Clean up empty files and extra copies

In the Clean up stage, you review problematic files first; Merceq won’t make a decision until you approve it.

1. The row says “Show {N} empty files and {M} extra copies →”. If there’s only one type, it says “Show {N} empty files →” or “Show {M} extra copies →”.
2. Click the row. Cleanup review opens and shows only candidates you need to review. The copy that will be kept for each video isn’t listed.
3. Review the candidates. You can add a clip you want to keep to a folder or make another decision about it. A clip you’ve decided on won’t be part of cleanup.
4. Click the “Reject {N} clips” button in the divider above the grid. Candidates without a decision at that point move to the Rejected group. No files are deleted from disk or moved to Pending deletion.
5. The row says “{N} clips rejected · undo”. Use undo to reverse it in one step; ⌘Z also works.

What does Extra copy mean? As its tooltip says: “Exact copies stored additionally on the same disk. One copy of each video remains; folders, tags, stars, and notes transfer to it.”

Things to know:

• You can close the review with Esc, by switching to another view, or by clicking the same row again. If the Quick filters wing is still open, the first Esc closes the wing and the second closes the review.
• An empty file you’ve decided on is removed from cleanup candidates.
• Cleanup doesn’t delete anything; it only rejects clips. The export section explains what to do with rejected clips afterward.