How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files in Windows and Save Space
There is a limit on how much we can store on our computers
Optimizing disk space is essential. There is a limit on how much we can store on our computers. As days pass, we need more and more disk space to store our files.
This problem gets more prominent if you are using SDDs. As we know, they are costly and limited in storage capacity. And buying SDD with a bigger capacity could take money out of your pocket. Due to these circumstances, the problem of duplicate files is not what we can turn our eyes to.
If you are trying to back up your PC, duplicate files make it bigger. So, here we have made a list of tools that can help you find and delete duplicate files and save your precious disk space.
Best Tools to Find and Remove Duplicate Files
Conclusion: A lot of software is available to help you find redundant files. We have tested many tools and chosen some of the best, considering various factors.
dupeGuru, dupeGuru Music Edition, and dupeGuru Pictures Edition
dupeGuru is the best Software for finding duplicate files. It comes in three editions- dupeGuru, dupeGuru Music Edition, and dupeGuru Music Edition. dupeGuru Music Edition is specialized in finding similar music files. It can even find similar songs which have different bitrates. The dupeGuru Pictures Edition finds identical pictures, and for this purpose, it uses a unique algorithm called the “fuzzy match” algorithm. A fuzzy match algorithm can find similar files but not identical; that is, copies of the same photo cropped, filtered, or slightly edited and considered duplicates.
dupeGuru is free, open-source Software having a straightforward user interface. It does not come with any toolbars or junkware. Finding duplicate files is easy; select the folder, and click scan. You will see a list of duplicate files, and you can choose which files to delete. You can also open a particular file by double-clicking on it.
Note: The official site of dupeGuru denotes that Windows is no longer supported, but the links mentioned under old versions work fine even with Windows 10.
Duplicate Cleaner
Duplicate Cleaner comes in two versions- free and paid (pro). The free version of Duplicate Cleaner provides a simple user interface and essential scanning features. The paid version contains the same interface but with additional features. It does not come with any toolbars or junkware. Duplicate Cleaner provides a good UI that scans your internal drives and external storage. The paid version can find similar music and pictures which are somewhat different.
The pro versions come with 15 days of trial. After that, you can buy or use the free version.
VisiPics
If you have so many pictures on your hard drive gathered from different sources, you might have many duplicates. In such a case, VisiPics is the best Software for you. It is designed by keeping photos in mind. It is free and fasts with a straightforward and features-rich user interface.
It not only looks for identical files but goes beyond that. It can find a duplicate picture with two different resolutions; copies of the same slightly edited image can also be found. It can even see duplicate photos in other formats like JPG and PNG.
Duplicate Files Finder
Duplicate File Finder is another good option to find and remove duplicate files. It is free, fast, and provides a simple user interface. Duplicate File Finder uses a somewhat different approach while scanning; it looks for files of the same size, then checks for content similarity and decides if they are duplicates.
This means you won’t get the “similar but not identical” feature that other Softwares provide. But the upside is- it is fast, and if you don’t care about somewhat similar files, you can save a lot of time on scanning.
CCleaner
This Software is already popular among many users but not for finding duplicate files. Many users might not even know that CCleaner has a feature to find and remove duplicate files. CCleaner provides a simple UI with many other functionalities. It might not perform as well as the above Software, but it provides a simple scanning function to help you identify duplicate files. And it also offers other outstanding features that allow you to delete unnecessary files.
Lastly, make sure you are not deleting any system files, even if they are duplicates. A system tends to keep copies of some files in different places, but it is not safe to delete them.
This is not the entire list of Software available for duplicate file search. There are tons of Software available in the market, but we have picked a few which are free and do not try to install any bloatware or junkware in your system. If you know of any such software not on this list but think it deserves to be, comment below.