhere, which also frees iCloud storage.
Updated 2026-11-13