How to Merge Duplicate Photos on iPhone

To merge duplicate photos on iPhone, open Photos, tap Collections and tap Duplicates under Utilities. Tap Merge next to a set, then tap Merge [Number] Items to confirm. These are the steps in Apple's guide to deleting photos.

The phone keeps one photo from each set and moves the other copies to Recently Deleted, where they stay for 30 days. The Duplicates album needs iOS 16 or later.

How to Merge Duplicate Photos on iPhone, One Set or All

Merging one set takes four steps:

1. Open Photos, then tap Collections at the bottom.
2. Swipe up and tap Duplicates under Utilities.
3. Tap Merge next to the set you want to combine.
4. Tap Merge [Number] Items to confirm.

Merging several sets works from the same album:

1. In the Duplicates album, tap Select.
2. Tap Select on each set you want, or tap Select All.
3. Tap Merge, then tap Merge [Number] Items.

If the album is not there, the iPhone may still be checking the library. Apple's page on the Duplicates album says detection needs the phone locked and connected to power, and can take up to a few days.

Nothing changes until the Merge [Number] Items tap. That tap is the moment the extra copies leave the library.

What Merging Duplicate Photos Keeps and Removes

What happens when you merge duplicate photos on iPhone?

Merging duplicate photos on iPhone keeps one photo from the set. Apple says the phone combines the highest image quality and relevant data into that photo. The other copies in the set move to Recently Deleted.

On a Mac, Apple's guide says one original appears where the duplicates were in the library. The copies are not erased by the merge itself, so each one can still be recovered for 30 days.

Apple does not define "relevant data". Its pages do not say how albums, favourites, captions or differing edits are handled when a set is merged. Where those matter, the choice between merging and deleting one copy yourself decides the outcome:

When to Delete a Copy by Hand Instead

A set can hold a copy you would not treat as interchangeable, for example one with a caption or a crop you want. Apple does not say which version a merge keeps in that case.

For a set like that, open it, tap the copy you do not want and delete it like any other photo. The copy you keep stays exactly as it is, and the deleted one goes to Recently Deleted.

Does Merging Duplicate Photos Save Space?

Does merging duplicate photos save space?

Merging duplicate photos saves space, which Apple gives as the purpose of the feature. The extra copies do not go straight away. Apple keeps them in Recently Deleted for 30 days, where they can still be recovered.

The copies leave for good in one of two ways. The 30 days run out, or you delete the copies from Recently Deleted yourself. Selecting only the merged copies is the safer way to empty Recently Deleted on iPhone, because a photo deleted there cannot be recovered.

iCloud works differently. Apple's iCloud storage guide says items in Recently Deleted do not count towards iCloud storage. The same page states an exception: over the iCloud storage limit, photos you delete are removed at once and cannot be recovered.

Apple does not say whether merged copies follow that rule. On an account over its limit, opening Recently Deleted after a merge shows whether the copies are there to recover. To see what the duplicates were costing, check iPhone storage in Settings > General > iPhone Storage before and after.

How to Undo a Merge on iPhone

A merge can be undone within 30 days by recovering the copies from Recently Deleted. Apple's steps are:

1. Open Photos, tap Collections and swipe up to Utilities.
2. Tap Recently Deleted, then tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
3. Tap Select and choose the copies.
4. Tap the More button, then Recover. To restore everything in the album, tap Recover All instead.
5. Tap Recover to confirm.

Recovered photos go back to the library. After 30 days, or once the copies are deleted from Recently Deleted, there is no route back. The same album holds every other photo you delete, and recovering recently deleted photos on iPhone works the same way for all of them.

Merging Duplicates With iCloud Photos, on iPad and on Mac

With iCloud Photos on, a photo deleted on one device is deleted on your other devices too, according to Apple's deletion guide. Apple does not describe merges separately, but merged copies go to the same Recently Deleted album as any deletion. Emptying the album later asks you to confirm with Delete from All Devices.

On an iPad, the Duplicates album needs iPadOS 16.1 or later and works as it does on iPhone. On a Mac, Apple's guide to Photos on Mac puts Duplicates under Utilities in the sidebar. You select the duplicates, then click Merge [Number] Items.

A Shared Library adds one step on a Mac. Apple says to choose Both Libraries from the Library pop-up menu first. Merged copies land in Recently Deleted there too, for 30 days. With iCloud Photos on, merging on a Mac is one way of removing duplicate photos from iCloud from a computer.

What the Duplicates Album Does Not Merge

Apple's pages describe the Duplicates album as a list of duplicate photos and videos, without stating how copies are matched. They do not say it groups burst frames, retakes taken seconds apart, or edited versions. Shots it does not list are still in the library after every merge. They are the rest of clearing duplicate photos on iPhone.

Sorting those shots is a choice about which one to keep, made photo by photo. Apps that compare photos visually, rather than matching files, group them for that choice. Apps such as Swipe Quick do this on the device and delete nothing without explicit confirmation. Deleted photos go to Recently Deleted for 30 days, as merged copies do.

Frequently asked questions

Does merging duplicate photos delete the original?

Merging duplicate photos does not delete the original in the sense of losing the image. The phone keeps one photo built from the highest image quality and relevant data in the set. The other copies move to Recently Deleted, where they can be recovered for 30 days.

Can you merge duplicate videos on iPhone?

You can merge duplicate videos on iPhone in the same Duplicates album. Apple's iPhone User Guide titles the feature as merging duplicate photos and videos. On a Mac, Apple says one original photo or video stays where the duplicates were.