
Using the Purge and Purge (Dry Run) Tools
("Purge" is not the same as the Delete function.)
Scroll to the bottom of this page to see important information concerning Cloud Music Library/iTunes Match.
The Purge tool will delete all non-Keeper tracks in the frontmost Dupin windowor among the selected Dupin Dupe Groupsfrom your iTunes library. Optionally it can move their files to the Trash, delete the files immediately, or move the files out of their current location to a user-selected folder. This operation cannot be un-done so be sure your Keeper tracks are selected correctly.
Note: By default Keepers are designated by being checkmarked. However, if you prefer the opposite configuration whereby a Keeper is designated by being un-checkmarked, you can toggle this behavior in Preferences. In any case, the text color of non-Keepers is always lighter than the text color of the Keepers. Throughout this help book, tracks will be referred to as Keepers and non-Keepers as often as possible to avoid any confusion with what is "checked" or "un-checked".
Be sure to have filtered the Dupe Groups, either automatically with the Filter Controls or manually by clicking their checkmark buttons.
- TIP: Tracks do not have to be user-selected ("highlighted") to Purge. In fact, selecting Dupe Groups limits the Purge to the non-Keeper tracks in just the selected Dupe Groups. To remove all non-Keepers from all Dupe Groups don't select anything. Dupin determines the tracks to remove based on their Keeper ("checkmarked") status, regardless of whether or not anything is selected.
Select "Purge..." from Dupin's Tools menu.
You will be asked to verify that you want to remove the non-Keeper tracks from iTunes:
...and then if you want to Trash the files, keep them where they are, or move them to a specific folder:
- Trash files - the files of the non-Keeper tracks will be moved to the Trash folder. Files can be recovered from the Trash if necessary.
Delete files immediately bypass Trash - uses the UNIX "rm" command to delete the files unrecoverably. You made need to use this if your files are located on a server where Trash is not supported, such as some NAS drives. - Keep files - files will remain in their current locations.
Move files to folder: - files will be moved from their current locations to the single selected folder. - Delete any empty playlists after Purge - if it happens that, after a Purge, a playlist contains no tracks then it will be deleted.
- Create text file listing Purged tracks info - when checkmarked, will create a text file listing track informtion in the folder location selected. (This is the same location that can be set in Preferences.)
Changes made to these settings will be used as the default the next time the Purge Tool is used.
- NOTE: If Cloud Music Library is enabled you will not see the "File Purge Options" settings sheet. Instead, tracks will be copied to a discrete playlist for manual batch-deletion after the Purge (see more about Cloud Music Library/iTunes Match below).
Click the "OK" button when ready to begin. Purging ensues immediately.
Purging can be interupted or canceled by pressing and/or holding your keyboard's "esc" key
- TIP: The Purge tool can be used in either the main Dupin window or the smaller Selection Window.
- Purged tracks will also be removed from Dupin. If it happens that after the Purge a Dupe Group contains only one track then that remaining track will be removed from Dupin as wellafterall, it's not a duplicate anymore.
Alternatively, you could copy selected Dupin tracks to an iTunes playlist and delete them in iTunes. (Option-Delete a selected iTunes playlist OR selected tracks in a playlist to remove them and optionally move their files to the Trash.)
Purge (Dry Run)
The Purge (Dry Run) tool will not delete any tracks or move any files but will go through the motions of doing so and then create a log listing what tracks and files would have been deleted or moved during an actual Purge.
By default the location to save the Dry Run log is the Desktop folder. But this can be changed in Dupin's Preferences or can be changed in the "File Purge Options" sheet that appears after the Purge (Dry Run) tool is selected.
Purge duration during a Dry Run is not necessarily representative of the duration of activity that would occur during an actual Purge, whereby tracks and/or files are manipulated.
Purge Cloud Music Library tracks
If Cloud Music Library is enabled, Dupin cannot delete tracks from the iTunes library. Such tracks must be manually batch-deleted as described below. Fortunately this is a very easy and fast procedure:
Deleting Cloud Music Library tracks after a Purge:
- During the Purge operation Dupin will copy tracks designated as non-Keepers to a new playlist it creates in iTunes named ***Dupin Purge Tracks***.
- When the Purge operation is complete, select the ***Dupin Purge Tracks*** playlist in iTunes.
- On your keyboard, press Option-Delete (press and hold the "Option" key and press the "Delete" key). This is the shortcut for deleting the playlist and the tracks it contains from your iTunes library.
- Follow the prompts displayed by iTunes for deleting the playlist, deleting the tracks, and optionally Trashing the files and/or removing the files from the cloud.
The ***Dupin Purge Tracks*** playlist is re-created on each Purge operation. If you do not Option-Delete it after a Purge the tracks it contains will remain in the iTunes library.