How to merge similar folders with Duplicate File Finder

Duplicate File Finder is an app to find all the duplicate files and folders and similar folders on your Mac. Unlike duplicate folders, which contain equal content, Similar folders contain both unique and duplicate files. You can compare similar folders and merge them. Additionally, the application allows you to merge any two folders on your Mac. This guide will explain how to use the Merge option in Duplicate File Finder.

Contents:

  1. How to merge similar folders on a Mac.
  2. How to merge any folders on a Mac.
  3. Settings of the “Merge Folders” option.
  4. Merging folders with files stored in iCloud.
Quick Video: How to merge folders on Mac

How to merge similar folders with Duplicate Finder

Use this step-by-step guide if you want to merge similar folders on your Mac. Similar folders are the folders that contain duplicate and unique content.

  1. Open Duplicate File Finder.
  2. Add folders you want to scan and click Find duplicates.
  3. Switch to the Similar Folders tab and click the Merge Folders button, or directly go to the Merge Folders section. Merge folders button
  4. You will see a dialog window, which displays the folders for merging. Here you can change the merge direction as well as indicate which folders’ files would be copied to another folder. Source and destination folders in the Merge window
  5. Once you select the source and destination folders to be merged, click Review & Merge.
  6. Click the Merge button to proceed and confirm the operation.
  7. If you want to change the settings of merging folders or cancel the operation, click on Back.

How to merge any folders with Duplicate File Finder

With Duplicate File Finder, you can merge any folders on your Mac without scanning them for duplicate content. Here is how:

  1. Open Duplicate File Finder.
  2. Switch to the Merge folders section in the sidebar.
  3. Choose the folders you want to scan. For this, click Choose folder or drag and drop folders right to this window.
    4. Duplicate File Finder showing the Merge Folders option
  4. Click Review.
  5. Select the destination folder – a folder where all files from another folder will be moved or copied. You can also select a new empty folder.
    6. Choosing a source and destination folders to merge
  6. Click Review to Merge and confirm the action.

Settings of the “Merge Folders” option

Note that when merging folders with Duplicate File Finder, you can choose whether to keep source folder after merging or not. Also you can add a color tag to merged files

To configure the ‘Merge” settings, go to the application settings and swith to the Merge tab. Duplicate Finder preferences showing the Merge tab

When you set the Finder color tag to merged files, once the folders are merged, the files will be marked with this color in the Finder. Duplicate File Finder preferences showing how to add color tag to merged files

Finder showing merged files with color tag

Examples of merging folders

If you have files with identical titles in folders you are going to merge, you can get several results after merging:

  • You have two duplicate files with the same name, size, and content in the source and destination folders. After merging folders, you will have only one file in the destination folder.

    • folders in Finder to be merged

  • You have two different files with the same name in the source and destination folders. After merging, you will have both files in the destination folder. The one file will have the same name, while the other file will get the number index to its title, so you can easily identify it and rename, for instance.

    • files in Finder withne names after being merged

  • You have two duplicate files with the same size and content but with different names in the source and destination folders. After merging, you will have both duplicate files with different names, as the app cannot decide which file to delete. You will have to remove unneeded duplicate after merging.

    • Finder windows showing duplicates after merging folders

Merging folders with files stored in iCloud

In our previous article, you can learn how to delete duplicate photos in iCloud. If you need to merge folders that might contain files stored in iCloud, follow the guide below.

Please note, Duplicate File Finder compares files from iCloud that are locally stored on Mac’s hard drive. Before you begin merging similar folders which contain files stored in iCloud, make sure that your iCloud files are downloaded to your Mac. If your files are stored in iCloud, Duplicate File Finder will skip checking them for duplicates and notify you with the following message:Duplicate File Finder popup

Here is how to download iCloud files to Mac:

  1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
  2. Click Apple ID.
  3. Go to the iCloud section.
  4. Enable the option Photos in the “Apps on Mac using iCloud” list.
  5. Disable the “Optimize Mac Storage” option. System Settings window showing iCloud settings
    Note
    To check whether the files and folders in the iCloud folder are downloaded, look at the icon located on the right of the item in Finder. If you see this icon download​​, the item isn’t downloaded to your Mac.
  6. Go to your iCloud folder, right-click items you want to download and select Download Now. Finder window showing files in iCloud drive

Why is it so important to download iCloud files to your Mac when merging folders?

Imagine you are merging folders located in iCloud and on an external drive:
If iCloud files are downloaded on your Mac, Duplicate File Finder will be able to check if their duplicates are in the source folder on your external drive.

If iCloud files are not downloaded on your Mac, Duplicate File Finder will detect them as unique files and, when merging folders, all the potential duplicates from the external drive will be copied (or moved) to your Mac. If a file from iCloud has the same name as its potential duplicate file from a source folder, a copied file will be renamed in a destination folder after the merge. When files on your Mac are synchronized with iCloud these copied and renamed files will be uploaded to iCloud.

And Finally

Merging similar folders allows you to combine dozens of duplicate files and folders, making the structure pretty much easier. Use the merge option to easily organize your files and don’t leave any duplicate space eaters behind. Keep your Mac clean from useless dupe items with Duplicate File Finder.

 

Related Entries:

Scroll to Top