GOOGLE TAKEOUT GUIDE · DUPLICATES
How to identify genuine duplicates in a Google Takeout export
Two files with the same name are not necessarily identical, and two exact copies may have different names. A reliable scan must compare their contents while keeping its limitations visible.
7 min read · Guide updated 20 August 2026
KEY POINTS
What to know before organizing your files
- A name, date or size alone is not enough to prove that two files are identical.
- PhotosClaires compares only files of the same size, then verifies their contents with a SHA-256 hash.
- The report counts extra exact copies and estimates their size, without deleting anything.
- Similar photos, bursts and edited versions are not classified as exact duplicates.
USE THE RIGHT DEFINITION
Same name, same size or same content?
Same name
Two files named IMG_1234.JPG may come from different folders or devices. The name alone proves nothing.
Same size
Two media files with the same size in bytes are worth checking, but size remains only a filter. Different contents can have exactly the same size.
Same content
For the PhotosClaires scan, an exact duplicate is a copy in which every byte produces the same cryptographic hash. A cropped, recompressed or edited photo is therefore different, even if it looks identical.
FILTER, THEN CONFIRM
How PhotosClaires verifies exact duplicates
- Inventory recognized media
The scan identifies supported photo and video formats in the selected folder.
- Group identical sizes
A file with a unique size cannot be an exact copy of another file in the same scan.
- Calculate a SHA-256 hash
Eligible candidates are read locally and their contents are converted into a hash.
- Compare the hashes
Only files with the same size and the same hash are counted in an exact group.
This process runs in your browser. Media is not sent to PhotosClaires, and no copy is deleted or moved.
NUMBERS NEED CONTEXT
How to interpret the duplicate count and potential space savings
Within each group of strictly identical files, the report counts every additional instance beyond the first copy. It adds their sizes to show potentially recoverable space.
“Potentially” matters: this figure is not an automatic recommendation to delete files. Identical copies may exist deliberately in different folders, backups or organizational structures.
The scan also applies limits to file size, file count and the total amount of data read in order to protect browser memory. When a limit is reached, a warning states that some candidates were not verified.
Google also explains that an archive exceeding the maximum size you selected is split into several files. A split archive is therefore not, by itself, evidence of duplication.
Official source: Google Photos Help—Download your data, sections on archive size and splitting.
BEFORE DELETING ANYTHING
A five-step check outside PhotosClaires
- Keep an untouched backup
Never turn the only copy of your export into a working folder.
- Read every warning
Warnings identify skipped groups or limits reached during the scan.
- Locate the copies in their folders
The context may explain why several identical instances exist.
- Check the files with a suitable tool
The aggregate report is not a deletion interface and does not choose which copy to keep.
- Delete only from a working copy
If you then use another application, proceed in small batches and verify the result.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about Google Takeout duplicates
Are two visually identical photos always exact duplicates?
No. Recompression, cropping or a metadata change alters the file. PhotosClaires does not perform visual-similarity searches.
Are two files with the same size identical?
Not necessarily. Size is used only to select candidates; their contents are then verified with a SHA-256 hash.
Why are some files not verified?
The beta applies per-file and total-data limits to protect browser resources. The report flags these limits when they affect the analysis.
Does PhotosClaires delete detected duplicates?
No. It reports exact duplicates but keeps every one in the organized copy. It does not delete, move or rename any source file and never chooses which copy to keep.
CHECK BEFORE YOU ACT
Start by taking stock of your export
PhotosClaires checks the folder you have already extracted, locally in your browser. It is free, requires no account and uploads nothing. No file is renamed, corrected, moved or deleted.
Start the free scan