How to find and remove duplicate files on Windows

Duplicate file finders scan your hard drive for unnecessary duplicate files and help you remove them, saving space. Here are our picks for the best duplicate file finders, whether you're looking for something easy to use, an app you may have already installed, or a powerful tool with the most advanced filters.

You should not use these tools to remove duplicate files that are in system folders such as Windows folders and Program Files. Windows and the programs you use may need these duplicate files in different locations to function properly.

Find and delete duplicate files the easy way with Duplicate Cleaner Pro

If you're really serious about finding and killing duplicate files, your best bet is Duplicate Cleaner Pro, which has a very simple interface with powerful features for deleting duplicate files. This software is not free, but they offer a free trial that you can use to test if you wish. And of course, you don't have to worry about spyware or spyware.

Best easy-to-use tool: Auslogics Duplicate File Finder

Many duplicate file finders are rather complex and packed with many different options. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder differs from most of them, offering a simple interface that guides you through the process. It has other convenient features that everyone should appreciate, such as the built-in preview pane that allows you to view photos, listen to music files, and preview videos so you can see the files you delete.

Some reviews knock on Auslogics to put together more unwanted software with this app, but they've cleaned up their work somewhat since then. The installer offered to install Auslogics Driver Updater when we installed the duplicate file finder. Be sure to uncheck any additional software offered during the installation process, as you do not need a driver update tool.

This app has reasonable default settings that provide a simple wizard that guides you through the process. It will search non-system folders on all connected drives by default, but you can easily select the drives and folders you want to search for in the sidebar. By default, it will search for photos, audio files, video files, archives, and apps, but you can select only one type of file or have it search for all file types. You can easily tell him to search for files that contain a specific word or piece of text in their names if you are looking for a specific file.

Once you do a search, you will see a list of duplicate files and you can easily view previews of them and other information. Or to narrow things down, you can click the "Filter" button and filter by date, size, or file type. Select the files you want to delete and click the "Delete Selected Files" button to send them to the Recycle Bin.

Best tool I've already installed: CCleaner

CCleaner is a popular tool, so there's a good chance you'll actually install it. The main advantage of CCleaner is the junk file remover, which frees up space on your hard drive by removing unnecessary temporary files, but it also has quite a few other built-in tools, including a duplicate file finder.

Launch CCleaner and click Tools> Duplicate Finder to find this feature. It's available in all versions of CCleaner, so you don't need to pay for CCleaner Pro to use it.

CCleaner's default settings are reasonable, and will allow you to search for duplicate files on C: drive while ignoring system files and hidden files. You can also choose to search a specific directory by clicking the Add button in the include pane and selecting that folder. Make sure the "Include files and subfolders" option is selected while adding a new folder to make sure CCleaner searches any folders within the folder you specify as well.

The interface of this tool for viewing duplicate files is not great, and it does not have all the same preview options that Auslogics Duplicate File Finder provides. However, it allows you to easily select the files you want to delete and even save the list of duplicates in a text file. But it is a basic interface that allows you to select the files you want to delete and even save the list of duplicate files in a text file. You can right-click on a file in the list and select "Open folder contains" if you want to view the same file on your system.

Best Tool with Advanced Filters: SearchMyFiles

SearchMyFiles is a more advanced application with more customizable filters. It can search for files that have been created, modified, or accessed only between the specific dates and times you specify, for example.

This tool was created by NirSoft, who also creates many other useful free tools that never have bundled potentially unwanted programs. Like many other NirSoft apps, it is a mobile app.

Launch it and you will see a complex looking search dialog. You will want to select "Duplicate Search" in the "Search Mode" box at the top of the window and then choose folders to search by clicking the "Browse" button to the right of the primary folders. For example, you can select C:\ to search the entire C: drive for duplicates. Configure any other settings you want and click "Start Search" to search for duplicate files. You will see a list of duplicate files arranged in groups, and you can select the files you want to remove.

Many websites recommend dupeGuru as one of the best duplicate file finders, but it is no longer officially supported on Windows. You shouldn't download an outdated version of dupeGuru anymore - the developer says that he has seen reports of bugs on Windows 10 and does not have time to fix them.