{"id":"duplicates.does-it-find-similar-photos-or-only-exact-copies","url":"/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-similar-photos-or-only-exact-copies","category":{"id":"duplicates","title":"Duplicate files"},"subcategory":{"id":"basics","title":"Duplicates basics"},"question":"Does Storage Studio find similar photos, or only exact copies?","alt_questions":["Can Storage Studio find near-duplicate photos?","Does it find similar images or burst shots?","find similar photos mac storage studio","Will it detect the same photo at a different size?","Does the duplicate finder catch edited versions of a photo?","Can it find the same song in different formats?"],"short_answer":"Only exact copies. Storage Studio groups files whose content is identical, so resized, edited or re-exported versions, burst shots and the same song in another format are treated as different files and never offered for removal.","answer_markdown":"Only exact copies. The Duplicates window groups files whose content is identical, so a photo and a resized, cropped, edited or re-exported version of it are treated as different files — and so are burst shots, screenshots of the same thing, or the same song saved in two formats.\n\nThat's deliberate: an exact copy can be removed without losing anything, while \"similar\" files often differ in ways that matter to you.\n\nIf you keep your pictures in the Photos app, Photos has its own tool for this — see [duplicate photos in the Photos library](/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-duplicates-inside-my-photos-library).","answer_html":"

Only exact copies. The Duplicates window groups files whose content is identical, so a photo and a resized, cropped, edited or re-exported version of it are treated as different files — and so are burst shots, screenshots of the same thing, or the same song saved in two formats.

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That's deliberate: an exact copy can be removed without losing anything, while "similar" files often differ in ways that matter to you.

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If you keep your pictures in the Photos app, Photos has its own tool for this — see duplicate photos in the Photos library.

","answer_text":"Only exact copies. The Duplicates window groups files whose content is identical, so a photo and a resized, cropped, edited or re-exported version of it are treated as different files — and so are burst shots, screenshots of the same thing, or the same song saved in two formats.\n\nThat's deliberate: an exact copy can be removed without losing anything, while \"similar\" files often differ in ways that matter to you.\n\nIf you keep your pictures in the Photos app, Photos has its own tool for this — see duplicate photos in the Photos library.","tags":["duplicates","photos","similar files"],"related":[{"id":"duplicates.how-does-storage-studio-decide-two-files-are-duplicates","question":"How does Storage Studio decide that two files are duplicates?","url":"/faq/duplicates/how-does-storage-studio-decide-two-files-are-duplicates"},{"id":"duplicates.does-it-find-duplicates-inside-my-photos-library","question":"Does Storage Studio find duplicates inside my Photos library?","url":"/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-duplicates-inside-my-photos-library"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Does Storage Studio find similar photos, or only exact copies? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Only exact copies. Storage Studio groups files whose content is identical, so resized, edited or re-exported versions, burst shots and the same song in another format are treated as different files and never offered for removal.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Duplicate files","path":"/faq/duplicates/"},{"name":"Does Storage Studio find similar photos, or only exact copies?","path":"/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-similar-photos-or-only-exact-copies"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-similar-photos-or-only-exact-copies","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does Storage Studio find similar photos, or only exact copies?","alternateName":["Can Storage Studio find near-duplicate photos?","Does it find similar images or burst shots?","find similar photos mac storage studio","Will it detect the same photo at a different size?","Does the duplicate finder catch edited versions of a photo?","Can it find the same song in different formats?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Only exact copies. The Duplicates window groups files whose content is identical, so a photo and a resized, cropped, edited or re-exported version of it are treated as different files — and so are burst shots, screenshots of the same thing, or the same song saved in two formats.\n\nThat's deliberate: an exact copy can be removed without losing anything, while \"similar\" files often differ in ways that matter to you.\n\nIf you keep your pictures in the Photos app, Photos has its own tool for this — see duplicate photos in the Photos library.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/does-it-find-similar-photos-or-only-exact-copies"}}]},"fragment":"
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Duplicate files · Duplicates basics

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Does Storage Studio find similar photos, or only exact copies?

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Short answer: Only exact copies. Storage Studio groups files whose content is identical, so resized, edited or re-exported versions, burst shots and the same song in another format are treated as different files and never offered for removal.

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Only exact copies. The Duplicates window groups files whose content is identical, so a photo and a resized, cropped, edited or re-exported version of it are treated as different files — and so are burst shots, screenshots of the same thing, or the same song saved in two formats.

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That's deliberate: an exact copy can be removed without losing anything, while "similar" files often differ in ways that matter to you.

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If you keep your pictures in the Photos app, Photos has its own tool for this — see duplicate photos in the Photos library.

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Last reviewed

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