8+ Tools for Finding and Deleting Duplicate Files on Windows | Tech News

We’ve covered many ways that you can save space on your storage drives over the years, most recently discussing methods for deleting the Windows.old backup folder made when installing Windows 10 updates and reclaiming several gigs in the process. Deleting the duplicate files on your system could easily result in clean out that is similarly sizable if only a few large files are found.

Unfortunately, Windows itself doesn’t make it easy to deal with duplicate files. While there are many options for accomplishing this sort of task with batch files or PowerShell scripts, we assume most people would prefer something that doesn’t involve a command prompt.

Without installing third party software, your only option is running a search for a specific file via Windows Explorer and manually deleting the duplicates that appear. This isn’t helpful of course if you don’t know which files have duplicates.

Those of you who use the powerful File Explorer alternative Total Commander probably already know that it includes the ability to search for duplicate files (it’s on the second search page) among the dozens of other features it provides over the Windows File Explorer.

If you’d rather not add any additional third party software to your system or learn your way around a new file explorer, it’s worth mentioning that CCleaner has a duplicate file finder built in (Tools > Duplicate Finder) and most of you probably already have that utility.

Still trying to find your duplicate files?

You’re probably going to need one of these tools…

We’ve installed all of them and unless you’re after some specific feature, CloneSpy gets our recommendation for having a light, clutter-free interface — albeit one that is aesthetically outdated, but it displays just enough options by default. It’s also free (forever) and can be run in “portable” mode without being fully installed, although you need to go through the installation process to get the portable folder.

On the premium end of things, Duplicate Cleaner is easily the most popular duplicate tool in our download section, touting loads of features and displaying them in a modern-looking interface that is responsive and scales well with a custom Windows DPI.

If you only plan to run a few quick scans and then uninstall it, the software offers a 15 day trial but costs $29.95 for a lifetime license.

Although you have to uncheck crapware during its installation, Auslogics Duplicate File Finder is free and features a GUI that is about as modern feeling as Duplicate Cleaner yet walks you through the scanning process with a series of prompts instead of opening to a switchboard full of options.

As a final mention, DupScout seems like a decent alternative to CloneSpy if don’t care about having a portable installation yet want a relatively clean interface that isn’t quite as dated or barren (add a profile on the left to get started).

Didn’t free up as much space as you thought?

Try looking for large files with one of these drive visualization tools…

Bonus: Mac users

CCleaner for Mac does not have the duplicate file functionality, but Duplicate File Finder Remover on the App Store comes highly recommended, with a ton of features on top of a very intuitive UI. Some advanced features are available at a cost, but that’s entirely optional.

Two more recommended apps for macOS users: Trend Micro’s Dr. Cleaner is free and offers a disk cleaner and big file finder. While Disk Inventory X is a dedicated tool to show the sizes of files and folders in a treemap graph, similar to the Windows example above.

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