Duplicate photo or video files

You may have visually identical copies of a photo or video, but the file size or format is different.

If the file size is different between versions, a third party application may have changed one of the copies. If this happened, the Dropbox app would detect a new copy and upload it as a new file. 

If you don’t want a copy of a file, delete the copy you don’t need.

Check file size on the Dropbox iOS or Android app

1. Open the Dropbox app.
2. Locate and open the original image.
3. Tap the … (ellipsis) icon.
4. Tap More details…

Check file size on the Dropbox desktop app

Windows:

1. Open your Dropbox folder in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click on a file.
3. Select Properties.

Mac:

1. Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
2. Right-click on on a file.
3. Select Get Info.

Learn how to check file size on dropbox.com.

If you have files that look similar but have different extensions, they may be in a different file format. For example:

• MyImage.jpg
• MyImage.cr2

File formats, and their extensions, represent the way information is encoded for a file, and these copies may contain different data. In some cases, files may have the same extension but a different file format.

If you don’t want a copy of a file, delete the copy you don’t need.

Note: Copies of a file may have different metadata. This metadata is lost if you delete the copy.

If you use camera uploads on a device running iOS 11 or higher, there are some cases that could lead to duplicate files. 

Learn more about duplicate files on iOS 11 and higher.