{"id":"duplicates.how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates","url":"/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates","category":{"id":"duplicates","title":"Duplicate files"},"subcategory":{"id":"scanning","title":"Scanning and Auto-scan"},"question":"How do I turn off background duplicate scanning?","alt_questions":["How do I stop Storage Studio scanning for duplicates?","Disable Auto-scan in Duplicates","Turn off automatic duplicate checks","I only want to scan for duplicates on demand","Stop duplicate finder running in background"],"short_answer":"Pick the source in the Duplicates sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch; with it off, that source is only checked when you click Scan now. Status is also shown in Preferences → Services under Duplicate file finder.","answer_markdown":"Select the source in the Duplicates window's sidebar and switch **Auto-scan** off in its header. Each source has its own switch, so you can, for example, keep cloud accounts checked automatically but scan **This Mac** only when you ask.\n\nWith Auto-scan off, nothing is checked in the background for that source; click **Scan now** whenever you want fresh results. Your previous results stay visible until you scan again.\n\nYou can see whether the background finder is running at any time in **Preferences → Services**, under **Duplicate file finder**.","answer_html":"

Select the source in the Duplicates window's sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch, so you can, for example, keep cloud accounts checked automatically but scan This Mac only when you ask.

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With Auto-scan off, nothing is checked in the background for that source; click Scan now whenever you want fresh results. Your previous results stay visible until you scan again.

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You can see whether the background finder is running at any time in Preferences → Services, under Duplicate file finder.

","answer_text":"Select the source in the Duplicates window's sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch, so you can, for example, keep cloud accounts checked automatically but scan This Mac only when you ask.\n\nWith Auto-scan off, nothing is checked in the background for that source; click Scan now whenever you want fresh results. Your previous results stay visible until you scan again.\n\nYou can see whether the background finder is running at any time in Preferences → Services, under Duplicate file finder.","tags":["duplicates","auto-scan","settings"],"related":[{"id":"duplicates.what-is-auto-scan-in-duplicates","question":"What is Auto-scan in the Duplicates window?","url":"/faq/duplicates/what-is-auto-scan-in-duplicates"},{"id":"duplicates.what-does-scan-now-do-in-duplicates","question":"What does Scan now do in the Duplicates window?","url":"/faq/duplicates/what-does-scan-now-do-in-duplicates"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I turn off background duplicate scanning? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Pick the source in the Duplicates sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch; with it off, that source is only checked when you click Scan now. Status is also shown in Preferences → Services under Duplicate file finder.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Duplicate files","path":"/faq/duplicates/"},{"name":"How do I turn off background duplicate scanning?","path":"/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I turn off background duplicate scanning?","alternateName":["How do I stop Storage Studio scanning for duplicates?","Disable Auto-scan in Duplicates","Turn off automatic duplicate checks","I only want to scan for duplicates on demand","Stop duplicate finder running in background"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Select the source in the Duplicates window's sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch, so you can, for example, keep cloud accounts checked automatically but scan This Mac only when you ask.\n\nWith Auto-scan off, nothing is checked in the background for that source; click Scan now whenever you want fresh results. Your previous results stay visible until you scan again.\n\nYou can see whether the background finder is running at any time in Preferences → Services, under Duplicate file finder.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-do-i-turn-off-auto-scan-for-duplicates"}}]},"fragment":"
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Duplicate files · Scanning and Auto-scan

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How do I turn off background duplicate scanning?

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Short answer: Pick the source in the Duplicates sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch; with it off, that source is only checked when you click Scan now. Status is also shown in Preferences → Services under Duplicate file finder.

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Select the source in the Duplicates window's sidebar and switch Auto-scan off in its header. Each source has its own switch, so you can, for example, keep cloud accounts checked automatically but scan This Mac only when you ask.

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With Auto-scan off, nothing is checked in the background for that source; click Scan now whenever you want fresh results. Your previous results stay visible until you scan again.

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You can see whether the background finder is running at any time in Preferences → Services, under Duplicate file finder.

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