Duplicate-file-finding programs expect you to manually check each file for deletion. That's not practical for Edward Derbyshire, who has '121,000 duplicates' to delete.
Five tools for getting rid of duplicate files. If your system has gotten gunked up with duplicate files, clean up the mess with one of the handy tools on this list. Duplicate files and folders can clutter up a user's computer, and they can wreak havoc on collaborative work. Jul 2, 2017 - Select Tools from the left sidebar. Choose Duplicate Finder. For most users, running the scan with the default selections is.
Before I tell you how to delete all of your duplicate files automatically--without checking each one first--let me give you a warning: Doing so requires you to let software make decisions best left to you. Are the files really duplicates? Is there a good reason for that file to be in two different locations? And if not, in what folder should the file reside?
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So before you go the automated route, consider a safer option: Set your duplicate file finder to ignore files smaller than 20MB. That way, you'll have far fewer files to worry about, yet still free up a lot of space.
If you use Digital Volcano's Duplicate Cleaner Free (the program I recommended in How to find and remove duplicate files), you'll find that option under File Sizes on the Search Criteria tab. Uncheck Any Size and enter
20000
in Minimum File Size field.If you still want the program to automatically select files to delete, use your duplicate file finder's automatic selection tool. Here's how to do that in Duplicate Cleaner--Free or Pro:
First, make sure you only get true duplicates. In the Search Criteria tab, check both Same Content and Same File Name.
And make sure that Don't Scan System Files/Folders is checked. In fact, you may want to click the Scan Location tab and explicitly tell the program only to look in the folders where you keep your documents, photos, and so on.
When you're ready, click the Scan Now button.
After the scan to complete, go to the Duplicate Files tab and click the Selection Assistant icon (it's the one with the magic wand) and select Mark>Select by Group>All but one file in each group.
Once the program has made all of the selections, click the File Removal button and decide how you want the files disposed.
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Hi,
Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.
I understand the inconvenience caused to you. I will be glad to assist you for the issue.
Sorry to inform you that Microsoft does not provide any tool to search for duplicate files.
You may have to manually search for files and delete it.
Refer to: “Find a file or folder”
Note: Steps applies to Windows 10 As well. Please be informed that some of the steps may differ as Windows 10 is the upgraded version. If you find any difficulty in searching, let us know and we will be glad to assist you.
If not, use your favorite search engine to get 3rd party software which will help you to find the duplicate files.
Disclaimer: Using Third Party Software, including hardware drivers can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Third Party Software can be solved. Using Third Party Software is at your own risk.
Hope this helps. If the issue remains unresolved, please get back to us and we would be happy to help.