Duplicates
Ora finds duplicate tracks by file content and by recording, and keeps different versions of a song out of the way.
Ora flags tracks that are duplicates of each other so you can clear them out. Open the list from Library health > Duplicates in the sidebar; the count next to it is how many of your tracks belong to a duplicate set.
What counts as a duplicate
Two kinds of match show up here.
- The same file. A track you imported more than once, or a copy that was moved or renamed. Ora matches these by the file's content, so a renamed copy is still caught. This uses the same file fingerprint as moving and renaming files.
- The same recording in a different file. The same track held as two files: an MP3 and a WAV, the same song re-tagged, or a second download from another store. Ora matches these by artist, title, and version when the two lengths are within about two seconds of each other.
What doesn't
Different versions of the same song are not duplicates and stay out of the list:
- Radio edit and extended mix
- Original and remix
- Remaster
- Clean and explicit
- Live versions
These share a title but differ in length or in their version label, so Ora leaves them alone. Removing one because it looked like a duplicate is the mistake this avoids.
Removing a duplicate
Decide which file to keep, then right-click the one you don't want and choose Remove from Library. Ora asks to confirm.
Removing a track takes it out of your library, including any playlists, tags, and play history it was part of. The file on disk is not deleted, so you can re-import it later.