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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 iTunes Match.

The Purge tool will delete all non-Keeper tracks in the frontmost Dupin window—or among the selected Dupin Dupe Groups—from 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.

Select "Purge..." from Dupin's Tools menu.

You will be asked to verify that you want to remove the non-Keeper tracks from iTunes:

Track Purge Options

...and then if you want to Trash the files, keep them where they are, or move them to a specific folder:

File Purge Options

Changes made to these settings will be used as the default the next time the Purge Tool is used.

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

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 iTunes Match tracks

If iTunes Match 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 iTunes Match tracks after a Purge:

  1. During the Purge operation Dupin will copy tracks designated as non-Keepers to a new playlist it creates in iTunes named ***Dupin Purge Tracks***.
  2. When the Purge operation is complete, select the ***Dupin Purge Tracks*** playlist in iTunes.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

See also

bullet Basic Operations
bullet Other Tasks and Commands