Getting Started with Duplicate Detective 2

What is Duplicate Detective 2?

Duplicate Detective 2 scans your Mac for duplicate files and folders. It identifies exact matches based on their SHA-1 hash and lets you select which copies to remove, freeing up valuable disk space.

First Launch

When you first open Duplicate Detective 2, you are presented with a welcome screen where you can begin adding folders to scan.

Click the Add Folders button to choose one or more folders you would like to scan for duplicates. Once you have selected your folders, click Next to begin scanning.

Granting Full Disk Access

Duplicate Detective 2 requires Full Disk Access to scan all files and folders on your Mac. Without it, macOS restricts which files the app can see, and your scan results may be incomplete.

For step-by-step instructions on granting Full Disk Access, see our Full Disk Access guide.

Tip: Grant Full Disk Access before running your first scan to ensure you get the most complete and accurate results.

Settings

You can open Settings by pressing Cmd + , or by clicking Duplicate Detective 2 in the menu bar and selecting Settings.

From here you can configure the following options:

• Theme -- Change the visual colour theme of the app.
• Removal method -- Choose whether deleted files are moved to the Trash (default) or permanently deleted. Permanent deletion is irreversible.
• Auto Select preference -- Set whether Auto Select targets the oldest or newest versions of duplicate files.
• Minimum file size -- Set a minimum file size so that only files of that size or larger are included in scans.
• Ignored file extensions -- Specify file extensions that Duplicate Detective 2 should skip during scans. Some common extensions are included by default.
• Excluded folders -- Add folders that you do not want the app to scan.

If you need help with anything, please contact us.