It's really easy to end up with a library full of duplicate music files in iTunes. If you've got multiple computers with more or less the same library, if you've done a backup and restore, or if you've used a program like CopyTrans to backup your iPod or iPhone, you'll likely end up with dozens of identical tracks. iTunes is not able to hunt down and zap all of those dupes for you, so enter Dupe Eliminator.
Launch Dupe Eliminator and it immediately scans your iTunes library, showing you every track--and every duplicate--in an easy to read interface. One more click, and all your identical files are trashed.
Getting rid of multiple copies of the same track is a boon for shuffle mode in iTunes and it makes it far less irritating to assemble playlists. Dupe Eliminator can also remove dead links, or entries in the library that are missing the file, as well as iTunes movies, TV shows, podcasts and audiobooks. The procedure for these items is identical as with music.
One pretty big drawback for any app that can only do one thing, but do it well, is the price. You'll have to run Dupe Eliminator only occasionally, so $35 seems like a high price to pay. With more and more useful apps crossing that $20 threshold, Markelsoft ought to experiment with a lower price. Other iTunes helper apps, such as CopyTrans, are only $20.
It's also a bit frustrating that the demo is so limited. It'll only remove three items and then stop, requiring a restart before it'll work again. Then again, if the demo removed many more, you wouldn't have to buy the full version.
Dupe Eliminator swiftly and straightforwardly cleans up your library, saving you hard drive space, hassle, and headaches. The only question is the hassle and headache of the price.
New to version 8.0 is the ability to visualize your iTunes library using charts and graphs, and filtering only tracks that have artwork.
Note: The demo will only remove three files of any type per session, and will not run the AutoClean feature, which removes all dead links and duplicates of any type with a single click. The full version costs $35.
--Steve Horton
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