# How to find and delete similar photos on iPhone

**Short answer:** the **Duplicates** collection in **Photos › Collections › Utilities** only catches copies of the same picture. Retakes, near-identical shots taken seconds apart and burst frames don't show up, and iOS has no similar-photos view. You can find them by going through your library by date and keeping one favorite from each run, or let a scanner such as Spaceclear group them, mark the best shot of each set and select the rest for you.

## Steps
1. Merge exact copies first: open **Photos › Collections › Utilities › Duplicates** (on iOS 18, scroll down to Utilities) and tap **Merge** ([details](/guides/delete-duplicate-photos-iphone)).
2. Clear burst frames in **Collections › Media Types › Bursts**, which keep every frame of a burst ([how](/guides/delete-burst-photos-iphone)).
3. Tap **Library**, open the sort and filter button at the top, and sort by date captured so retakes sit next to each other.
4. Pinch out on the grid so you can compare shots. When you find a run of lookalikes, open the first and swipe through them.
5. Tap the heart on the one you want to keep, so it's easy to check later that it survived.
6. Go back to the grid, tap **Select**, tap the others in the run (or drag your finger across them) and tap the trash button.
7. Work month by month, then empty **Collections › Utilities › Recently Deleted** to free the space.

## Duplicates vs similar photos
| | Duplicates | Similar photos |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | The same picture stored twice, sometimes at another size or format | Different shots of the same moment |
| Typical cause | Saved twice from Messages or a website, imported twice | Retakes, group photos, food, sunsets, pets |
| Found by iOS | ✓ Utilities › Duplicates | — |
| Safe to clear without looking | mostly: Photos merges them into the best copy | no: someone's eyes are closed in one, sharp in another |

That last row is why iOS leaves similar photos alone. Merging duplicates loses nothing because the pictures are the same. With similar shots, one has to be chosen, and that takes a judgment about which one is better.

## Doing it by hand: what speeds it up
- **Hide the noise:** in the Library's sort and filter menu, filter to **Photos** and hide **Screenshots** under **View Options**.
- **Use search:** search an event or a place, such as "beach" or a city name, and you get the trip's photos without the rest of the year.
- **Drag to select:** after **Select**, drag across a row instead of tapping each thumbnail.
- **Delete in batches:** everything waits in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you can recover a mistake.

## Doing it with Spaceclear
[Spaceclear](/) compares your photos on the iPhone and groups retakes and lookalikes into sets in **Similar Photos**. In each set the best shot is marked **BEST**: your favorites and edited photos first, then the sharpest, best-composed shot (using Apple's on-device image analysis), then the highest resolution. The other photos in the set are pre-selected. Tap a photo to change the pick, or tap **Keep all** to skip a set. Re-saved and edited copies of an older photo join the same set, even when they were saved months later.

Burst frames get their own card, **Burst Photos**, and exact copies are in **Duplicates**, so nothing is counted twice. **Clean safely** takes the extras from all of them in one review and keeps the best of each set. Nothing is deleted until you confirm, there's a moment to undo, and deleted photos go to Recently Deleted for 30 days. Scanning is free, the free plan deletes 30 items a day, and Spaceclear Pro is $8.99 once, with no subscription.

Also worth a look: [how to delete blurry photos](/guides/delete-blurry-photos-iphone), which the same scan lists separately.

## FAQ
### Does iPhone have a similar photos album?
No. The **Duplicates** collection is the closest thing, and it finds copies of the same picture, not different shots of the same moment. In iOS 18, Duplicates is under Utilities further down the Photos screen; in iOS 26 and later, it's under **Collections › Utilities**.

### Why doesn't the Duplicates album show my similar photos?
Because they aren't duplicates to Photos: each retake is a separate picture. Duplicates also only appears after the iPhone has indexed your library, which happens while it's locked and charging, so a new or freshly restored iPhone may need a night on the charger first.

### Is it safe to delete similar photos?
Yes, as long as you check the keeper of each set before you delete. Deleted photos stay in **Recently Deleted** for 30 days, so you can recover anything you removed by mistake.

### Will deleting similar photos free up iCloud storage?
Yes, when iCloud Photos is on. Deletions sync to iCloud and your other devices, so the space is freed in both places.