Remove iTunes Duplicates

I have a playlist in my iTunes account with about 1000 songs in it. However there are many duplicates. When I use the inbuilt function to display duplicates or display exact duplicates it comes up with none. The problem is that the names and artist are different from each other. This can be seen in the image I have attached below.
I was wondering if there is a solution for this that will search for duplicates by the actual contents of the song. Thanks/

You can take a look at Dougs scripts…
http://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=removeduplicates
I suspect you will fail to get that to do what you desire since the tracks appear differently titled.
Instead I think you may need to find a sort column that allows you to filter them in a better way, for example sort by the 'file bit rate' if they are from different sources. Or sort by artist name to group them, or possibly play count if some are always skipped.
The view menu should have options to enable different column headings.
You could also search for "(" in song title etc to find ones to remove en masse.
It is a painful process of whittling, it could be quicker to make a new playlist & throw the tracks into that again

Similar Messages

Removing iTunes duplicate files

I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but most of my songs in iTunes have a duplicate file. For example, when I select "Show song file" the folder where the songs are stored looks like the following. The file ending ..1 is the one that is being used in each case.
01 How Am I Different 1.mp3
01 How Am I Different.mp3
02 Nothing is Good Enough 1.mp3
02 Nothing is Good Enough.mp3
...and so on
First, any ideas how this might have happened? I do remember consolidating the library sometime ago - might that have done it?
Secondly, how can I safely remove the duplicate files without corrupting my library or losing music?
Thanks!

I've got over 900 dupes like this. I looked at each pair, and the only difference is the modification date. All mp3 tags are the same, as are the compression params and the Fairplay params.
In my case these dupes were created when I imported large partions of an almost-but-not-quite identical library from another computer, in attempt to do a manual sync between two iTunes libraries on two different machines.
iTunes seems to be a bit too conservative in it's criteria for detecting differences during an import. Clashing mp3 tags is reasonable, but clashing mod dates when there's no other differences is too much. I'm going to file this as an iTunes bug.

Removing a duplicate Feed in iTunes Music Store

Does anyone know how to remove a duplicate listing in the iTunes Music Store?
I have two copies of my podcast and people are subscribing to both. I think they both go to the same feed. I've tried clicking on "report a podcast" to remove...about 8 times! no luck. Any advice?
here is the feed address: http://www.thespotlab.com/SpotLab.xml
thanks for any help!
dina mande

Sell the gift card to someone who IS willing to upgrade?

My ipod has duplicate songs on it, but my iTunes does not. How do I remove the duplicates from my ipod?

After the last couple updates to my ipod it has created duplicates of songs to it. My iTunes does not contain any duplicates, but my ipod does. Is there any way I can remove the duplicate songs from my ipod?

If the duplicate copies all have the same date then you could do show duplicates, then sort by date added, and delete those with the new date.

ITunes not removing files duplicate files or organizing properly

I have iTunes set to keep my files organized (i.e. in directories matching the albums and artist names) but recently it stopped doing this properly. Also I spent a lot of time deleting duplicates and clicked to remove from hard drive as well but in many case it didn't remove he duplicates. I don't know why.
I want to back up my whole library but i want to make sure it's "clean" first.
Is there any way to fix this problem?
Maybe the easiest way is to make a copy of all the MP3 files and just delete the whole iTunes library and rebuild it, then go through and delete the duplicates again. Would this work? Is this safe? Does anyone have instructions on how to do this?
Thanks.

My problem is not related to that other thread, however it appears the same thing that's causing this problem is causing the problem with the ID3 tags so there is no need to discuss in two separate threads. Thanks.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9304233#9304233

How do I remove all duplicate images from my IPad 4? They are clogging up hard drive

I have a lot of images on this iPad from a major journey that i am on. Most are.in albums.. I want to further organise them but many have randomly duplicated. Some several times over. These images have filled up the hard drive as a result. So I cannot continue to organise the images. I have tried to use photomanager pro in order to set up sub folders, but cannot import the media as dive is full. Please can someone advise how to 1. Remove all duplicates and 2. Avoid repetition of this situation.
Thanks....

The links below have instructions for deleting photos.
iOS and iPod: Syncing photos using iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4236
iPad Tip: How to Delete Photos from Your iPad in the Photos App
http://ipadacademy.com/2011/08/ipad-tip-how-to-delete-photos-from-your-ipad-in-t he-photos-app
Another Way to Quickly Delete Photos from Your iPad (Mac Only)
http://ipadacademy.com/2011/09/another-way-to-quickly-delete-photos-from-your-ip ad-mac-only
How to Delete Photos from iPad
http://www.wondershare.com/apple-idevice/how-to-delete-photos-from-ipad.html
How to: Batch Delete Photos on the iPad
http://www.lifeisaprayer.com/blog/2010/how-batch-delete-photos-ipad
(With iOS 5.1, use 2 fingers)
How to Delete Photos from iCloud’s Photo Stream
http://www.cultofmac.com/124235/how-to-delete-photos-from-iclouds-photo-stream/
 Cheers, Tom

Ghost files (removing itunes?)

Hi, I have shifted my music collection back and forth from a number of macs, and my library is all sorts of screwed up. I am curently using an old powerbook with a firewire hard drive which is storing my music. I had run itunes on this laptop in the past, and now that I am using it again with a much different music collection, it still lists the old songs that aren't in the computer any more. for many songs, they look like duplicate tracks, but when I click on them I get a message that says the origional file could not be found. There are a whole lot of these, so I had assumed that it would be simpler to remove itunes from my mac, reinstall it and load the collection on my hard drive instead of manually deleting every song. but that didn't work, and so I really have no idea what to do. I've got some duplicate songs, and I was going to try a program like duplicate hunter to sort that out, but as for these "ghost tracks" I don't really understand what is causing them. Also I have all of these tracks that have been placed just outside my music folder and labeled with odd names like "ADBK". I don't recall placing them there and I certainly didn't name them. I guess I'm basically asking how to erase itunes and start over. At this point I'm pretty lost, so any help would be appreciated.
thanks
PB 400mhz pismo Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Which version of iTunes are you using? Listed below are the specs for the latest version 6.0.5 which is buggy for some.
Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later
500MHz G3 processor or better
QuickTime 6.5.2 or later
256MB RAM
Combo/Super Drive to burn CDs
Broadband Internet connection (DSL/Cable/LAN) for buying and streaming music
Nike + iPod Sport Kit requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
When you moved your tunes from place to place you broke the link between the tune and the iTunes Library file. iTunes didn't know where the tune was so you get the . There is a specific way to move your tunes around as you have and keep every thing linked up. There are 2 files - iTunes Library and iTunes Music Library.xml - that keep iTunes and other apps aware of where to find things. The default location of these 2 files is HD>User>User Account>Music>iTunes. If the files are moved then iTunes will create new files. The files will have no info in them as they are new files- hence you need to add tunes back to the library so it can build a data base and remember where things are located. When doing a iTunes b/u it is a good idea to include those 2 files.
Did you ever move tunes from an iPod to your Mac? iTunes scrambles the iPod files names into what you are seeing "ADBK.mp3" etc. It doesn't change the id3 tag info and when you put that tune back into iTunes it will show you the correct info. I think the reason for this behaviour is related to music piracy prevention. It certainly makes it more difficult.
What do you mean by "ghost tracks"? Do you have the Keep and Copy options selected in iTunes prefs>Advanced>General. If you select these 2 options then iTunes will organize and place all tunes into one common area dictated by your selection of where you tell iTunes to keep your tunes: iTunes prefs>Advanced>General.
MJ

Removing a duplicate feed

I created a podcast using the wordpress.com platform. I have since moved it to a self-hosted blog using wordpress.org. I now have a duplicate feed and I want to remove the original one and prevent it from showing in the itunes store.
I have tried following the instructions that customer support gave me, but the podcast feed still shows in iTunes even though it is not a valid feed anymore. Is there a way to remove this duplicate feed so as not to cause confusion among my subscribers?
Both Podcasts have the same iTunes Store url
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=266958988
If you do a search by the following:
"Quoteactions" you will see that there are podcasts: QuoteActions Podcast.com (which is the one I want to keep) and QuoteActions Podcast (which doesn't have a valid feed and I want deleted).
I would appreciate any help I can get.
Thanks

I don't think that your old, duplicate feed is really going to cause much confusion. Whatever support told you to do, I think it is working . . . if you click on the "QuoteActions Podcast," it says that the podcast "is not available in the US Store." That means that no one can subscribe to it, and that the iTunes staff are probably in the process of completely removing the listing.
So, I really wouldn't worry too much that the second one is showing up in searches at this point. No one can access it, and so no one can accidentally subscribe to it. By the way, the address for your new podcast listing is actually http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=267448487. The one that you had in your post is just the address of your old podcast.

Remove all duplicate photos

How can I remove all duplicate photos from all my albums on revel?

I believe that this is related to iTunes. When iTunes loads the photos to the phone, it downsamples photos synced to the phone, which means they are not the same size, and therefore are not exactly the same photo from revel's point of view. To Visually, these files look the same, but Revel regards them as unique files and imports them.
We first do an "import" which brings in the small previews so you can see them. We finish that numbered countdown THEN we upload the originals and say we are "syncing" .When cloudy (the little cloud icon) is working, you should have the chasing arrows. If they exit the Revel app while we are uploading we continue to upload for 10 min in the background and then stop and issue a notification.If you start a big upload and minimize Revel to the tray and never go back into Revel, Delete the photos from the device, THEN go back into Revel, then you get into this situation.
You should only delete things off the device once cloudy indicates the "library is up to date" You can check this by opening the library and noticing if there is a cloudy status in the library view. If there isn't a cloud icon you can check the settings panel and see cloudy there. If originals haven't uploaded completely on the device, then cloudy will be in the library view and indicate activity.
Here are our suggestions:
1.Ensure all original photos are safely backed up outside of Revel (eg, saved on the desktop, external hard drive, etc.)
2. Going forward, please keep Revel open and running, until the sync is complete. (click on the cloud icon to see upload status)
3. If it’s important to preserve the original images in Revel cloud storage rather than the downsized ones from itunes, you will need to remove images that now have or did ever have duplicates, and upload the photos again. Since iTunes syncing can’t copy originals back to the device, this means you will need to upload from the Revel Mac app, or upload from your computer (Mac or Win) by signing into your account in a web browser at www.adoberevel.com .
Pattie

How do I remove Itunes 11?

I can't stand Itunes 11 and quite frankly it's the worst upgrade decision I have ever made in my 23 years of computer software experience.
My question is how do I remove it completely so I can reinstall a previous version of itunes?
I've found a link on here but it required the purchase of a third party software to remove Itunes 11 and there must be another version which is actually free. Mind you knowing how bad Apple can be I could be wrong. Anyway, any suggestions please let me know.
As an aside if I wanted to write a letter to Apple saying:
"Complete this sentence in relation to Itunes 11: Itunes 11 is a piece of ----? Hint: Ryhmes with 'hit'"
Where should I address it to? I'm serious as well. I am going to write that letter.
Thanks

If you've decided that you really don't like Apple's iTunes 11 software, and would much rather go back to Apple iTunes 10 it is possible (albeit a bit complicated). This step-by-step guide to downgrading iTunes 11 to iTunes 10 has everything you need to know.
This article is for Mac OS X users only, PC-users should take a look at How to go back to iTunes 10 in Windows.
Note: Please backup Mac OS X first. This is a fairly complex procedure and alters a lot of Mac OS X files.
The process of taking iTunes 11 to iTunes 10 isn't as simple as you'd imagine. iTunes is baked pretty deep into Mac OS X, and you can't just re-install the old version. You have to remove iTunes 11 completely and do a fresh re-install using a custom process.
Step 1: Download iTunes 10.7, Pacifist and App Zapper
There are two programs you'll need to download for this installation and the original file.
Download iTunes 10.7 DMG
The first thing you need to do is to get hold of a copy of iTunes 10.7. Apple still has iTunes 10.7 available for download from Apple Support. Click here to access iTunes 10.7 (and click on the blue download button). If Apple removes this file then please let us know (Twitter: @macworlduk).
Download Pacifist
Pacifist is a Shareware program that is used to inspect DMG files. It can also be used to do a custom installation, which can replace all files (which is what we will be using it for). Click here to download Pacifist for Mac OS X.
Download App Zapper
App Zapper is a paid-for application that wipes a program and any associated files. We will use this to remove iTunes 11. Click here to download App Zapper for Mac OS X.
Step 2: Back up The iTunes Media Folder
We're assuming that you want to keep your iTunes Media (music, videos, and so on). There are two options here:
Time Machine. Oh you backed up your computer using Time Machine (or another backup program). Well done, have a gold star. You can use this to return the iTunes folder to a previous state (the one where it is was working with iTunes 10).
Manual backup. If you don't have a back-up then you'll need to move your iTunes Media files and re-insert them into iTunes (you may lose some iTunes Library information, album artwork, and suchlike).
Locate the Music > iTunes > iTunes Media folder and Control-drag it to another location on your computer. This will copy the whole folder.
Note: If you don't have enough space on your hard drive to duplicate the iTunes Media folder then you can just move the Media Folder to the desktop just before deleting the iTunes Folder in Step 4.
Step 3: Remove iTunes 11
The easiest way to uninstall an App with all its associated files is to use the program App Zapper (www.appzapper.com).
App Zapper protects Apple products by default, so choose App Zapper > Preferences and untick the checkbox next to 'Keep Apple applications safe'.
Close iTunes and open the Applications folder. Now drag the iTunes 11 icon to App Zapper and click Zap. You will need to enter your password. App Zapper will show you all the files it is going to remove.
Note: The App Zapper application demonstration allows you five free 'App Zaps' so it'll probably be okay for this procedure, but it's a great program and we advise Mac tinkerers to purchase a copy.
Step 4: Delete the iTunes folder
Open a New Finder window and click Music in the sidebar (or Choose Go > Go To Folder in the Mac OS X Menu and enter '~/Music' and click OK). If you made a backup of your iTunes Media folder in Step 2 then drag the whole iTunes folder to the Trash. (If you don't have space to backup iTunes Media then drag the iTunes Media folder to the Desktop then movie iTunes to the Trash).
Step 5: Install iTunes 10.7
Open Pacifist and drag the iTunes 10.7 DMG file to the main Pacifist Application Window. Now click the Install icon in the Menu bar. Check the Use Administrator Privileges box and click Install. Now enter your administrator password and click OK.
As Pacifist installs the application it will ask you if you want to overwrite any current files spread around Mac OS X. Click Replace to all dialog boxes. There are many dialog boxes, so tick the check box marked 'Don't ask again for this installation' and click Replace on all dialog boxes that Pacifist brings up.
This performs a more thorough installation of iTunes 10.7 that replaces all the files that iTunes 11 has scattered around Mac OS X.
Note: If you do not use Pacifist to install iTunes 10.7 then you will get an error message each time you try to launch iTunes.
Step 6: Restore the iTunes Media
Congratulations you now (hopefully) have a working copy of iTunes 10.7 running on your Mac. You'll want to get your music back though. There are two ways to do this:
Use your Time Machine Backup. Now you need to replace the iTunes folder in your User folder with the original. If you have a Time Machine backup you can replace the whole iTunes folder with the one used at an earlier point in time (ideally the first available time before you upgraded to iTunes 11).
Drag and drop music. First go to iTunes > Preferences and click Advanced. Ensure that there is a checkbox next to 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to the Library' Now choose File > Add To Library and choose the iTunes Media folder, and click Open. (Or just drag the iTunes Media folder to the iTunes sidebar.)
Step 7: Use iTunes 10.7
That's it. You should now be able to run and use iTunes 10.7 as before. Igore Software Update when it asks you to install iTunes 11 and carry on enjoying your software, you old-fashioned Luddite.

Itunes duplicates on import (PLEASE HELP)

I recently tried to move my iTunes to a GoFlex cloud and start a new iTunes library on there, my ultimate goal was to beable to get all my music from iTuens to my Android Google Play Cloud. However, when I moved the library and went to reimport it to iTunes using the File>Add Folder to Library then selecting the folder i put all the music in on the GoFlex cloud it would import it but I have duplicates of almost all the songs when there aren't any duplicates in the original folder. WHat is causing this?! I don't want to go through a library of 2,000 plus songs or say 70+artist folders with subfolders to check if there are duplicates when I know there are not. If you could help me ASAP-as I am trying to get my music library organized for college next year that would be great. Because right now I have NO iTunes, nothing on my Google cloud, and even worse a HUGE MESS with ALL my music.

GoFlex cloud? Battery powered Wi-Fi network drive??? Sounds neat.
I suspect something went wrong with the workflow when you moved the media to the drive or attempted to update it. I've written a script called DeDuper which may help remove unwanted duplicates, but for it to work properly all there must be no broken links, and all the media in the media folders should have been added to the library. In addition there is a risk of deleting the only copy of a file if the same media file has been added to the library from two different network paths, e.g. via both an UNC name and a mapped drive letter.
See this thread for background on the script.
Feel free to post back with details of what you see in the library vs. what is in the corresponding folder for a typical set of duplicates in case I can see an easy fix or a way to make sure my script can't make matters worse rather than better.
tt2

HT4191 How do I get to "When prompted, select Delete Notes to remove the duplicates from the device."? I can't get to this!

I have duplicate Notes on my iphone 4 (upgraded to iOS 5.1.1) I have followed your instructions to remove the duplicates. How do I get "select Detete Notes" to appear on my Mac? I have connected my phone to my Mac and selected it in iTunes. I clicked the Info pane and deselected the option to Sync Notes. THEN WHAT should I do? How do I get the prompt "Select Delete Notes to remove the duplicates from the device. (I do want to sync them using the over-the-air feature.)

I would try the following:
First sync your phone with iTunes to create a new backup (just in case). When done, disconnect your phone from your computer.
Next be sure that all of your Notes are on your mac (Don't proceed any further if they aren't). If so, turn off iCloud syncing for Notes on your phone go to Settings>iCloud and turning Notes to Off. When prompted choose to delete the notes from your phone.
Next, without connecting your phone to your computer, open iTunes and go to iTunes>Preferences, on the Devices tab check "Prevent...from syncing automatically".
Now connect your phone to your computer, click on the name of your phone when it appears in iTunes on the left sidebar.
Go to the Info tab and under Other check Sync Notes, then further down under Advanced: Replace information on this iPhone, check Notes.
Click Apply at the bottom right to sync your phone. This should sync the Notes from your mac to your phone and you should no longer have duplicate Notes.
Next, on the Info tab uncheck Sync Notes and click Apply, when prompted select to keep the Notes on your phone (haven't tested this step but I believe you will be given the option to keep them on your phone).
Now disconnect your phone from your computer and check the Notes on your phone to confirm that they are still there and that you don't have any duplicates.
Next turn on iCloud syncing on your phone again by going to Settings>iCloud and turning Notes to On.
On your computer, without connecting your phone, go back to iTunes>Preferences>Devices and uncheck "Prevent…from syncing automatically" to re-enable automatic syncing.
That should do it.

REMOVED ITUNES FROM COMPUTER AND RELOADED A NEW ACCT HELP!!!!!!

MY BUDDY IS OPERATING VISTA, HE BOUGHT A EXTERNAL HARDDRIVE, COPIED (MOVED HIS LIBRARY OR FILE TO THE HARDDRIVE) MADE SURE IT SAVEF, THEN HE REMOVED (UNINSTALLED ITUNES AND ALL THE OTHER FILES PER ITUNES UNINSTALL PROCEDURE AS IT STATES IN EXACT ORDER. HE THEN RESTARTED HIS COMPUTER AND SIGNED BACK IN TO ITUNES UNDER HIS OLD ACCOUNT AND HIS ENTIRE LIBRARY APPEARED AS IF NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE. HE REMOVED ITUNES AGAIN AND SIGNED UP FOR A NEW ITUNES ACCT WITH A DIFFERENT E-MAIL ADDRESS SO NOTHING WOULD BE RECONIZED AND DOWNLOADED IT TO COMPUTER, DURING THE INSTALL PROCESS HE GOT A ERROR MESSAGE SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT " WINDOWS HAS ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM OR A MALFUNCTION OR AN ERROR AND PROCESS STOPPED AND WINDOWS CLOSED OR SHUT DOWN" ANY IDEAS AS TO WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM, HE CANT GET HIS COMPUTER TO INSTALL OR DOWNLOAD ITUNES.

You can connect as many ipods to one PC as your budget will allow.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420
+sync to an unlimited number of iPods+.
+delete all music from itunes and empty files to recycle bin then empty recycle bin. wont this help.+
That sounds like a scary way to delete all the music files!
My advice is, use Windows Explorer to clean out the duplicate files.
Then start over with a blank itunes library - he could move/delete his itunes database file while iteuns is closed.
iTunes will create a new blank one next times it is launched, since it can't run without it.
The name of that file is
*iTunes Library.itl*
Message was edited by: Katrina S.

Itunes duplicates solved.

Ok so I think i've found a way to remove all duplicates leaving the original file in itunes.
Normally when you have an exact duplicate file with the exact name, it should be overwritten.
In itunes case, the duplicate file is written with a number at the end of the name.
For example. original.. song.mp3 duplicate.. song2.mp3
If you have duplicates with the same exact name, then this probably won't help.
Open itunes, > view > press+hold alt key > show exact duplicates.
Highlight all and move to trash.
Create new folder on desktop.
Open trash and copy all songs to new folder
Open new desktop folder with songs from trash,
Type in the search bar on top right, 2.mp3
Select only the selcted folder to search in, and not the entire computer
Select all songs found, and move to trash.
Repeat step if you have a triplecate song but this time type, 3.mp3
Once all duplicate songs have been deleted, close and reopen folder,
Highlight all songs, and open in itunes.
Then click view>show duplicates.
If any are there, delete them manually. (should be none)
Done.
PS. Don't forget to click "show all items" at the bottom of itunes to see your songs.

All of my iTunes music is in the same directory (though it may have been in separate directories -- can't recall whether I moved it -- would have been a long time ago). That directory is:
Free-standing hard drive\iTunes
That iTunes directory is filled with both individual tracks and folders containing tracks.
When I am using iTunes, the amount of music shown at the bottom of the screen is much less than the size of the iTunes directory. If I look through the iTunes directory, I can see many duplications. I'm reluctant to delete any duplication b/c I don't know whether that will delete the one that iTunes uses to play the music.
Your advice is not to fool with the iTunes directory, so I will stay away from that.
Thanks! Jonathan C. McCall

Windows Installer error message when installing or removing iTunes

When I try to either upgrade, install, or remove iTunes, I get this message:
"The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."
Anyone know how I can fix this?

Microsoft have this help article on this error message;
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q315346#kb1

Remove iTunes Duplicates

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for