Duplication of files in iTunes can be pretty annoying. First of all, they tend to waste a lot of space. Moreover, they also make it complicated to search for particular files in the whole album. The duplication of audio files makes it increasingly difficult to have a seamless audio experience as the songs keep on repeating themselves. In case you have a song in two separate formats, say AAC and MP3, then iTunes tend to maintain two copies of the song. As a result, duplication occurs.

In absence of regular maintenance, your device’s iTunes gets flooded with multiple copies of the same song and it unnecessarily hogs the space of your device. Therefore, it becomes essential to delete duplicate files in iTunes.

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Finding and Deleting Duplications Files in iTunes

If you wish to know how to delete duplicate files in iTunes, then you are at the right place. We would unravel the simplest trick of getting rid of the redundant audio files in the iTunes of your device. Though finding and deleting duplicate files would have been quite easier in the past, the latest version of iTunes, iTunes 12 makes it a somewhat difficult process to accomplish the same. Earlier, it was as simple as heading to View and then Show Duplicates to unhide the duplicate audio files. With iTunes 12, it is not that simple. If you wish to unveil the duplicate audio files in iTunes 12, then here are some steps to do so:

• Open the iTunes app.
• Select the option File > My Library > Show Duplicates

• Click on All option for viewing the entire duplicate track listing on your iTunes app. You can then, click on the option “Same Album” for displaying the duplicated audio files from a particular music album.
• It is advisable to arrange the audio files in your iTunes app in a column-wise order. This aids in viewing the Name of the audio track, artists, and even Album by Artist. You can also ensure that these separate columns are presented by holding & pressing down the Control Key and then clicking on the individual columns. You can also ensure that the album along with the artist has a tick right next to it.
• Now, click on the Name column corresponding to the music files in the iTunes app. This would ensure that you can view the duplicate files next to each other for a given name of the audio file.

Once you have done this, the iTunes app will now present only the duplicated music files on your device. It performs the matching based on the same name of the song or the artist name. Though, you can also see several versions of the same song from different albums in iTunes. Therefore, if you have a live version or the studio version of a particular track, then you might end up viewing the different versions of the same audio track.

You can go through these duplicate tracks and remove the duplicates that you do not wish to have on your device. For doing the same, you can follow some simple steps as:

• Highlight the audio files (duplicate version) that you wish to remove from the device.
• Delete the same on the keyboard. You can also choose the option Edit > Delete for deleting the same.
• Select the option “Move to Trash”. This would remove the particular duplicate file from iTunes app.
• In case you choose the option “Keep File”, then this would remove the particular file from iTunes. However, the file would still remain on the hard drive of your device. The “Keep File” option clears the iTunes app, however, does not free up space on your Mac device.
• Once you have finished the same, you can click on the “Done” icon. This is present on the upper right-hand corner of the app screen. This would also return you to the main screen of the iTunes app.

Now you can view the entire audio file listing of your iTunes app that is free from all the duplicated audio tracks.

Preventing iTunes 12 from Importing Duplicated Files

Though it is pretty simple to delete duplicate files in iTunes, it can still be time-consuming. To avoid the same, you can straightforward prevent your iTunes app from importing any duplicate files at all. Here are some simple steps to do it:

• Open the iTunes app. Head to Preferences section.
• Click on Advanced icon under the Preferences section.
• Ensure that the folder named as Keep iTunes Media has its organized box ticked before doing any action.
• You must also ensure that the “Copy Files to iTunes Media Folder when adding to Library” option has a tick on it.
• Click on the option “Reset All Dialog Warnings”.
• Select the “OK” option.

Having done all of these, now you have enabled iTunes app towards keeping your files organized. It can be done by simply preventing iTunes app from importing any duplicate audio files into your device.

Note: Before heading forward with deleting the duplicate files in iTunes, it is considered a wise decision to create the backup of the files in advance. This will ensure that all your files are safe even if something unexpected happens. Following are the steps to create a backup-

• Go to the Configuration menu in your iTunes app.
• Go to Advanced and then, enable the “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to the library” option. This would copy all the files into one folder.

By performing these simple steps, you can delete duplicate files in iTunes app quite easily. It can prove highly useful in managing the storage of your device. It also helps you enjoy a seamless experience of listening to your favorite audio tracks without any repetitions. Have fun listening!

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