| Version | 2.9.3y |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wooden Brain Concepts |
| Release date | Oct 16, 2014 |
| Date added | Oct 16, 2014 |
| Os requirements | Mac OS X 10.4 PPC, Mac OS X 10.5 PPC, Mac OS X 10.9, Mac OS X 10.10, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.8, Macintosh, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.4 Intel, Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.5 Intel |
| Requirements | None |
| Total downloads | 20,029 |
| Downloads per week | 1 |
| Price | Free to try |
Description
iDupe is designed to process duplicates and dead tracks in iTunes in a smart way. iTunes now has a "Show Duplicates" command. But it is of limited use. First, it offers no way to remove duplicates while keeping one version of a track. Second, there is no good way to identify which tracks are actually duplicates as opposed to different versions of the same song, the same song with different bitrates, etc.
iDupe tries to deal with this problem intelligently, making a number of judgement calls. It will remove absolutely unambiguous duplicate entries, but use the check marks in iTunes to uncheck the duplicates it thinks are good candidates for removal. Potential duplicates will be ranked according to a number of criteria. It will evaluate whether it is likely to be a loose single track, which version of an album to keep, as well as other considerations. Once you review its choices in iTunes, iDupe can then remove unchecked tracks in a selection from the playlist and from the library and move the corresponding files to the trash, according to your choice.
Review
iDupe is designed to help you remove any duplicate tracks from your iTunes library with an outside scan action. After loading the app, you can select specific tracks in your library and run a scan to detect any duplicates and then take action to remove them, rename them, or check them again. The app offers a number of options for how you treat the duplicates you find; and while the interface is a bit rudimentary, it all works fairly well for removing those dead and extra tracks from your system.
After installation, which is fairly straightforward, iTunes will open automatically and you can select any segment of tracks from your library. After doing so, run a scan and it will detect any duplicates it finds. You can then mark those results, remove items that are unchecked, remove items from the library, entirely, or delete them. You can also run reports, get info. about the scan you just ran, or revise the scan. This all works well, but if you have a large library, the tool does recommend only scanning smaller segments at any given time. Additionally, the app's interface is no more than a collection of text links to click with marks for which step you are on. It works, but it's not very attractive and it can be confusing if you have issues.
If you have a lot of duplicate tracks and need a third-party app that will remove them from iTunes for you, iDupe is a good one to install. It offers quite a few options for how to strip out and remove dead tracks. The app is free to try but will cost $8 to purchase if you need to use it multiple times in the future.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of iDupe for Mac 2.9.2.
