Is There a Way to Delete Duplicate Photos in iCloud?
User Case:
Can I let iCloud delete duplicate photos? I went through the process of backing up all my photos from my computer to iCloud and I now find thousands of duplicates in iCloud Photos. Is there any way to automate the deletion instead of the stupid process of deleting duplicates one by one?
Apple iCloud is a great service to sync data across iOS and macOS devices for accessing and sharing photos online anytime, anywhere. But things will go in a bad direction when duplicate photos accumulate in iCloud. These pictures not only waste your iCloud storage but also take up your paid storage. Fortunately, you will find 2 easy ways in this simple guide on how to remove duplicate photos in iCloud.
How to Delete Duplicate Photos on iCloud: 2 Simple Ways
Your duplicate iCloud Photos can be deleted through 2 different methods according to the device you use. You can choose the method below and follow the step-by-step instructions carefully to let iCloud remove duplicate photos.
Way 1. How to Delete Duplicate Photos in iCloud on iOS 16
For iOS 16 users, the Photos app on iPhone and iPad can automatically identify your duplicate photos and videos in the photo library and collect them in the Duplicates album. Therefore, your duplicate photos can be effortlessly merged or deleted to save space.
Step 1. Make sure your iPhone photos have been synced to iCloud Photos.
Step 2. Open the Photos app and scroll down the screen to choose “Duplicates” in the Utilities section.
Step 3. Select the duplicates and tap the delete button below.
Tip: If you choose to “Merge”, Apple will automatically keep the high-quality version of your photos and delete others.
Way 2. How to Delete Duplicate Photos on iCloud via Desktop App
If you are not an iOS 16 user, you can use some third-party tools to solve how to remove duplicates in iCloud Photos. Just have a try with the new FoneTool feature, Photo Deduplication, which can automatically detect and filter duplicate photos for you to delete.
Step 1. Download and install the iCloud application for Windows on your computer and log in with your Apple ID.
Step 2. Open the iCloud Photos folder in File Explorer and click “Downloads”.
Step 3. Download and install FoneTool on your computer.
Step 4. Open FoneTool and click “Photo Deduplication” on the Toolbox page.
Step 5. Click “Scan Computer” and locate your downloaded iCloud Photos in the pop-up window. Then click “Start scanning”.
Step 6. Select the duplicates and click “Delete”.
Bonus Tip: How to Sync iCloud Photos to Another Cloud
iCloud is better for storing photos, videos, or contacts online across Apple devices. If you have other files that need to be backed up online, you may use popular clouds like Google Drive or OneDrive. Therefore, you can sync your iCloud Photos to Google Drive and other clouds so that your photos can be easily shared with others and can have double security protection. What’s more, you can then easily access iCloud Photos without using iOS devices.
But how to sync between iCloud and other clouds safely? A professional cloud-to-cloud sync service, MultCloud, could lend you some help. It offers safe web services as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android. It now supports more than 30 leading clouds and on-premise services. And its Cloud Sync feature offers 10 excellent one-way, two-way, or real-time sync modes to seamlessly link your clouds.
Sync iCloud Photos to Google Photos via Cloud Sync
Step 1. Sign up for MultCloud on the official website.
Step 2. Click “Add Cloud” and choose the iCloud Photos icon, then login to the pop-up window with your Apple ID. After that, add your Google Photos as well.
Step 3. On the Cloud Sync page, select iCloud Photos or photos and videos in it as the source, and select a location in Google Photos as the destination. Then click “Sync Now” and your iCloud Photos will be synced to Google Photos without any risk of data loss.
Tip: The default Cloud Sync mode is a one-way Simple Sync. To always connect your iCloud and other clouds, you can switch to one-way Real Time Sync. What’s more, you can upgrade your account and open the “Options” to choose from other advanced sync modes.
In the End
A free iCloud account only offers 5 GB to store your data online. You can learn how to delete duplicate photos on iCloud to release your iCloud storage and thus save you money. Besides, if some of your clouds like Google Drive or Dropbox also lack storage, you can use the Cloud Transfer function of MultCloud to seamlessly transfer files between cloud storage services without downloading and uploading.