How to Mass Delete Duplicates in iTunes All at Once

If you have duplicate songs in your iTunes library, you might want to delete them. Duplicates can cause disorganization and take up storage space. Also, it can be annoying if a song plays twice when you don’t want it to.

In this article, I will show you two easy ways to remove duplicates in iTunes on Windows PC and Mac, including a method to delete duplicates all at once.

 

A brief comparison

This article features two methods. Here’s a comparison of them.

One method is built into iTunes, which you may already be familiar with. It automatically identifies duplicates but doesn’t provide a way to mass delete them. If there are only a few duplicates in your library, I recommend using this method.

The other method uses a third-party tool that automatically finds duplicates in iTunes, selects all duplicates for removal, and allows you to easily adjust the auto-selection. If you have many duplicates, this method is more helpful.

Since the third-party method offers a more efficient way to remove duplicates, I will talk about this method first.

 

Method 1. How to remove duplicates in iTunes all at once automatically

This method uses Cisdem Duplicate Finder, which can help you manage almost all types of duplicate files, such as duplicate audio files, images, videos, and archives. If two or more songs are exactly the same, regardless of their file names, this tool can find them.

General steps to eliminate duplicates

Here are the general steps, followed by two helpful tips.

1. Download and install Cisdem Duplicate Finder on your Windows PC or Mac. Open it.

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

2. Drag the iTunes Media folder into the tool. Click Scan.

The iTunes Media folder is typically located in the Music folder on your PC or Mac. You can find the location in the Advanced tab of iTunes preferences.

3. When the scan is complete, the results window will appear, displaying all detected duplicate songs found in your iTunes library under the Music tab.

There are three view modes, allowing you easily see information like song names and locations (or paths). If you are a Mac user, you can also use the second mode to preview a track within the tool.

4. In each set of duplicates, the tool automatically selects all but one item for deletion. You can make manual adjustments if needed.

Also, there are several preset rules available. For example, if you highlight several or all sets on the left side of the results window and choose the Select Newest rule, all but the oldest item in each highlighted set will be selected.

5. Click Delete and then confirm the deletion to remove all selected duplicates at once.

Now, the duplicates themselves are deleted, but they still appear in your library as missing files. If you double-click one of them, it won’t play, an exclamation point will appear next to it, and a message will tell you that it could not be found. You can follow the tip below to easily clear missing files.

 

Tip 1

1. In the iTunes app, choose File > New > Playlist. Name this playlist “All Songs”.

2. Drag all songs in your library into this playlist.

3. Choose File > New > Smart Playlist. The Smart Playlist window will appear.

4. In this window, set the first rule. Click the first pop-up menu and choose Playlist, click the second pop-up menu and choose is, and click the third pop-up menu and choose Music.

5. Click the Add button to add a second rule. Set the rule to be Playlist is not All Songs.

6. Click OK and name this Smart Playlist “Missing Songs”.

7. In the “Missing Songs” Smart Playlist, select all items in it, right-click, and choose Delete from Library.

8. In the message that appears, click Delete Songs.

 

Tip 2

What if this tool doesn’t find any or all duplicates? There are two possible situations.

• The undetected duplicates are not strictly duplicate files. Although they may appear to be the same, there could be differences in details such as bit rate. As mentioned earlier, the tool finds songs that are exactly identical (regardless of their file names).
• The undetected duplicates may not exist in the iTunes Media folder. When you import songs from your computer to iTunes, there are options to customize the import. Depending on how you do the import, the tracks (including duplicates) you see in your library could be in their original locations instead of the iTunes Media folder. In such a case, you can scan the original locations for duplicates. If duplicates exist between iTunes Media and the original location, simply scan them both.

 

Method 2. How to remove iTunes duplicate songs one by one manually

iTunes comes with a built-in feature to identify duplicate songs, which offers two options to help you manage different types of duplicates. It’s worth mentioning that the same feature is also available in Music, the replacement for iTunes on macOS Catalina and later.

Below, you will find the steps on how to use each option for deduplication.

Show Exact Duplicate Items

1. Open iTunes on your computer.

2. Press and hold the Shift key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac), then choose File > Library > Show Exact Duplicate Items.

3. iTunes will display sets of duplicate songs that have the same name, artist, album, and length.

Note that they might be different in bit rate, audio quality, or size.

4. In each set of duplicates, right-click the song that you want to eliminate and choose the Delete from Library option.

5. Click Delete Song to confirm the deletion.

6. In the message that appears, click Keep File if you only want to remove the song from your library, or Move to Trash if you want to completely delete it.

If you are not sure which songs to keep, it’s recommended to keep the higher quality one, the purchased one, the one marked as Loved, the rated one, or the one with more complete Song Info (such as song details, artwork, and lyrics).

Show Duplicate Items

In addition to exact duplicate items, your iTunes library may have different versions of the same song, such as a studio version and a single or live version. Unless you are a hardcore fan, you might want to keep the favorite version only. To show this type of duplicates, don’t hold down the Shift or Option key in step 2.

Tip

iTunes’ Show Duplicate Items greyed out? If the feature appears greyed out, there are two possible reasons.

• The Show Duplicate Items feature only applies to iTunes Music. iTunes has different libraries for different media types, such as Music, Movies, and TV Shows. Make sure that your iTunes is opening the Music Library instead of a different library.
• This feature only supports the Music Library on your computer rather than a portable device such as your iPod.

 

FAQs

How to stop iTunes from creating duplicates

• When you manually copy a music folder, duplicates could be created. One of the easiest ways to copy a music folder to iTunes without creating duplicates is by adding the folder to your Library. And iTunes will add any new files you place in the folder without duplicating existing ones.
• To prevent duplicates, it’s recommended to store all your music in the iTunes Media folder by default. If you download music from websites other than iTunes, choose the iTunes Media folder as the default download folder.
• Avoid regularly transferring purchased music from your iOS device to iTunes.

What to do when you find duplicate songs on iPhone but not in iTunes

Another common issue is that songs are listed twice on iPhone but only once in iTunes. The following steps may fix the issue.

• Connect your iPhone to a computer with iTunes installed and back up your iPhone. (Alternatively, you can do it via iCloud.) Eject your phone from iTunes.
• Go to Settings on your iPhone. Select General > Usage > Storage > Music > Edit. Tap Delete.
• Restart your iPhone and connect it to iTunes again. Sync your iTunes playlist manually.

 

Conclusion

Despite iTunes’ built-in duplicate detection feature, keeping your iTunes library free of duplicate can take time and effort. If you have many duplicate songs, you may not want to remove them one by one. In such a case, the first method can help. I hope the step-by-step instructions on how to mass delete duplicates in iTunes is helpful to you.