What is a duplicate file? Find and remove duplicate files using the program - Auslogics Duplicate File Finder

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 have 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 drawbacks 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 is indeed very fast and high quality. 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.

In conclusion

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.

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.

" a new one has arrived - "how to figure all this out?" The volume of modern hard drives has reached the point that a dozen DVD images, not to mention hundreds of photographs, can easily be accidentally lost on them. You may not notice unnecessary and duplicate files until moment when you suddenly run out of space. But before buying a new hard drive, it makes sense to clean the old one for duplicates. Perhaps, after a general cleaning, the problem of free space will no longer be so acute. Searching for duplicate files manually is time-consuming and inconvenient. It is much easier to use one of the special utilities that do most of the work for you. If you are ready to audit your hard drive, all you have to do is choose the right tool.

Found duplicates are not displayed during scanning, but after the search is completed. While Duplicate Finder is running, you can monitor the job's progress and how many files have been scanned in the status bar. The search results will be presented in the form of a list. You can tell which files are duplicates by color: every second pair of identical files will be highlighted in blue. To be honest, such a selection cannot be called very visual - it would be much more convenient if a different color was used, but we did not find the ability to change it in the program.

The list of found files shows comprehensive information about each of them: disk path, extension, size, last modified date. Using context menu commands or buttons on the toolbar, you can quickly move a file to another folder, delete it, or copy it. In addition, you can view the properties of the file, open the folder in which it is located in Explorer, or open the file itself. It is worth noting that there are quite wide possibilities for selecting files in the list. For example, there is a command for quickly selecting all found duplicates, for selecting all files that belong to specified folders, as well as by size and creation date.

Some graphic files can be previewed directly in the Duplicate Finder, although the list of supported formats is not very large. For example, .jpg and .bmp files opened in the built-in viewer without problems, but .tiff files could not be viewed. For a commercial program designed to search for duplicates, the standard “trial version for 30 days” scheme is not suitable, since during this time it is quite possible to search for unnecessary files on all hard drives, and the application will simply be unnecessary. Therefore, the developers of Duplicate Finder took a different approach: in evaluation mode, using the program, you can move, copy or delete up to 50 files, the total size of which cannot exceed 2 MB. However, nothing prevents you from deleting duplicates found using Duplicate Finder from the file manager, but this is not very convenient. Although, if you choose this, in general, not very honest method, then keep in mind that in the Action menu there is a convenient Copy File Path To Clipboard command, which is duplicated by the CTRL + W key combination. When this command is executed, the path to the selected file is copied to the clipboard. All that remains is to paste it into the command line of the file manager, and you will quickly find yourself in the desired folder.

Exclusions are also flexibly configured: you can specify the minimum and maximum size of files to search, specify acceptable attributes for files and folders, as well as file extensions and folders that should be excluded from the search. DupKiller can search for duplicates not only on hard drives, but also on virtual, RAM and CD/DVD drives. It is very convenient that for each media its total size is displayed, as well as the amount of free space in gigabytes and percentage. After removing unnecessary files, you can compare the results and evaluate how useful the program was. With its help, you can also determine which files have already been copied to the DVD, and therefore can be painlessly deleted from the hard drive. During scanning, the program keeps a detailed log of operations and reports what action it is currently performing. After the operation is completed, a window appears with a message about how much time was spent on the search, how many duplicate files were found, and how big they occupy on the hard drive.

The list of duplicates found is quite clear: the files are divided into groups that are visually separated from each other. Clicking on the file opens a preview window. Viewing is available for many graphic files, as well as for all text files. And by connecting the plugin, which is included with DupKiller but is disabled by default, you can listen to audio files without leaving the program.

The ability to work with a list of duplicates is also excellent: there are buttons for quickly deleting selected and marked files, automatic selection of files based on a number of criteria. Deletion options are configured separately - you can transfer files to the Trash or delete them permanently.

If you regularly back up and synchronize data between two computers, you will inevitably end up with a large number of versions of the same files. Thanks to the function of searching for similar files (Similar Files), NoClone allows you to find and delete them. In the program settings, you can determine by what percentage the files must be similar for NoClone to show them in the list of duplicates. The list of found duplicates is quite clear: in it you can see the name, size, location and date of the file. The image preview function is very thoughtful - if in other programs pictures are shown in a small pop-up window that appears when you select a graphic file in the list, there is a special preview panel. It can display several files at the same time.

The Smart Marker tool will help you sort out the list of duplicates. With its help, you can select found files based on criteria such as size, date, name, number of characters in the name, location. In addition, there are special checkboxes “leave at least one unselected file in the group” and “select files in each group”. Another feature of NoClone comes to light when it comes to deleting files. In addition to the standard deletion methods - placing duplicates in the trash and deleting them completely - the program has another interesting option: replacing the file with an NTFS link. In other words, the program leaves only one file on the hard drive, and instead of all copies, it creates links that lead to it. This can be very useful when duplicates found using NoClone are used by other applications, for example, if we are talking about the virtual disk library in the Alcohol program. If you delete a file, you may receive error messages when you launch such applications. If an NTFS link is created, the program will “see” the file at the old address, but in fact it will not be there. Developer: Marcus Kleinehagenbrock
Distribution size: 650 KB
Distribution: free
Interface: English CloneSpy is a compact free utility for finding duplicate files with many interesting solutions that the creators of many commercial programs may well take a closer look at. Firstly, there is a very convenient window for adding folders to the search area. In most programs, to add each new directory, you have to open a window with a list of folders anew and navigate to the desired item, starting with “My Computer”. In CloneSpy, everything is much more convenient: there is a special window for adding folders, which is divided into two parts: on the left you select the desired directory, then click the Add Selected Folder button, and the directory is added to the list of folders that will be scanned. You can repeat these steps as many times as you like without closing the add folder window. And the list of selected folders can be saved for future use and, if necessary, loaded into the program.

The next feature is the display of search results as duplicates are detected. In other programs, to see duplicate files, you usually have to wait until the end of the scan, which, depending on how wide the search area is, can take all night. The results can be viewed instantly - as the search progresses, the program opens separate windows for each group of duplicate files. In such a window, you can immediately launch a file, open the folder in which it is located in Explorer, mark files manually or, based on a number of criteria (date, number of characters in the name, length of the path to the file), delete or skip and move on to the next group of duplicates.

Working with the program is somewhat clouded by the lack of the ability to preview images - it is very inconvenient to launch the program to view graphics every time. If you are scanning a large area, then displaying the results in a separate window for each group of files is unlikely to be convenient. Therefore, in this case, before starting the scan, you should look at the Report tab of the program settings and change the results output parameters. However, if you choose to display results as a single list, you will not be able to work with duplicates until the scan is completed.

No matter how voluminous modern hard drives are, unfortunately, they still cannot stretch.

For those who like to randomly download various content to their computer, this means that sooner or later Windows will display a message about the impossibility of copying or saving a particular file due to lack of free space.

Program for finding duplicate files

In this case, willy-nilly you have to make a choice: buy an external hard drive, move files and DVDs, or simply delete some content to make room for new data. However, there is no need to rush. One of the most common reasons for lack of space on a hard drive is duplication of files.

It happens that a user, forgetting that a file has already been downloaded, downloads it again, possibly under a different name and with different metadata.

That’s why it’s so important to search for duplicate files before freeing the disk from “ballast.”

Duplicate Cleaner

This can be done using the Duplicate Cleaner program, specially designed to find duplicate files of different types. Thanks to this powerful and effective tool, you can get rid of duplicate videos, audio, test files, photos and other types of files in a matter of minutes. Duplicate Cleaner differs from similar programs in its high speed and accuracy.

In addition, the program supports a wide variety of filters that allow you to search by specified parameters - name, extension, metadata, etc. It is also worth noting the ability to search on network drives and inside Zip archives, preview duplicates (images only), save performed operations in a log, and export work results to CSV format.

Anti-Twin

Duplicate Cleaner is not the only program that can find and remove duplicate files. Anti-Twin is a free, fast utility that looks for duplicates just as well.

To start the search, just specify the section or directory being analyzed and click the start button - Anti-Twin will display a list of duplicates indicating the full path, number of objects, date and size.

The utility supports search by specified criteria, matching level (in percentage), image preview, quick transition to what was found and many other additional functions.

One of the features of this utility is the ability to compare two directories. Anti-Twin can be used as a portable application. Unfortunately, Anti-Twin does not have the Russian language, so setting up some options may cause some difficulties for a user who is not familiar with English.

SMF – Search my Files

Quite a powerful and functional program for finding duplicates. A distinctive feature of this application is a huge number of various filters and settings. SMF – Search my Files supports searching by size, extension, metadata and many other criteria. Thanks to this application, you can extract and analyze alternative ADS streams from any file type.

Found duplicates can be deleted (including without the possibility of recovery), moved, copied, changed its attributes (hidden, read-only, archived, etc.). It also supports exporting to a test format, viewing and editing data in the built-in hexadecimal editor, and searching on the command line. SMF – Search my Files does not require installation and can be launched from any media.

Bottom line

Which of these three duplicate finder programs is the best? It's hard to say. It all depends on what goals you are pursuing and what level of training you have.

Anti-Twin and SMF – Search my Files are good, but due to many specific functions they are more suitable for use by advanced users and system administrators.

Hello, dear ones. Remember, in my green website-building childhood (a whole year ago) I already recommended and described to you program for searching and deleting identical photos? So, it was an excellent program, but it was paid (although the solution to this problem can be found quite easily on the Internet). And here I also described the program in order to find and delete duplicate files . Damn, it's paid too! 😯

Today I will correct myself - I will describe to you a free and fast program for searching and deleting various copies of files on your computer, of which you have a lot. They sit quietly in the corners and giggle at you, increasing the size of the disk, slowing down the system (after all, scanning files is vital for its normal operation and is practically constant), simply littering the computer with unnecessary load, complicating defragmentation process…

Duplicate files needs to be deleted and we will do this now. Naturally, I will describe everything step by step and in pictures, with all the nuances. And of course, I will give you two versions of the program - the regular one from the official website and the portable one.

Auslogics Duplicate File Finder is a free program for finding and removing duplicate files

Don’t even doubt it – there are duplicate files on your favorite computer. The nature of their appearance has not yet been studied by scientists. Over time, they grow like mushrooms, appearing out of nowhere... Of course, this is a joke - we create duplicates ourselves, without even noticing it. Let's get rid of them already. To begin with, of course you need to download the program.

As promised, here are two versions for you - everyone has the right to choose the one they need, but I highly recommend choosing the portable one. The fact is that in the standard version they will push (or try) an additional toolbar into all browsers - do you need it? For example, no matter how hard I tried, I still caught him - I barely got rid of him. (How? And like this.)

Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder: 7 MB

Download Auslogics Duplicate File Finder Portable: 6 MB

Here's how I installed the regular version of the program...

Installing Auslogics Duplicate File Finder

Yes, the installation takes place in English, but remember that you and I are not afraid of difficulties and will overcome everything...

And here is the price of free - be sure to uncheck the boxes and who knows, maybe you will be lucky and the toolbar will not be installed.

Create an icon on your desktop?

Click “Finish” and the program for finding and removing duplicate files will start. Then everything is very easy and simple. As you can see, the program is entirely in Russian.

We select the disk on which we will search for duplicate files or even a separate folder...

We choose what exactly we will search for, or rather what types of files will be searched from...

If you are not very versed in the system, I do not recommend choosing the first, top item. The fact is that the system itself uses many identical files and places them where it is more convenient and faster for it to get to them - such duplicate files are not only not recommended to be deleted, but categorically bad!!!

To be on the safe side, create a restore point...

Here are my duplicate files. That's not all - I already found and deleted more than 300 MB during my first acquaintance with the program (I didn't just take screenshots).