How to Find Duplicate Files

Fast Duplicate File Finder - Free

Duplicate files usually don't harm your system or cause problems in Windows. Nevertheless, if you are a power user and often install new software, use several Web browsers or work with a lot of media files, duplicate files do accumalate over time. Even if you are not a power user, simply upgrading applications and downloading files on the Internet can often lead to duplicate files that waste space. If you only want to find a specific duplicate file, you can just use the Windows search feature. However, if you want to find all of the duplicate files on your PC, you must use free third-party software.

Things You'll Need

• Fast Duplicate File Finder - FREEWARE

Instructions

Finding a Single Duplicate Filename

1. Click "Start" and then type the name of a file for which to perform a duplicate search in the Start menu's search box. Press "Enter" or click the magnifying glass icon.

2. Review the list of file names displayed in the "Search Results" window. If there are multiple entries for the same filename with the same extension, there are probably duplicate files in one or more folders.

3. Click the "See More Results" link at the bottom of the "Search Results" pane. Windows Explorer appears and displays all the instances of the filename found on your computer. Review the list of filenames in Windows Explorer and check the dates and installation folder of each.

4. Determine which copy of the duplicate file you want to keep. If the duplicate files are document, image or media files, it usually does not matter which file you keep unless you've got multiple versions of each image. However, if the duplicate files are ".DLL," ".EXE" or ".OCX" files, be very careful not to delete the file from the folder in which it must reside. Do not remove these types of files from the "Windows" or "Windows\System" folder. Also, do not remove "EXE" files from the installation folder for an application or program (at least not if you expect it to run again).

5. Delete duplicate versions of the file -- after determining which files are safe to remove -- by right-clicking the file and then clicking "Delete" from the pop-up menu.

6. Right-click the "Recycle Bin" on the desktop and then click "Empty Recycle Bin" to complete the removal of the duplicate files.

Delete All Duplicate Files

1. Download and install an application that lets you search for and remove duplicate files on your computer. Free programs such as Duplicate Cleaner, Duplicate File and Clone Spy are simple to use and can save you a considerable amount of time by allowing you to search for all duplicate files on your computer with a single hard drive scan.

2. Launch the duplicate finder application. Click and select the drive letters of hard drives you want to search for duplicate files. If you only want to scan your primary Windows drive, select the "C:\" or "C:\ Local Drive" listing.

3. Click and select files types you want to include or exclude in the scan. If you want to delete duplicate files with a specific extension, select that extension type only. Searching for specific extension types greatly increase the scan speed of the application. For instance, if you want to search for duplicate photos on your computer, restrict the scan to files containing a "GIF," "JPG" or "PNG" extension.

4. Click the "Scan" "Search," "Find Duplicates" or other similarly named button. Wait a few minutes for the application to scan the selected drive or drives and display a listing of duplicate files on your PC.

5. Select the files you want to keep by removing the check mark next to them in the Duplicate Files or Search Results list. Click "Delete" or "Delete Duplicates." The program removes the remaining duplicate files from your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Download Fast Duplicate File Finder Freeware at: http://www.mindgems.com/products/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder-Download.htm

• You should always refer to documentation for your applications to determine which files the programs need and use before deleting duplicate files. If you delete the wrong copy or version of an important program or system file, some programs may no longer work. Many duplicate finder utilities use intelligent search techniques that help it identify which copies or versions of files to keep. However, check the documentation for installation folder and installed file information to be sure.

References

• Microsoft Windows: Find a File or Folder
• Microsoft Windows: Improve Windows Searches Using the Index - Frequently Asked Questions
• DigitalVolcano: Duplicate Cleaner Manual

Resources

• PCWorld: Eliminate Duplicate Files on Your Hard Drive
• CloneSpy: Download
• DigitalVolcano: Download Duplicate Cleaner
• SnapFiles: Duplicate File Finder