By Michael | Last Updated
Sometimes, duplicate files are created in different drives or folders due to duplicate backups or other reasons, which takes up a lot of storage space. So, how to find duplicate files across multiple drives or folders to free up space? Here, this article will lead you to the answer.
To find duplicate files in multiple drives and folders, you can use Windows File Explorer to manually search for duplicate files.
Step 1: Use WIN+E to open File Explorer, then open the drive or folder you want to check for duplicate files.
Step 2: In the top ribbon, click on the View tab and select Details. Then click on Sort by and select Name. After setting the Windows view, enter a file extension such as png, mp4, txt, doc, etc. in the search window at the top right to find duplicate files by comparing file information.
Step 3: Once you have finished comparing, you can press Ctrl in order to select multiple duplicate files, then move to the Home tab and click on the Delete button, where you can choose to put these duplicate files in the recycle bin or delete them permanently.
Pros:
If you know where the duplicate files are, a manual search is a good option. You simply open a file and if the duplicate is there, delete it.
If it's not where you want it to be, you can also just type in the name of the file you saved and your computer will find it for you.
Cons:
Going through everything on your computer can be tiring and inefficient if you don't know where to search or what name to save a file under.
iSunshare DupFiles Genius is one of the best professional software on the market that can help you deal with many of the drives and folders you need. It is fast, efficient and precise. Once you activate it, it will scan all the folders and directories on your PC and list all the duplicate files, then you will be able to decide if you want to delete or keep them.
Step 1: Download and install this software, then launch it.
Step 2: In the main screen of the software, click the Add button in the bottom right corner, select multiple drives or folders from your computer that need to be scanned, and then click Next to continue.
Step 3: On this page, you can click the Add button on the right to select folders to be excluded from scanning, and then customize the scan options, for example, you can check the type of duplicate files to be scanned, set the maximum and minimum size of files to be scanned, check the box to skip hidden, program and system files, etc. After completing a series of settings, click the Start scanning button.
Step 4: DupFiles Genius will list a report of duplicate files based on your scan settings. You can right-click the document and choose the Open file location option to check the files.
Step 5: If you have purchased the full version of this software, you can safely delete these duplicate files by simply ticking the box in front of the File Name, clicking the Delete button and clicking Yes in the prompt box that pops up. While the free version can only delete one at a time.
Step 6: Wait for minutes and the target duplicate files will be removed successfully. Click OK to end the process.
Pros:
There is no need to take into account the name or location of the files.
With just one click, it will find all your duplicate files and you will be able to delete them and free up space on your computer.
Cons:
You need to pay for good and useful software.
Final Word:
That’s all about how to easily find duplicate files across multiple drives or folders. If you already have a large number of duplicate files on your PC, it is more recommended to use iSunshare DupFiles Genuis to find duplicate files quickly instead of searching manually.
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