{"id":"duplicates.how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted","url":"/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted","category":{"id":"duplicates","title":"Duplicate files"},"subcategory":{"id":"choosing-what-to-keep","title":"Choosing which copy to keep"},"question":"How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?","alt_questions":["Which duplicates are shown first?","Why is this duplicate at the top of the list?","Order of duplicate sets","Biggest duplicates first?"],"short_answer":"Sets are listed largest space-saving first, so the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space. Sets that would free nothing, such as clones and linked files, are kept in a separate section.","answer_markdown":"Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.\n\nThat way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see [identical files that free nothing](/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space)) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.","answer_html":"<p>Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.</p>\n<p>That way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see <a href=\"/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space\">identical files that free nothing</a>) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.</p>","answer_text":"Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.\n\nThat way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see identical files that free nothing) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.","tags":["duplicates","sorting","results"],"related":[{"id":"duplicates.why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space","question":"Why are some identical files listed as freeing no space?","url":"/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space"},{"id":"duplicates.what-do-the-numbers-in-the-duplicates-status-line-mean","question":"What do the numbers in the Duplicates status line mean?","url":"/faq/duplicates/what-do-the-numbers-in-the-duplicates-status-line-mean"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How are duplicate sets sorted in the list? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Sets are listed largest space-saving first, so the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space. Sets that would free nothing, such as clones and linked files, are kept in a separate section.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Duplicate files","path":"/faq/duplicates/"},{"name":"How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?","path":"/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?","alternateName":["Which duplicates are shown first?","Why is this duplicate at the top of the list?","Order of duplicate sets","Biggest duplicates first?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.\n\nThat way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see identical files that free nothing) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted"}}]},"fragment":"<div class=\"wrap fl-wrap\"><div class=\"fl-layout\"><aside class=\"fl-side\" aria-label=\"FAQ topics\"><details open><summary>All topics</summary><ul class=\"fl-tree\"><li><a href=\"/faq/getting-started/\">Getting started</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/freeing-space/\">Freeing up space</a> <span>182</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\">Moving folders</a> <span>144</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/apps/\">Apps</a> <span>146</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/external-drives/\">External drives</a> <span>169</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/finder-location/\">Finding things in Finder</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/cloud-accounts/\">Cloud accounts</a> <span>158</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/icloud/\">iCloud &amp; iCloud Photos</a> <span>168</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/data-transfers/\">Data Transfers</a> <span>119</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/backups/\">Backups &amp; restore points</a> <span>126</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/delta-drive/\">Delta Drive, Delta Trust &amp; My Drive</a> <span>125</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/bridge-devices/\">Bridge &amp; your devices</a> <span>111</span></li><li class=\"fl-open\"><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\" aria-current=\"true\">Duplicate files</a> <span>74</span><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#basics\">Duplicates basics</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#where-it-looks\">Where it looks and what it skips</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#scanning\">Scanning and Auto-scan</a> <span>14</span></li><li class=\"fl-on\"><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#choosing-what-to-keep\">Choosing which copy to keep</a> <span>7</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#removing-and-restoring\">Removing and restoring duplicates</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#icloud-duplicates\">Duplicates in iCloud Drive</a> <span>3</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#cloud-duplicates\">Duplicates in cloud accounts</a> <span>12</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#smart-care\">Duplicates and Smart Care</a> <span>3</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#troubleshooting\">Duplicate messages and problems</a> <span>8</span></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"/faq/junk-yard/\">Junk Yard</a> <span>113</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/tuhi-assistant/\">Tuhi, your storage assistant</a> <span>105</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/settings/\">Settings &amp; keep-time</a> <span>88</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/performance-battery/\">Performance &amp; battery</a> <span>62</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/privacy-safety/\">Privacy &amp; safety</a> <span>85</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/licensing-payments/\">Licensing &amp; payments</a> <span>131</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a> <span>180</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/comparisons/\">Comparisons &amp; alternatives</a> <span>75</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\">Mac storage basics</a> <span>315</span></li></ul></details></aside><div class=\"fl-main\"><nav class=\"fl-crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><ol><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/\">FAQ</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\">Duplicate files</a></li><li aria-current=\"page\">How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?</li></ol></nav>\n<form class=\"fl-search\" action=\"/faq/search\" method=\"get\" role=\"search\" data-fl-search>\n<label class=\"fl-visually-hidden\" for=\"fl-q\">Search the FAQ</label>\n<input id=\"fl-q\" type=\"search\" name=\"q\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Search 2,816 questions…\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<button type=\"submit\">Search</button>\n<div class=\"fl-suggest\" role=\"listbox\" hidden></div>\n</form>\n<article class=\"fl-entry\">\n<p class=\"eyebrow fl-eyebrow\"><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\">Duplicate files</a> · <a href=\"/faq/duplicates/#choosing-what-to-keep\">Choosing which copy to keep</a></p>\n<h1>How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?</h1>\n<p class=\"fl-short\"><strong>Short answer:</strong> Sets are listed largest space-saving first, so the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space. Sets that would free nothing, such as clones and linked files, are kept in a separate section.</p>\n<div class=\"fl-answer\"><p>Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.</p>\n<p>That way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see <a href=\"/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space\">identical files that free nothing</a>) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.</p></div>\n\n<p class=\"fl-meta\">Last reviewed <time datetime=\"2026-10-01\">October 1, 2026</time></p>\n\n<section class=\"fl-related\"><h2>Related questions</h2><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space\">Why are some identical files listed as freeing no space?</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/what-do-the-numbers-in-the-duplicates-status-line-mean\">What do the numbers in the Duplicates status line mean?</a></li></ul></section>\n<p class=\"fl-formats\">Also available as <a href=\"/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted.md\">Markdown</a> and <a href=\"/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted.json\">JSON</a>.</p>\n</article></div></div></div>"}