Duplicate Remover Free is a program for removing duplicate files. How to find identical files on your computer

After a long, constant use of a computer, large amounts of data, i.e., all sorts of photographs, videos, films, music, documents, etc., accumulate on its disks, whatever one may say. When data takes up a lot of space, this is normal, for example, I myself have more than 600 GB of necessary data, and for others it’s even more. But very often duplicate files take up too much space.

Such files can appear when, for example, you transfer them from somewhere to a new location on the disk, forgetting that you already have such files on this disk. And it’s okay if there are a lot of duplicates of all kinds of documents, but when there are a lot of duplicate photos, music and especially videos, then this, as a rule, will take up a lot of your disk space. I recently checked and found that duplicates are eating up about 100 GB. on the hard drive, which, in my opinion, is quite a lot :)

In this article, I will show you an easy way to find all duplicate files in Windows on your drives, so you can easily check them and quickly delete everything you don't need.

In Windows, unfortunately, there are no normal built-in tools for finding duplicate files. There is an option to do this through the PowerShell command line, but it is very inconvenient, especially for beginners. Therefore, it is easier to use third-party programs. One of these is called AllDup. It is completely free, available in Russian, supported by all Windows operating systems and, finally, quite easy to use.

Downloading and installing the AllDup program

The program can be downloaded for free from the official AllDup website. Below is the link to the download section:

The program is available in 2 versions: regular installation and portable (Portable). The portable version is different in that it does not require installation on a computer, i.e. the program can be launched directly from the downloaded folder.

To download, click the “Server #1”, or “Server #2” or “Server #3” button (if the first download button does not occur, backup servers are provided) under the desired version of the program.

Direct links to download the latest version to date (March 2017) AllDup: standard version, portable version. For the latest versions, always refer to the official AllDup website!

Installing the program is very simple, one might say it consists of successive clicks “Next”; no special settings need to be made. Therefore, I will not consider this process.

Finding duplicates using AllDup

After installing the program, run it. The main window for search settings will open:

Setting up a search includes several steps:

1. Select folders on your drives where AllDup will look for duplicates.

   Folders are selected in the "Source Folders" section. You can mark entire local drives or individual folders on your computer. Usually, users roughly guess where duplicates may be located, and in this case it is better to select specific folders, because a complete search across all disks, firstly, can take a lot of time (depending on the amount of data stored), and secondly, it will give you a bunch of duplicates of those files that you are not interested in (for example, duplicates of any Windows system files that are better not to touch at all).

   So, select the desired folders/drives to search in the window by checking the boxes next to them. If the folder you need is not in the list, you can add it manually by right-clicking (hereinafter “RMB”) in the window and selecting “Add Folder”.

   Explorer will open, where you just need to select the desired folder and it will be added to the list.

   It is better to leave the remaining parameters as they are at this stage.

2. Method for finding duplicates.

   This is an important step where you configure what criteria AllDup will use to determine the presence of duplicates. You can set several criteria at once. The thing is that similar files cannot always be considered duplicates. For example, you have 2 identical photographs, but one of them has a small black dot, even if it is 1 pixel in size. In this case, it is a different photograph because its content is different. On the other hand, these 2 photos may have the same file name, the same file extension, and when you select the last 3 criteria, the program will regard these photos as the same when searching.

   • File name;
   • File extension;
   • File size;
   • File contents.

   With this choice, you will certainly accurately find duplicate files.

   Thus, mark the criteria and you don’t have to configure anything else at this stage.

3. File filtering.

   You can configure the program so that during the search it finds only files with the extensions you need, for example, only JPG photos, only MP4 videos. This is very convenient when you know which duplicates you want to get rid of first (for example, from a video, because it can take up a lot of space) and then you don’t want to rummage through all the files in the search results, of which there can be thousands. Or you can filter files by size, for example, find only those larger than 1 GB.

   Thus, on the “File Filter” tab, enable the “Use file filter” option (1), check “Inclusive” (2), and then below (3) select the file extensions that the program will find. Files with any other extensions will not appear in search results.

   Most likely, the list of extensions will not contain all the ones you may need. To add an extension there, right-click and select “Add filter by entering text.”

   In the window that opens (1), enter *.file_extension, where instead of “file_extension”, respectively, indicate the file extension you need so that the program finds these files in the search.

   For example, if you want the program to find videos in AVI format, write *.avi and click “OK” (2). The "*" symbol means that the file names can be anything.

   At the same stage, you can configure filtering of files as a result of a search by their size, for example, to filter out those that are smaller than the size you specify. Enter the options you want below, under the "File Size" heading. In my example, the option is enabled to exclude files whose size is less than 500 KB.

These are all the main stages of setting up a search; the rest can be omitted.

Now, to start searching for duplicates, click the “Search” button at the top of the AllDup window:

The search process will begin.

The more files in the folders you specify are on your disks, the longer the search will take.

After the search is completed, the program will display the found files with duplicates in the form of a table.

The first thing that is better to do right away is to save the search results, because if you now close this window with the results, then you will have to perform the search again. To save, click the button with the image of a floppy disk, or select “Search result” in the top menu and click “Save search result.”

Now, even if you turn off your computer, and then launch the program again, you will be able to get to the search results again.

You can sort the search results by different parameters by clicking on the column headings in the table. The most useful sorting criterion, in my opinion, is file size. Therefore, if you want the largest files found to be displayed at the top of the table, then click on the “Size (Bytes)” column.

The next thing that is best to configure for ease of viewing results is the displayed size. Initially, the program shows the file size in bytes, which is not very convenient. It is better to display in megabytes or even gigabytes. To do this, click the button marked in the screenshot below (1), then check one of the options (2):

Now I’ll dwell on how to actually use the search results, how to view and remove unnecessary duplicates...

The program divides the found duplicates into so-called groups. One group is all found copies of the same file, including the original (it will also be displayed in this group).

To view duplicates of one of the groups, you need to open it by clicking on the arrow. Example:

Once you have expanded a specific group, you can check what kind of file it is by opening it. To do this, simply double-click on the file in the group, or right-click and select “Open file”. The file will be opened through a standard Windows program, through which you usually open all files of the selected type.

To delete duplicates, check them, right-click and select one of the options: deleting the file to the Windows Recycle Bin, or permanently deleting it.

Accordingly, do not delete all files from the group, because this way you will delete both duplicates and the original at once! For example, if there are 3 files in a group, then by deleting 3 at once, you will delete both the original and 2 duplicates. In this case, to keep only one single copy of the file, you need to remove 2 files from the group.

This way you can check each group separately and remove duplicates. But if a lot of information has been found, you can make it simpler. Make sure that the program automatically selects all files in each group except one (i.e., only duplicates), after which you can get rid of all duplicates at once, or before that, go through and double-check whether everything marked is exactly to be deleted.

To automatically mark duplicates, go to the “Select” menu (1) and check and enable one of the options there (2), for example, “Select all files except the first file.”

As a result, the program will select 2 duplicates in each group, and leave the first file in the list unselected. Those. this way you will mark 2 duplicates, and the original will remain unmarked. Or you can use the “Select” menu to try other options that are convenient for you.

Once the program has marked the files, you can double-check your selection if required. And to quickly delete everything unnecessary or perform some other action, click the button marked in the screenshot below:

In the window that opens, you will see the total volume of the selected files, i.e. how much space the found duplicates take up and the number of selected files. At the bottom you need to select an action on the selected files. You can delete files through the recycle bin, delete them permanently (the “Delete files” item), copy or move files to a folder, and also rename the found duplicates. If you are sure that the marked files are duplicates and you no longer need them, then it is easier to delete them, but in any case, the choice is yours.

So, select the desired action (1) and click “OK” (2). You don't have to configure anything else here.

After this, the program will perform the action you selected on the previously marked files!

That's basically the whole process :) To exit the search results, just close this window. If you have saved your search results, then if you need this result again, you can get to it through the “Search Result” section (1) in the main program window. The results you saved will be displayed in the table (2). To open the desired result, simply double-click on it.

Conclusion

AllDup is a very convenient program for finding duplicates of your files on your computer. There is essentially nothing superfluous in the program; it has all the necessary tools, filters and parameters for quickly processing a large volume of found duplicates. Of course, there are similar programs that probably also do their job well. So far I have only tried AllDup and I don’t see any point in changing it yet.

A very convenient feature in the CCleaner application is the search for duplicate files. Very often, there are files on your computer that are identical in date, size and name. Of course, some of them are needed, and some may have been created accidentally or downloaded several times from the Internet. All these files eventually accumulate, the free space becomes less and less, and, as a result, the computer begins to slow down. Therefore, from time to time, you need to get rid of such files. If you are an advanced PC user, then it will not be difficult for you to find CCleaner duplicate files which to delete, but if you are new to this matter, then we will help you figure it out.

What files should not be deleted

Before we start searching for duplicates and deleting them, let's look at whether it is possible to delete duplicate files using Cyclener? To begin with, I would like to note that the program will not allow you to delete absolutely all copies of a file. One of them must remain untouched. Further, we do not recommend deleting system files. It is quite normal for them to have duplicates. Typically, system files are located on drive C in the Windows folder.

Files that can be deleted

Typically, a computer consists of several partitions (disks). The amount of information that is stored on each of them is most likely impressive. There are pictures, music, videos, photographs, and much more. Some of the duplicate files could have been duplicated by the user by mistake, for example, due to forgetfulness, the file was saved in different sections. Some files may have been downloaded from the Internet several times, etc. And when the program finds such files, you can safely delete them from your computer.

Find duplicates

In the " Service"there is a section" Search for duplicates».

In this section, at the user's discretion, you can set search criteria. You can search for duplicates by any one search parameter: by size, by date, by name and by content, or by several parameters at the same time, marking them with checkboxes.

You can also define the files that need to be skipped. There are several options here:

• Zero size files;
• Files that are read-only;
• Hidden files;
• System files;
• Files whose size does not exceed the megabyte size you specify;
• Files larger than the specified megabyte size.

In the " Inclusions» you can specify the places where the search will be carried out. To scan a specific folder, you must select " Add" The following window will appear

Click on the button " Review" and select the desired folder, indicating the path to it.

In the " Exceptions» you can specify those folders that should not be affected during the search.

You can add them similarly to the “ Inclusions" Click " Review" and select this folder.

After setting all search parameters, click on the button “ Find».

Duplicate search results

After searching, the results will be shown in table form.

It will indicate the file names, locations where they are located, their sizes and creation dates.

To remove duplicates, check the boxes next to them. If you right-click on any file, a context menu will appear.

After you have selected all the duplicates that you want to delete, click on the “ Delete».

Not all duplicate files found in CCleaner can be deleted. Please remember this and use this tool wisely and with caution.

The program searches for duplicates using the following criteria: name, size, date and content. By default, name, size and date are marked. Find all identical files using these parameters on your computer.

A few seconds after pressing the " Find» the results will appear. Look at them carefully.

If you see duplicate library files (.dll), files in the Program Files folder, files with extensions unknown to you, then do not touch them!

If you don’t know what these files are, why they are needed and where they came from, then it is better not to touch them (so as not to disrupt the functionality of the programs installed on the computer).

Look only for files that are familiar to you, those that got onto your computer thanks to your participation. For example, a film, photo, song, essay, etc. Do you see that you have the same abstract on your desktop, in “My Documents”, and in some other folder? This means you can delete all its copies except one (unless, of course, you deliberately created them as part of a backup on different disks).

If the file whose duplicates you are going to delete is important, open the folder containing it and check manually whether these are actually 2 copies of the same file, and whether the program made a mistake (which is extremely rare, but in the case of important documents it is better to be safe). To open this folder, right-click on the desired found file and select “ Open folder».

Once you are sure that the copies can be deleted (or if you did not do this, but are just sure of it), check them and click the delete button.

You can do the same with your other found files. Favorite song copied 5 times and stored in different folders? Each copy weighs 10 megabytes, for a total of 50! Fuck them! Leave one in the folder with the rest of your music, and you can delete the rest, freeing up precious space for other files.

Remember one thing: Finding and removing duplicates in CCleaner is not a fully automatic tool. The search takes place in automatic mode, and you make the decision to delete “manually”. Therefore, be careful in this matter.

A program for finding duplicate files is most often needed by users who store a large amount of music, photos and documents on disk.

And, although you can delete such unnecessary copies manually, specialized applications can save a lot of time.

Especially if the files are located in different folders or in .

You can search for such duplicates using universal software or one designed for a specific type of data.

In the first case, the search speed increases, in the second, the probability of finding all copies increases.

Universal Applications

Universal applications for finding copies mainly work on the principle of comparing file sizes.

And, since the probability of the same number of bytes in different photos is practically zero, identical values ​​are considered a sign of a duplicate.

Sometimes the algorithm provides for checking names - also an important parameter for the search, especially since the same data in most cases also matches by name.

The advantages of the programs are the ability to find files of any type with their help and the relatively high speed of operation. Disadvantage: lower detection accuracy.

So, for example, none of these utilities will consider the same file saved with different resolutions to be a duplicate.

1. DupKiller

And among its advantages we can note:

• ease of setup;
• setting multiple search criteria;
• the ability to ignore certain files (with a certain size or creation date, as well as system or hidden ones).

Important: If files with a size of zero are found, they do not have to be deleted. Sometimes this may be information created on another operating system (for example, Linux).

Rice. 4. CCleaner system optimization program can also search for duplicate files.

5.AllDup

Among the advantages of another program, AllDup, we can note support for any modern Windows operating system - from XP to 10.

At the same time, the search is carried out inside hidden folders, and even in archives.

Although the comparison of information by default occurs by file names, so it is advisable to change the settings immediately.

But during the search process, each duplicate found can be viewed without closing the application.

And if a copy is found, you can not only delete it, but also rename it or move it to another location.

Additional benefits of the application include completely free work for any period of time.

In addition, the manufacturer also produces a portable version in order to search for copies on those computers on which the installation of third-party software is prohibited (for example, on a work PC).

Rice. 5. Search for files using the portable version of AllDup.

6. DupeGuru

Another useful application that searches for duplicates with any extension is DupeGuru.

Its only drawback is the lack of new versions for Windows (although updates for MacOS appear regularly).

However, even a relatively outdated utility copes well with its tasks when working in newer operating systems.

With its help, even system files are easily detected, and the menu is intuitive and in Russian.

Rice. 6. Detecting copies using the DupeGuru utility.

It is noteworthy that, in addition to the usual universal option, the manufacturing company has created a utility for searching for files of a certain type.

There is a separate version for images and another for music.

And, if you need to clean your computer not only from documents and system files (which, by the way, need to be deleted very carefully - sometimes it’s even worth leaving an “extra” copy rather than disrupting the system’s functionality), it’s worth downloading these applications as well.

7. Duplicate Cleaner Free

Duplicate Cleaner Free, a utility for detecting copies of any file, has the following features:

• filtering data by extension;
• Russian interface language;
• possibility of free use;
• high speed.

Its disadvantages include minor limitations when searching for images (for this it is recommended to purchase a paid version) and not entirely accurate translation of individual menu elements.

However, due to its effectiveness and ease of use, the application enjoys some popularity.

Rice. 7. Find duplicates using the Duplicate Cleaner Free utility.

Finding duplicate audio files

If the search results for duplicates are not satisfactory for the user, you can consider an option designed for specific files. For example, for accumulated on disk.

This need often arises when downloading several albums and collections of the same artist at once - often the same tracks end up in different folders.

They can have similar sizes and differ, by and large, only in names. Especially for this, there are utilities for searching for similar melodies.

8.Music Duplicate Remover

Among the features of the Music Duplicate Remover program are relatively fast search and good efficiency.

In fact, this application “listens” to the composition and compares it with other audio files.

At the same time, naturally, its operating time is longer than that of universal utilities.

However, the amount of data checked by the program is usually tens of times less, so the average duration of the scan rarely exceeds a couple of hours.

Rice. 8. Detection of copies of music and audio files by album.

9.Audio Comparer

At the same time, photo analysis also takes longer compared to searching for files of any extension, but the result is worth it.

Images are detected even when there are several duplicates of the same image on the disk, but with different resolutions and, accordingly, sizes.

In addition, to increase efficiency, files with any graphic extensions are scanned - from to .png.

Rice. 11. Search for pictures using another version of DupeGuru.

12. ImageDupeless

Moreover, it is distributed free of charge and has a Russian interface. And the manufacturer periodically releases updates to it, increasing the efficiency of image search.

Rice. 12. Stylish interface of the ImageDupeless application.

13. Image Comparer

The advantages of the Image Comparer application, in addition to its simple interface, include the presence of a step-by-step wizard that allows you to learn how to quickly and efficiently search for images.

This feature distinguishes the utility from most others, to work with which you will have to read help files that are not always correctly translated (and sometimes even provided only in English).

In fact, the application is another version of Audio Comparer, and is also distributed under a “shareware” license - that is, the user will have to pay for certain functions.

Rice. 13. The Image Comparer app is a good way to find duplicate pictures.

Surely, any of us have duplicate files accumulated on our disk over time. Files in “Downloads” that you have downloaded several times, identical photographs and musical compositions lying in such depths that your hands simply cannot reach them. You can get rid of all this manually, but special utilities that search for identical files will work much faster for you.

A very popular “cleaner” that probably everyone has installed. Yes, it not only searches for system garbage and clears browser history and cookies, but also removes duplicate files.

Platforms: Windows, Mac.

Price: free, $24.95 for premium version.

The program searches for files with the same or similar names and identical content. Works well with music and can find identical music files even if they have different tags. In addition, dupeGuru can compare images to find not only identical, but simply similar photos.

Developed for Mac and Linux. The Windows version is no longer supported by the developer, but it can be downloaded from the official website - it is fully functional.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux.

An advanced file search application that, among other things, can remove duplicates. SearchMyFiles has flexible filters so you can customize your search results the way you want.

Platforms: Windows.

A popular Mac application that searches for the same or similar files and shows you the difference between them. Copies in “Photos”, in the iTunes music library - nothing will pass by Gemini 2. The developers have announced a smart duplicate search mechanism that remembers which files you leave and what you decide to delete.

Platforms: Mac.

Although AllDup is free, it does a lot. Searches for, deletes, copies and moves duplicate files, including identical audio recordings with different tags. There is a flexible search setting. Using the built-in viewer, you can examine files and choose what to delete.

Platforms: Windows.

Duplicate File Finder quickly and efficiently finds duplicate files. Provides an interesting opportunity to search for duplicates not only on the hard drive, but also on the local network. Can work with images and music, comparing both tags and content. The preview function will help you figure out what to really delete and what to leave. Unfortunately, quite a few options are not available in the free version.

Platforms: Windows.

Price: free, $29.95 for premium version.

A universal file manager that can do anything with your files. Including finding duplicate files. You can enable the search for copies option on the search parameters tab, in the same place where you specify other attributes of the searched files.

Platforms: Windows.

DupeGuru looks like the most attractive option. It's free, but it offers all the necessary features to rid your drive of accumulated junk. The only sad thing is that development of the Windows version has been stopped. For Windows users who don't want to pay for commercial alternatives, AllDup is a better choice. CCleaner and Total Commander are more universal and widespread solutions that are probably already installed on everyone.