Clean up duplicate images
without deleting the one you need.
The same photo was uploaded several times under different names, and it’s not obvious which copy is safe to delete.
By the end, one asset is left with its comments, shares and project work, real edits stay, and the extra copies wait in Trash.
Before you start
- To mark Not a Duplicate, the permission to edit the asset (Can edit asset).
- To delete, the permission to delete the asset (Can delete asset). Owners and Project Managers have it by default.
Watch the walkthrough
Here's how to find duplicate images across your library, keep the one you need, and send the extra copies to the trash.
Alex is tidying the library before a client delivery. The same coffee photo was uploaded several times, under different names.
Open More filters and turn on Has duplicates. Now the library lists only assets with at least one match: the coffee photos, and a set of bottle shots.
Start with the asset you want to keep: the hero shot.
The team has already commented on it. Deleting a copy doesn't merge anything into this asset, so keep the one that has the comments, share links, and project work.
Now open the Duplicates tab. It lists four matches, closest first.
The warm edit is a deliberate color edit, not a copy. Choose Not a Duplicate, and confirm. Both assets stay, and this pair won't be listed again.
The identical match is the same picture, uploaded again. Choose Delete. It goes to the trash, where it can still be restored.
The two that are left are smaller exports. Delete All Duplicates keeps the current asset and sends every match still in the list to the trash. That's why you mark the ones you need first.
With no matches left, the Duplicates tab is gone.
Back in the library, with Has duplicates still on, the coffee photos have dropped out of the list.
Deleted assets stay in Trash for thirty days before they're removed for good. Restoring one is covered in the video on restoring a file you deleted by mistake.
To delete, you need the Can delete asset permission. Owners and Project Managers have it by default. A Media Producer can mark Not a Duplicate, but can't delete.
Treat the percentage as a hint, not a verdict. Look at each match before you delete it, and keep in mind that a heavily cropped copy may not be found at all.
In short: filter by Has duplicates, keep the asset with the history, mark real edits as Not a Duplicate, and delete the copies. They wait in Trash for thirty days.
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Keep the asset with the history, and trash the extra copies.
Alex is tidying the library before a client delivery. The same coffee photo was uploaded several times under different names. Alex keeps the one the team has worked on, keeps a real edit, and sends the rest to the trash.
Open Assets in your workspace to follow along. To mark Not a Duplicate, you need the Can edit asset permission. To delete, you need Can delete asset. How matches are found is in Find duplicate or similar images, even with different filenames.
- 01
Filter by Has duplicates
In Assets, open More filters, and turn on Has duplicates. The list now shows only assets with at least one match.
- 02
Pick the asset to keep
Open the asset you want to keep. Pick the one with the history: its comments, share links and project work.
There’s no merge. Deleting a copy doesn’t move its comments, shares or project work to the asset you keep. - 03
Open the Duplicates tab
Open the Duplicates tab. Similar Images lists the matches, closest first.
- 04
Mark real edits as Not a Duplicate
If a match is a deliberate edit, not a copy, choose Not a Duplicate, and choose Confirm in Mark as Not a Duplicate. Both assets stay, and this pair isn’t listed again.
- 05
Delete one copy
For a real copy, for example a match marked Identical, choose Delete, and choose Delete again in Confirm Delete. The asset moves to the trash, where it can still be restored.
- 06
Delete All Duplicates
When only copies are left, choose Delete All Duplicates (N). As the line under it says, it “Keeps current asset, deletes all matches”: every match still in the list goes to the trash. That’s why you mark the ones you need first.
With no matches left, the Duplicates tab disappears.
- 07
Back in Assets
Go back to Assets. With Has duplicates still on, the asset you cleaned up has dropped out of the list.
- 08
Trash and permissions
Deleted assets stay in Trash for 30 days before they’re removed for good. To bring one back, see Restore a file you deleted by mistake.
To delete, you need the Can delete asset permission. Owners and Project Managers have it by default. A Media Producer can mark Not a Duplicate, but can’t delete.
Treat the percentage as a hint, not a verdict. Look at each match before you delete it, and keep in mind that a heavily cropped copy may not be found at all.In short: filter by Has duplicates, keep the asset with the history, mark real edits as Not a Duplicate, and delete the copies. They wait in Trash for 30 days.
Check the result
- With Has duplicates on, you opened the asset you want to keep.
- Real edits are marked Not a Duplicate and are no longer listed.
- The extra copies are deleted, and the Duplicates tab is gone.
- The deleted copies are in Trash.
If it didn’t work
I don’t see Delete or Delete All Duplicates.
You need the Can delete asset permission. Owners and Project Managers have it by default. A Media Producer can mark Not a Duplicate, but can’t delete.
I deleted the wrong copy.
Deleted assets stay in Trash for 30 days. Restore it from Trash before then.
Did the comments from the deleted copy move to the asset I kept?
No. There’s no merge. Deleting a copy doesn’t move its comments, share links or project work to another asset, so keep the asset that has them.
Can I delete everything above a certain percentage?
No. The percentage is a hint, not a verdict. Look at each match before you delete it. A heavily cropped copy may not be found at all.