Delete duplicate photos with the Duplicates album
The Photos app detects photos and videos that are practically identical, for example the same photo saved twice or in a different resolution:
- Open the Photos app and tap Collections.
- Under Utilities, tap Duplicates.
- Tap Merge next to a group and confirm.
When merging, your iPhone keeps the best version and moves the other copies to Recently Deleted. The album only appears when your iPhone has found copies.
Clean up bursts
A burst shows up as one image in your library but often contains dozens of photos. Here is how to keep only the best:
- Open the burst in the Photos app and tap Burst (number).
- Tap the circle in the lower-right corner of each image you want to keep. Gray dots show the images your iPhone suggests.
- Tap Done and choose Keep Only Favorites. The rest of the burst is deleted.
What your iPhone doesn’t find: similar photos
The Duplicates album only shows copies. In most libraries, though, the bigger part is similar photos: different shots of the same moment.
- Several takes: for group photos, food or sunsets, most people press the shutter more than once.
- Bursts: swiping the shutter button to the left and holding it creates dozens of images in seconds.
- Images from chats: photos you sent or received often end up in your library a second time.
Compare and delete similar photos with PhotoDelete
It is faster with an app like PhotoDelete that groups similar photos for you. The “Duplicates” category (Pro) finds duplicates, bursts and photos taken seconds apart and shows them as groups:
- Open PhotoDelete and tap Duplicates.
- Go through the groups one by one. Each group contains the photos of the same moment.
- PhotoDelete suggests which photo stays: your favorites, your pick in bursts, otherwise the first shot. Compare the photos and mark the rest for deletion.
- Review your selection and confirm.
That way you don’t have to scroll through thousands of photos looking for near-identical shots. It comes down to one decision per moment.
Which photo to keep? 4 quick rules
- Sharpness first: blurry and shaky shots go.
- Eyes open, everyone in frame: for photos of people, the one where everybody looks good wins.
- One, at most two per moment: you won’t look at more later anyway.
- When in doubt, keep it: better one photo too many than an important one missing.
Afterwards: empty “Recently Deleted”
Merged and deleted photos first go to Recently Deleted and keep using storage there for up to 30 days. Empty the album under Photos app → Collections → Recently Deleted → Select → Delete All, and the space is freed. More ways to free up space are in our guide iPhone storage full.