There’s probably no one who doesn’t like a fast, snappy, responsive and well-organized computer. But unfortunately, over time, your PC starts getting clogged up with hundreds and thousands of files, applications, photos and other multimedia data, making your storage space a complete clutter.
Depending on how you operate your PC, chances are that your work documents are saved in multiple folders, photos and videos are uploaded to a variety of locations and a plethora of songs are downloaded from the Internet and stored on your desktop. Sometimes, you lose track of it all and end up re-downloading or transferring the same data to your computer, leading to hundreds of duplicate files.
You may not realize it but those extra copies start to take a significant amount of storage space and make your device run slower than ever before. In this article, we’ll take a look at how these duplicate files are created, problems caused by them and how to find and remove duplicate files on Windows.
How Are Duplicate Files Created On Your Device?
There are a plethora of reasons how duplicate files are created on your device. Some of the most common ways are listed below:
- You’ve downloaded the samefile multiple times via email or any other communication platform.
- You’ve created a backup of the samedata more than once.
- You’ve shared the same set of photos or videos numerous times over Instant Messenger.
- You’ve copied the same folder of documents to multiple destinations.
- You’ve transferred the same data from your smartphone to PC or vice-versa more than once.
At the end, no matter how these identical and similar-looking files are created, they cause a serious issue to your computer. That’s why it is highly recommended to find and remove duplicate files on Windows as soon as possible. But first take a look at the potential problems caused due to dupes!
What Kind Of Problems Are Caused Due To Duplicate Files?
We’ve shared a list of issues, right below!
- Accumulation of redundant files, scattered all over your hard drive.
- Both identical & similar-looking files eat avaluable amount of storage space.
- Since there are tons of duplicate files, there’s a high chance of accidentally removing sensitive files, during theduplicate cleaning process.
- Necessary changes can be made to the duplicate file(s) and not the original one.
- Waste of time & effort while searching for an important file among plethora of duplicate data.
How Do I Search For Duplicate Files And Recover Storage Space On Windows 11/10 PC?
One of the most popular and effective techniques to remove duplicate files on Windows PC is through using a reliable Duplicate File Finder for Windows PC. We recommend using Duplicate Files Fixer, designed and developed by Systweak Software. The application comes with a robust scanning engine that allows users to detect duplicate files in every format and eliminate them quickly in a click. The application holds the potential to find and delete both exact and similar-looking images, videos, music, documents and more in no time.
Here’s a list of major highlights offered by this duplicate finder for Windows PC:
- Fast & accurate results.
- Drag & drop functionality to instantly add folders and remove duplicates.
- Supports a widearray of file formats for duplicate cleaning.
- Helps in recovering a significant amount of storage space.
- Dedicated option to exclude folders from scanning.
- Mark duplicates based on several attributes automatically with Selection Assistant.
- Highly compatible with the latest OS versions on Windows, Mac & Android.
- Support for both internal & external storage media for duplicate cleaning.
How To Find Duplicate Files On Windows PC? (2022)
Follow the instructions provided below to learn how to search for duplicate files using the Best Duplicate File Finder for Windows PC:
STEP 1 = Download, install and launch Duplicate Files Fixer on your device. For demonstration purposes, we are using the duplicate cleaner for Windows PC.
STEP 2 = Upon launch, make sure you register with the product, so that you can explore the entire set of features.
STEP 3 = Once registered, click on the Add folder option to upload the folders you wish to scan for duplicates. Alternatively, you can also drag & drop folders as well. You can also scan the cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox for deduplication.
STEP 4 = Hit the Scan for Duplicates button to initiate the duplicate scanning!
STEP 5 = As soon as the scanning results appear on the screen, all the duplicate documents, images, music files, videos and other data are listed under different groups. You can preview and select the files you wish to delete.
Click on the Auto-Mark tab to automatically mark the duplicates and hit the Delete Marked button.
That’s it! Duplicate Files Fixer takes a few moments to remove duplicate files on Windows PC.
Haven’t used any duplicate file finder for Windows yet? Well, try using Duplicate Files Fixer and do not forget to share your experience below!