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How to get rid of duplicate files in iTunes

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I know this might be hard to believe, but consider this:

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  • A service could be temporarily disconnected, leaving you without music.
  • Your provider could go out of business completely. What would happen to your playlists and music libraries?
  • Streaming services are not customizable. Spotify just started letting you add your own artwork How to Create the Perfect Artwork for Your Spotify Playlists How to Create the Perfect Artwork for Your Spotify Playlists If you want to get the most out of your playlists, you need to package them right. Don't settle for the boring collage that Spotify automatically creates, make your own work of art. Read More

All that said, personal music fans with large collections are constantly battling a significant annoyance:duplicates . If you're using iTunes, here's how to get rid of duplicates once and for all the easy way.

Use the native tool

iTunes has a built-in tool to find and remove duplicates. It works perfectly no matter how big your library is.

Note:before proceeding, it is advisable to back up your library in case something goes wrong.

To find the duplicates, open iTunes and locate the File Menu at the top of the page. Go to Library> Show Duplicate Items .

Duplicates will be displayed in the main window. Remember, it's showing you. all copies of the song, so make sure you leave a copy to really listen!

How to get rid of duplicate files in iTunes

Use the secret trick

But there is a problem with the above method:it locates fuzzy duplicates as well as exact duplicates. For example, maybe you have a live version of a track and an album version of a track. iTunes would see them as duplicates, whereas you couldn't.

Fortunately, there is a secret trick to show only exact duplicates. Hold Change (Windows) or Option (Mac) and go to File> Library . This time, you will see an option called Show exact duplicate items .

Do you know any cool tricks for iTunes? Do you even use iTunes? Come by and let us know in the comments below..