Duplicate items do both use your memory space as well as clutter your items list in the iTunes app. Removing them from the list is a good idea and here we show you how to delete duplicates in iTunes on your Mac.
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Jul 12, 2019 Uninstall iTunes on a Mac Manually To remove standard Apple programs like iTunes, you need first to disable Apple System Integrity Protection (SIP). The SIP technology limits the actions that the user can perform on protected parts of the Mac operating system. Follow the steps below to disable Apple SIP and uninstall iTunes.
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Learn how to remove duplicated song files on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. Here's the best way to delete duplicate music in iTunes or Music. Free up space and tidy up your music library with this guide. Sep 03, 2008 You can delete the current entries in your Library by highlighting them - iTunes Edit menu Select All will do the trick - and then right-clicking Delete. May 29, 2019 Follow these steps if the message 'Cannot delete iPodService.exe: It is being used by another person or program' appears when you try to delete the iPod folder. Make sure that iTunes and the iPod Updater utility aren't open. Press and hold the Control, Alt, and Delete keys on your keyboard. Select Start Task Manager.
How to Reset iTunes Library on Mac or Windows PC. First off, shut down iTunes on your Mac or Windows Computer. If you are using Mac OS X, launch Finder on Mac. Delete iTunes Library; Exit out of iTunes completely on your Mac computer. Select the Finder icon on the dock at the bottom of your desktop. Select the “Go” option in the Finder menu and select “Home” open up a Finder window displaying the home directory for your computer. Your library will transfer automatically to the new Apple Music app, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. And you’ll still have access to your favorite iTunes features, including your previous iTunes Store purchases, rentals, and imports and the ability to easily manage your library.
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iTunes is no doubt one of the amazing apps to help you store, organize, and play media files. Millions of users use this app on a daily basis to manage their files. With an ever-growing number of files in the app for many users, sometimes you may have duplicates of your files sitting in the app.
These duplicate files in iTunes use the precious memory space on your Mac. Also, if these files are in a large number, they may make the whole iTunes experience inconvenient for you. You will have to scroll through dozens of these duplicate files before you can find the file that you want.
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Remove Duplicates in iTunes on Mac
Fortunately, the iTunes app for Mac has a feature that lets you find duplicates and helps you remove them from your machine. This way you can free up your memory space as well as declutter your iTunes media list.
How to Find Duplicates in iTunes
Before you can delete the duplicates from iTunes, you will need to first find all the duplicate files in the app on your Mac. There is a built-in option in the app that scans all of your media files and shows you the ones that are duplicates.
In this section, you will learn how to find duplicate files and the following section will teach you how you can remove these files from your Mac.
Find Duplicate Files in iTunes on Mac
Step 1. Launch the iTunes app using your preferred way on your Mac.
Step 2. Select Music from the dropdown menu at the top-left corner and then click on the option that says Songs. It will list out all of the songs available in your library on your screen.
Step 3. At the top menu bar, click on the View menu and select the option that says All Music. It is to make sure the app shows all of your music files in the list.
Show all the music items in the list
Step 4. Click on the File menu at the top and select Library followed by Show Duplicate Items.
The app will show all the duplicate files you have got in iTunes on your Mac. You may go through the list by yourself on your screen.
Find Exact Duplicate Files in iTunes on Mac
While the above method should help you find duplicate files in iTunes, sometimes it considers slightly different versions of your songs as duplicates. If you do not want to do it, you can use the exact duplicate search function sitting in the app to search for exact duplicates in the app.
This feature will ensure you only have the exact duplicates in your list.
Step 1. Perform steps one to four from the above method.
Step 2. Press and hold down the Option key on your Mac keyboard, click on the File menu at the top, and select the option that says Library followed by Show Exact Duplicate Items.
View exact duplicate items in iTunes for Mac
What you will see on your screen is the exact list of duplicate items you have in iTunes on your Mac. The way this list differs from the previous one is that this one only has the exact duplicates. Slightly varied songs are exempted from the search.
How to Delete iTunes Duplicates on Mac
Now that you have the list of duplicate files in iTunes for Mac, you may want to get rid of these files as soon as possible. It is because the sooner you remove these files, you can add more files to the app on your Mac.
There are three ways to delete a duplicate item in the iTunes app on your Mac. Here we show you all the methods and you can choose the one that you think is convenient for you.
Delete a Duplicate Item from the Menu Bar
iTunes menu bar has a number of options and one of these options lets you remove files from the app. You can use it to get rid of the duplicate files from your machine.
Launch the iTunes app and find the duplicate files. Once you are on the list page, select the duplicates you want to delete, and click on the Song menu at the top followed by Delete from Library.
Send the file to the Trash
A prompt will appear asking if you would only like to remove the item from the library or you would like to remove it from your Mac. Select the Move to Trash option to delete the file permanently.
Delete a Duplicate Item from the Context Menu
The context menu is yet another place from where you can play around with the files in iTunes. When you select a file in the app, the context menu offers you a few options to apply to the selected file. One of these options helps you delete the file from the app.
Right-click on the duplicate file you want to delete and select the option that says Delete from Library. Select the Move to Trash option on the following screen to get rid of the file from your Mac.
Delete a Duplicate File Using a Keyboard Button
This one is the easiest way to delete one or several duplicate files in the iTunes app on your Mac. There is a button on your keyboard that lets you delete files in any app on your machine. You can use it to delete iTunes duplicate files as well.
Remove an item using the Delete key in iTunes
Once you have selected the files to remove in iTunes, press the Delete button on your Mac keyboard. You will get the usual delete dialog box on your screen and clicking on Move to Trash will delete the file for good on your Mac.
Those are some of the ways to remove duplicates from iTunes.
The Bottom Line
Finding and deleting duplicate items in iTunes for Mac is pretty easy. The built-in option will let you delete the duplicate files without requiring you to rely on any third-party app.
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In some rare instances, you might need to remove iTunes and related software components before you reinstall iTunes or install iTunes from the Microsoft Store. If you're directed to reinstall iTunes by AppleCare, an article, or an alert dialog, you can do so by following the steps below.
Media that you buy from the iTunes Store or songs that you import from CDs are saved in your My Music folder by default. They won't be deleted when you remove iTunes. Although it's highly unlikely that you'll lose any of your iTunes Library when following the steps below, it's always good practice to make regular backups of your iTunes library.
If you need help downloading or updating iTunes from the Microsoft Store, contact Microsoft for help. If you can’t update or install iTunes for Windows and you downloaded it from Apple's website, learn what to do.
Remove iTunes and its related components
If you need help uninstalling these components, follow these steps:
Uninstall iTunes and related software components in the following order:
- iTunes
- Apple Software Update
- Apple Mobile Device Support
- Bonjour
- Apple Application Support 32-bit
- Apple Application Support 64-bit
On some systems, you might see two versions of Apple Application Support or iTunes. This is expected. If you see two versions, be sure to uninstall both.
Don't uninstall these components in a different order, or only uninstall some of them. Doing so might have unintended effects. After you uninstall a component, you might be prompted to restart your computer. Wait to restart your computer until you're finished removing all of the components.
Make sure that iTunes and its related components are completely uninstalled
In most cases, removing iTunes and its related components from the Control Panel will remove all supporting files belonging to those programs. In some rare cases, files might be left behind. After you remove iTunes and its related components, follow the steps below to locate and remove any additional supporting files.
- Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the run command.
- In the Run window, enter:
%programfiles%
- Click OK to open the Program Files folder.
- Delete the following folders, if they exist:
iTunes
Bonjour
iPod
If you see a message that reads 'Cannot delete iPodService.exe: It is being used by another person or program,' follow the additional steps at the bottom of this article before proceeding with the rest of the steps below. - Open the Common Files folder, then the Apple folder.
- Delete the following folders, if they exist:
Mobile Device Support
Apple Application Support
CoreFP - Open Local Disk (C:) located in Computer, or whichever hard disk your programs are installed on.
If you're running a 32-bit version of Windows, skip to step 13.
If you're running a 64-bit version of Windows, continue with step 8. - Open the Program Files (x86) folder.
- Find the following folders and delete them, if they exist:
iTunes
Bonjour
iPod - Open the Common Files folder and then the Apple folder.
- Locate the following folders and delete them, if they exist:
Mobile Device Support
Apple Application Support
CoreFP - Open Local Disk (C:) in Computer, or whichever hard disk your operating system is installed on.
- Right-click the Recycle Bin, and select Empty Recycle Bin.
Reinstall iTunes and related components
After you make sure that iTunes is completely uninstalled, restart your computer (if you haven't already). Then get the latest version of iTunes for your PC:
- If you have Windows 10, get the latest version of iTunes from the Microsoft Store.
- If you don't have Windows 10, download and install the latest version from Apple's website.
If the issue persists, get help:
- If you got iTunes from the Microsoft Store, contact Microsoft Support.
- If you downloaded iTunes from Apple's website, contact Apple Support.
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If you see a 'Windows installer package' alert message
Follow these steps to try to repair the software through the Windows Control Panel.
If you see an 'iPodService.exe' alert message
Follow these steps if the message 'Cannot delete iPodService.exe: It is being used by another person or program' appears when you try to delete the iPod folder.
- Make sure that iTunes and the iPod Updater utility aren't open.
- Press and hold the Control, Alt, and Delete keys on your keyboard.
- Select Start Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab.
- Locate the iPodService.exe in the list.
- Click iPodService.exe, and choose End Process.
- Quit Task Manager.