How to delete copies of photos. How to find and delete identical photos on your computer

Jan 28 2017

Even for those who are not involved in photography, image editing, creating videos and slide shows, creating viral postcards, animation, etc., they often have the same images on their computer located in different folders.

Of course, for those who are engaged in creative activities on the computer, the habit of storing images in separate thematic folders is very helpful.

And also, the habit of deleting media material that has become unnecessary after completing work on a project.

And yet, no matter how hard you try, similar images (duplicates) still periodically appear on the computer.

When selecting pictures for a group on social networks or a blog, editing and optimizing them, it is not always possible to remove the original pictures that have become unnecessary.

In a previous article I describe in detail

To avoid confusion, identical pictures with different extensions or sizes are given different names, placed in different folders, etc.

But the images in the pictures remain the same, and if you want to delete unnecessary copies, you are faced with the need to spend time on this.

Another accumulation of identical images on the computer is due to the fact that we upload photos from the camera (phone, camera) to the computer entirely (as a whole) into one folder. At the same time, without deleting the photos from the media.

After taking a few more pictures, we again upload all the photos from the camera as a whole to another folder.

And so on an infinite number of times.

When looking at photos, sometimes you really want to put things in order - to delete similar and unnecessary ones.

But this takes time! Time and patience!

Because it’s difficult to remember “have I already seen this photo or not?”, “did I delete it (the same one) or not?”, “and where did I put it?”, “what if this one isn’t already in other folders?”

In general, it is troublesome to delete duplicate pictures and photos from your computer.

And sometimes you don’t want to leave everything “as is,” because confusion arises, takes up time and spoils the mood.

To help us, there are several programs that can quickly view, compare images and remove duplicates.

Oh, if only they could create slideshows and collages themselves...

These are the programs:

AntiDupl.NET
DuplicateFinder
DuplicateFileDetector
DuplicateCleaner
ImageDupeless
ImageComparer
Duplicate File Remover

In this article I will talk about the AntiDupl.NET program

Firstly, because I use it myself. It is installed on my computer.

Secondly, because this program is free and recognizes images in JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, PNG and others.

I would like to note that the program views and analyzes the very content of graphic files.

And therefore it finds not only completely identical files, but also similar ones.

Pictures become similar after editing - cropping, writing, or rotating the corner of the image. The blogger performs all these manipulations with images to create a unique image for the site.

Sometimes pictures already posted on a blog need to be left for further creation of a banner, for example, or posting an announcement of an article on social networking pages.

The program's ability to find similar pictures (changed) is very helpful in quickly finding and removing truly unnecessary ones.

The program supports the Russian interface and has the ability to flexibly manage search parameters.

Download program

On the program download page, select the top line - as it contains the latest version of the program.

When downloading a program, immediately determine the folder and location on the computer where it will be stored permanently. Because there is no need to install the program. After unpacking the archive into the same folder, you will find a file with the extension exe.

Run the program by double-clicking the left mouse button on this file.

Now let's set the program language.

Next, “Specify path” (yellow folder) and in the window click “Add directory”.

After this, a small window will open where you can select the folder in which you want to check the images

To analyze and search for duplicates, you can add more than one folder.

And even folders containing folders inside them.

And even just specify the entire C drive, for example. Or a “flash drive”, which at this moment will be connected to the computer.

After the directories have been added, click on “OK” and then on the gear icon - that is, we proceed to selecting settings options.

Now let’s take our time and thoughtfully check or uncheck the required search settings.

The Options window has several tabs.

The meaning of the settings and their description are very clear, so I won’t dwell on them.

Go through all the tabs before clicking OK

And now one more step - click on the green triangle icon “Start Search”. After this, the program will very quickly give you the result

The program will give you the result of the check in the next window, where at first glance nothing will be clear.

It's actually simple. There are 2 pictures displayed on the left side. And under each of its data - weight, size, name, etc.

You can manually remove the top or bottom. Or give the program a command to do it for you.

Notice the top command line and the vertical line with similar icons.

Move the cursor to a button and a tooltip will appear with the meaning of these buttons.

If you want to quickly delete, for example, all the first pictures, press the Ctrl+A key combination on your keyboard and then the “Delete all first” button in the top panel of the program.

To leave pictures edited and prepared for further publication or creating a slide show, look at the parameters you need - weight, size, extension. All this data appears in the data of each copy.

Deleted pictures will go to the trash. All that remains is to empty the basket itself.

When I first cleaned my computer of duplicate images using this program, my computer freed up... more than 9 GB!

I was impressed myself :)

I think that it will take you much more time to study and master this program for the first time than to remove duplicate images on your computer using the AntiDupl.NET program

There is probably not a person today who does not actively use a computer or other portable devices. As a rule, over time, a huge number of absolutely identical files accumulate on a PC. Searching for and deleting them manually is quite tedious and time-consuming. Fortunately, today you don’t have to rack your brains about how to perform these manipulations. Developers of modern applications have long come up with programs for finding duplicate photos on a computer. Let's look at the best of them, as well as types of graphic files that often have to be deleted.

What are the same photographs?

As a rule, on laptop computers of several categories:

• Identical files. And in this case we are talking about those situations where users simply copy the same files and paste them into other folders on the computer.
• Images with the same names. This often happens when using cameras of different brands. As a rule, they assign the same file names.
• Bad shots. Today, professional photographers very often use burst shooting of one or another object. As a result, a simply fantastic number of the same photographs appear, differing only in some scanty nuances.
• Modified images. In this case, we are talking about those photographs that have been reduced, enlarged, mirrored or modified

It’s easy to find a program for finding duplicate photos on the Internet. The main thing is to install them correctly.

How to download

It is best to look for programs to find and remove duplicate photos on the official websites of the developers. As a rule, software creators provide users with the opportunity to use truncated versions of utilities.

Downloading applications from unofficial sources is fraught with consequences. Very often there are viruses in the folder with boot files.

Duplicate Cleaner

This tool does a great job of finding and removing duplicate photos on laptop computers. To get rid of unwanted files that only slow down your hard drive and take up a lot of free space, just use Duplicate Cleaner, which cleans network and local drives. In addition, the application also finds identical audio, video files and text documents.

If we talk about the main features of this utility, then it is worth paying attention to the fact that the search is carried out not only by name, but also by the contents of files. In this case, you can set custom settings. Sound files are scanned in all known and currently valid formats.

While the duplicate photo search program is running, you can export and import search results in CSV format. The user can also track and view the size, creation date and other data about the files. This helps you decide which documents are best to delete.

AntiDupl

This program for finding identical photos allows you to quickly recognize all duplicate documents on your computer’s hard drive. This tool is absolutely free; in addition, it supports an interface in several languages, including Russian.

The utility works very quickly and has minimal requirements for system resources. Moreover, you don’t even need to install the program; you just need to copy it to a flash drive and use it in any directory.

The application perfectly processes a large amount of information and allows you to quickly detect entire lists of identical files. The main window of the program contains basic controls, the meaning of which becomes clear on an intuitive level, so even an inexperienced person can use the utility.

Among the most interesting options is the ability to search for defective files. You can also select the type of documents that may be lost during the search process. In addition, the program for finding duplicate photos in Russian allows you to search for files even in subdirectories and hidden folders.

In the settings, the user can specify whether he wants to delete mirrored images or those files in which the image sizes have been changed. Thanks to such flexible parameters, all duplicates are removed very quickly and efficiently. At the end of the application, a detailed report is issued.

CloneSpy

This very small utility will quickly clean your computer of unnecessary files. Immediately after installation and the first launch of the program, an automatic search and control recording of all files that are in the system are performed. In this case, the application completely ignores the creation date, size and other indicators of documents.

However, in the menu of this program there is no option to disable the display of files with the same names. However, if you consider that this is a free product, then you can put up with some nuances.

Image Comparator

This program for finding duplicate photos is very popular among users. By and large, it can be considered the most productive and functional.

Both paid and free versions of this application are available. If we talk about the advantages of the program, then you should pay attention to the fast speed of searching and displaying duplicates. This is the optimal solution for those who store terabytes of information on their computer for a huge amount of time.

However, there are some downsides that many users have noticed. The most important drawback is visible after installing the application. The program interface is very inconvenient. The same goes for file processing.

In order to view the desired file, you will have to select it and click the arrow. Only after this can the document thumbnail be displayed in the main window. What should those who have more than 200 photos do that they want to delete or process? In this case, manipulations will have to be performed 400 or more times. At the same time, the user also needs to remember the names of the files that they need.

Also, many noted the not very convenient method of searching for duplicates by the number of similar pixels. Therefore, on the one hand, it is very difficult to say that this is the best program for finding duplicate photos, but on the other hand, the utility has a lot of flexible settings.

VisiPics

This application breaks all records for the number of downloads abroad. On the one hand, this is explained by the fact that this is a free version and perhaps there are big problems with access to such applications “over the hill”. But, according to reviews, it really has a lot of positive qualities. Among them, it is worth noting excellent functionality. The settings are very sensitive, thanks to which the user can independently adjust the mechanism for searching for similar source images.

Displaying identical files really happens very quickly and efficiently. However, many have noticed that this program for finding duplicate photos is a little more tied to the light of the photo, which in some situations can lead to confusion.

If we talk about the shortcomings, then, according to user reviews, they also drew attention to the inconvenience of the interface. You can view photographs enlarged only after holding the cursor on the image for a very long time. At the same time, a miniature is displayed with a resolution of only 48 pixels, and it is very difficult to see anything on it. Therefore, it is inconvenient for an experienced photographer to use the program.

It is also worth considering that the utility interface is not translated into Russian, so those who do not speak English will find it quite difficult at first.

Photo Database 4.5

This program for finding duplicate photos is very often used by specialists when working with photographs, not only to search for identical files, but also for many other functions.

Starting with version 4.5, the utility has a new folder called “Collection”, where you can find the “Duplicates” category. She is responsible for finding the necessary files. When you open this directory, the program automatically searches for duplicate photos.

The utility also offers quick navigation, which is responsible for navigating to folders with selected images. Removal is done in a very convenient way. To do this, simply select all unnecessary files in Explorer using shortcut keys. After that, you just need to press 1 “Delete” button. All selected photos are moved to the trash can and removed from the collection.

Automatic file deletion is also available. To do this, just click the corresponding button, which is located on the lower taskbar. You can also select several images and get rid of only them.

Finally

This article discussed free utilities that can be easily found in the public domain or downloaded via torrents. They are more suitable for home private use. Of course, there are also commercial versions of almost all programs. However, such extensive functionality is not always needed by a person who just wants to quickly delete identical files. As a rule, they are used only by experienced photographers who constantly work with a huge number of images.

Good day.

I think that those users who have a lot of photographs, pictures, wallpapers have more than once encountered the fact that dozens of identical files are stored on the disk (and there are also hundreds of similar ones...). And they can take up quite a lot of space!

If you search for similar pictures on your own and delete them, you won’t have enough time and effort (especially if the collection is impressive). For this reason, I decided to test one utility on my small collection of wallpapers (about 80 GB, about 62,000 pictures and photos) and show the results (I think many users would be interested in this). So…

Search for similar images in a folder

Note! This procedure is somewhat different from searching for identical files (duplicates). The program will take significantly more time to scan each image and compare it with others to find similar files. But I want to start this article with this method. Below in the article I will look at searching for complete copies of pictures ( it does it much faster).

In Fig. 1 shows the experimental folder. The most ordinary one, on the most ordinary hard drive, hundreds of pictures were downloaded and uploaded into it, both their own and from other sites. Naturally, over time, this folder grew greatly and it was necessary to “thin out”...

Image Comparer(scan utility)

Official site: http://www.imagecomparer.com/rus/

A small utility for searching similar images on your computer. Helps save a lot of time for those users who work with pictures (photographers, designers, wallpaper collectors, etc.). Supports Russian language, works in all popular Windows OS: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits). The program is paid, but there is a whole month for testing to make sure of its abilities :).

After launching the utility, a comparison wizard will open in front of you, which will guide you step by step through all the settings that you need to set to start scanning your pictures.

2) On my computer, the pictures are saved in one folder on one disk (so there was no point in creating two galleries...) - so it’s a logical choice “ Within one group of images (galleries)"(I think for many users things are about the same, so you can immediately stop your choice at the first point, see Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Select a gallery.

3) In this step, you simply need to specify the folder (folders) with your pictures that you will scan and search for similar pictures among them.

4) In this step, you need to specify how the search will be performed: similar images or only exact copies. I recommend choosing the first option, so you will have more copies of pictures that you probably don’t need...

5) The last step is to specify the folder where the search and analysis results will be saved. For example, I chose the desktop (see Fig. 6)…

Rice. 6. Selecting a place to save the results.

6) Next, the process of adding images to the gallery and analyzing them begins. The process takes a long time (depending on the number of your pictures in the folder). For example, in my case it took a little over an hour...

7) Actually, after scanning, you will see a window (as in Fig. 8), which will show pictures with exact duplicates and pictures very similar to each other (for example, the same photo with different resolutions or saved in different formats, Fig. 7).

Rice. 8. Results...

Pros of using the utility:

1. Freeing up space on your hard drive (and sometimes significantly. For example, I deleted about 5-6 GB of extra photos!);
2. An easy wizard that will walk you through all the settings step by step (this is a big plus);
3. The program does not load the processor and disk, and therefore, when scanning, you can simply minimize it and go about your business.

Minuses:

1. Relatively long time for scanning and creating a gallery;
2. Similar pictures are not always similar (that is, the algorithm sometimes makes mistakes, and with a degree of comparison of 90%, for example, it often produces slightly similar pictures. In fact, manual “moderation” is indispensable).

Search for identical pictures on disk (search for complete duplicates)

This option for cleaning up the disk is faster, but it is quite “rough”: deleting in this way will only result in exact duplicates of pictures, but if they are of different resolutions, the file size or format is slightly different, then this method is unlikely to help. In general, for regular, quick “weeding” of the disk, this method is better, and after it, logically, you can look for similar pictures, as described above.

Glary Utilities

Everyone has a folder on their computer in which they store various photographs or images, and it often happens that duplicates of such files appear on the hard drive. The question immediately arises of how to quickly get rid of them. The article will list a number of programs that are able to perform such actions quickly and efficiently.

It is a simple and easy-to-use program that can search in several ways and create galleries from selected images. What sets it apart from other tools is the presence of an assistant window, which makes using Duplicate Photo Finder even easier. Among the disadvantages are paid distribution and the lack of Russian language.

Duplicate Photo Cleaner

Duplicate Photo Cleaner is also an easy-to-use program that can also read a considerable range of graphic object formats. It has several ways to search for duplicates, and the presence of a Russian-language interface makes it stand out from most of the solutions described here. At the same time, Duplicate Photo Cleaner is paid, and the trial version has very limited capabilities.

Duplicate File Remover

Another powerful tool for finding duplicate photos is Duplicate File Remover. In addition to searching for images, it is also able to scan your computer for other identical files. The capabilities of Duplicate File Remover are significantly expanded by the plugins that are installed with it, but they can only be activated after purchasing a license key. Another drawback is the lack of Russian language in the settings, but this does not prevent you from using Duplicate File Remover for its intended purpose, since all actions here are performed on an intuitive level.

Duplicate File Detector

This is a powerful multitasking program that is able to instantly find identical documents in a specified directory. Duplicate File Detector supports a large number of formats that will be checked during operation. This is the only tool among the ones we reviewed that provides the ability to hash any file, for which there is a built-in hash calculator. Thanks to the latter, you can get the result in 16 hash code options. Using Duplicate File Detector, you can rename a selected group of files according to one of the proposed templates. The program has been translated into Russian, but is paid.

ImageDupeless

ImageDupeless is a powerful tool for finding identical images on your computer. In its functionality, it is very similar to the previously described Duplicate Photo Finder. There is the same assistant, the same search capabilities for identical graphic files, and the function of creating a gallery from images. But ImageDupless has a Russian-language interface, which makes it stand out from the mentioned program. The main disadvantage can be considered paid distribution and the fact that many features are available only after purchase.

DupKiller

DupKiller is one of the best ways to find not only duplicate images, but files in general. It provides the ability to search almost anywhere on the computer, has a very wide range of settings, and supports plug-ins. In addition, it is distributed completely free of charge and translated into Russian, which makes it possible to use it without any restrictions.

AllDup

AllDup is a small free program that is designed to search for identical (including graphic) objects on the hard drive. It supports a large list of formats, which guarantees a high-quality search for duplicates. AllDup will also be an excellent option for computers that are used by several people at the same time. What sets it apart from the rest is the ability to create multiple profiles with specific settings. This feature will greatly save users time that would otherwise be spent on reconfiguring the program. You can also add to the list of positive qualities of AllDup the presence of the Russian language and free distribution by the developer.

DupeGuru Picture Edition

Using DupeGuru Picture Edition, the user will receive a free, simple and uncomplicated search engine for duplicate photos on a computer with a Russian-language interface. Among the additional features, it is worth highlighting that here you can export the results obtained to a browser or to a CSV format that is read by .

Dup Detector

Dup Detector is probably the simplest utility on the list provided. It does not have the Russian language and any additional features other than creating galleries from images, but at the same time it provides a choice of several options for searching for duplicate photos. In addition, Oak Detector is distributed by the developer completely free of charge and supports a large list of graphic formats.

This article reviewed programs that can be used to quickly and effortlessly detect duplicate photos on your hard drive and delete them permanently. Let everyone decide for themselves which tool to use, but it’s worth knowing that any of them will 100% cope with the task.

Finding identical photos on your computer will clear up disk space and reduce the amount of unnecessary junk in your system. Thanks to this, the device will start working faster. Duplicates are often created by the user himself (for example, pictures are copied to different folders), but sometimes they remain after using different software. You can find unnecessary copies using specialized programs, most of which are distributed free of charge. Today we will get acquainted with the most popular of them.

It’s worth starting with this multifunctional utilities. Its main task is to clean the PC hard drive (other devices). Main advantages:

• easy setup;
• setting several search parameters;
• ability to skip some objects.

If analogues with zero size are found, they do not need to be deleted. This may be data that was created in another OS (for example, Linux).

Finding identical photos on your computer using Total Commander

Activate product. After launch, a window will open notifying you about the software status. Click on the button indicated in the window to activate another window. At the top of the menu, click “Commands”, look for “File Search” (combination Alt + F7). Next, you should select a location to scan (local drive by default). Total Commander will help you scan directories separately or the entire disk at once. Then go to the “Advanced” section and configure the necessary settings. At the bottom of the window, check the “Search for duplicates” checkbox, set the scanning settings and click “Start search” (Enter button). Once the procedure is completed, the results will be shown below.

This program created specifically to detect identical photographs and other copies on the computer. She “can’t do anything else.” The algorithm of actions is simple:

• open DupGuru;

• At the bottom there will be a button for adding directories to the list;
• tap on it, in the window that appears, select the desired directory, where the same objects are present, add;
• Click “Scan” and wait for the process to complete.

The utility will show the found copies in a new window or open a notification about the absence of such copies. Everything that is found will be eliminated in the “Actions” menu, you can also rename something, move it, etc.

We use AllDup

Program decorated beautifully and comfortably. After launch, a window opens with a small guide on how to detect similar photos. You can search throughout the entire space, or you can mark only the places you need. It is possible to add individual folders; to do this, simply click the arrow next to the “Add folders” item.

For example, let’s take Games in the “C:\” drive:

• go to the search method section and configure the parameters;
• The indicator for finding duplicates by similar names is automatically active; you can mark the necessary settings. It is better to enable the search immediately by extensions; otherwise, the program can only find objects with similar names, even if they are not copies;
• tap on the start key;
• A new window will open with the results, where you mark unnecessary files, right-click on the one for which you want to delete analogues;
• Click “Delete all other files from this group permanently.”

The original remains, and the rest is erased from the computer.

This is very thoughtful utility, which finds and deletes identical photos and other objects on the computer. At the same time, you can search for photos, audio, etc. in standard mode, and look for analogues of photographs or audio, etc. The program is easy to work with. Just activate the program, configure the search criteria like this:

Additional options/Same name/Scan path

Mark the folder, click the button to add the selected folder to the included paths and click the “Scan” button. Wait for the scan to complete, where the statistics of found duplicates are displayed in a separate window. Close the window. In the “Duplicate Files” section similar objects will be shown, select the unnecessary ones, click the “View” menu, select “Delete files”.

Using the above services, it is easy to search for identical photos on your computer. You can choose any one, they all easily cope with the task.