---
id: duplicates.can-i-choose-which-folders-are-scanned-for-duplicates
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/can-i-choose-which-folders-are-scanned-for-duplicates
category: "Duplicate files"
subcategory: "Where it looks and what it skips"
question: "Can I choose which folders are scanned for duplicates?"
alt_questions:
  - "Can I add a folder to the duplicate scan?"
  - "Can I exclude a folder from Duplicates?"
  - "Custom folders for duplicate finder"
  - "How do I scan a specific folder for duplicates?"
  - "Scan only one folder for duplicate files"
short_answer: "Not right now. This Mac always covers Downloads, Documents, Desktop, Movies and Pictures, and cloud accounts are checked as a whole. You can switch Auto-scan per source, scan on demand, and include small files — and nothing is removed until you choose."
tags: ["duplicates", "folders", "settings"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/which-folders-does-the-duplicate-finder-check-on-my-mac", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Can I choose which folders are scanned for duplicates?

Not right now. The **This Mac** source always checks your Downloads, Documents, Desktop, Movies and Pictures folders, and each cloud account is checked as a whole. Adding or excluding individual folders isn't available right now.

What you can control:

- Turn **Auto-scan** on or off for each source.
- Use **Scan now** to check one source on demand.
- Turn on **Include small files** to compare files under 1 MB too.

And because nothing is removed until you pick it, you can simply leave any set you'd rather keep as it is.