AOMEI Partition Assistant
How to Detect Duplicate Files on Windows 10
Many users want to detect duplicate files on Windows 10 to clean redundant files on computer but don’t know how to. In this post, you’ll learn how to detect duplicate files and how to safely remove them.
By Lucas / Updated on July 9, 2025
Why need to regularly detect duplicate files?
Duplicate files lurking on your Windows 10 PC can consume valuable storage space and lead to cluttered file systems. If left unaddressed, they’ll not only slow down your computer but also make it challenging to find the files you need.
Accumulating duplicate files on your computer can lead to several significant issues:
Wasted storage space: Duplicate files consume valuable storage space, reducing the amount of available space for new data and applications.
Slower performance: As the number of duplicate files increases, your computer's performance may degrade, leading to slower startup times, application loading, and file access.
Difficulty in file management: With many duplicates, it becomes challenging to locate and manage files effectively, making it time-consuming to find what you need.
Increased vulnerability: Redundant files may also include sensitive data, increasing the risk of data breaches or exposure if not properly managed.
Impaired system functionality: Over time, having numerous duplicates may lead to system errors and instability, potentially requiring time-consuming troubleshooting and repairs.
Fortunately, Windows 10 offers some tools and methods to detect and remove these redundant files. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore three effective solutions to help you regain control of your digital space via detecting duplicate files on Windows 10 and teach you how to securely remove these files.
3 ways to detect duplicate files on Windows 10 computer
In this part, you can see how to use Windows File Explorer and PowerShell commands to find duplicate files on Windows computers and a practical duplicate file scanner to help you securely and conveniently remove duplicate files.
Method 1. Detect duplicate files using File Explorer
Step 1. Go to the lower-left corner next to the Windows icon. Type "Indexing Options" into the search bar and then click on "Indexing Options".
Step 2. Click on "Modify" and select "Show all locations". A pop-up will appear, asking for your login details. Make sure you're using an administrator account when making changes here.
Step 3. Check if all the boxes are ticked under the "Changed selected locations" section. If they are, click "OK," then hit the "Close" button. If not, make sure to check all the boxes.
Step 4. Press the Windows key and E key on your keyboard at the same time to open File Explorer. It's easier to locate your files under your user account. To access your user account, go to Windows (C:), and then select the Users folder.
Step 5. Click on "Search" in the upper-right corner, and enter the following extensions based on their format.
Step 6. Organize the search results by Name:
• Under the "Panes" section, choose "Preview pane".
• Under the "Layout" section, select "Details".
• In the "Current view" section, click "Group by," and then pick "Name".
• To arrange the files in ascending order, click "Group by," and select "Ascending".
Step 7. Examine the files to find duplicates saved in different locations. Check the "Date modified" column to identify the latest version of each file.
After going through the files, choose the one you wish to remove and hit the remove key on your keyboard.
Method 2. Find duplicate files via PowerShell commands
Step 1. On the lower-left corner, right-click on the Windows icon, and then select Windows PowerShell (Admin). A pop-up confirmation window will appear. Click Yes to proceed.
Step 2. Enter this script: set-location –path C:\ in the Windows PowerShell window.
Step 3. Enter the script for the list of all duplicates and their location:
ls "(directory you want to search)" -recurse | get-filehash | group -property hash | where { $_.count -gt 1 } | % { $_.group } | Out-File -FilePath "(location where you want to export the result)"
In (directory you want to search), enter the folder location of your User Account.
In (location where you want to export the result), enter the folder location you want the result to be exported or saved (e.g. Documents or Desktop).
Step 4. Open the folder location you have exported or saved.
Step 5. Check for each location in the text file, and then delete the duplicate files.
Method 3. Scan and remove duplicate files with a duplicate detective tool
AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup is disk partition cleanup software trusted by millions worldwide. It's an excellent PC Cleaner utility which is specifically designed to be an effective junk file cleaner for PC that detects and removes duplicate files. It stands out as a vital tool for maintaining your Windows 10 system due to its user-friendly design and powerful functions.
AOMEI has a solid reputation in the field of disk and partition administration, and this solution has been created to meet the demands of both novices and specialists in Windows 10 system maintenance. The "Duplicate File Finder" is particularly intended for scanning and eliminating duplicate files simply.
AOMEI Partition Assistant for CleanupFree Up Disk Space To Keep Your PC Running Smoothly and Efficiently
Step 1. Initiate Find Duplicate Files. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Find Duplicate Files" tab.
Step 2. Select a path to scan duplicate files. You can either click "Scan Now" to start the scan of your system C: drive. Or, click "Custom Scan" to manually select paths to be scanned. (Here, we take the "Custom Scan" as an example.)
Step 3. After clicking "Custom Scan", all local and external drives on your PC will be displayed. You can also click the "Add Path" button, and then a browse folder window will pop up. So you can add more paths on this PC, like Desktop, Downloads, and other folder paths.
Step 4. Once necessary paths are added, you can click the "Scan Now" button to start the scan process.
Step 5. The scan process might take time. After the scan is complete, all duplicate files will be listed. You can click the button behind to locate them.
Step 6. Select duplicate files to start deletion. You can either manually select duplicate files, or click the "Smart Select" button to automatically select unnecessary duplicate files to delete.
Tips: If the "Smart Select" is ticked, only the oldest duplicate file will be unticked. It means that all duplicate files except the oldest one will be ticked to delete. (The oldest file means the file that was created first. This file will not be deleted. All other duplicate files are considered copies of the oldest file. )
If you manually select all copies of duplicate files, you will get a pop-up warning window to keep at least one copy of the duplicate files. If you indeed want to delete all copies of duplicate files, you can click "OK" so all copies of duplicate files will be selected to delete.
After unnecessary duplicate files are selected, please click the "Clean Now" button to start the deletion.
Step 7. Delete successfully. The deletion might take time. After the process is finished, the selected files will be deleted, and you will get a cleaning completed window displaying how much data you deleted in total.
To sum up
In this guide, we've explored three effective methods to detect duplicate files on Windows 10 PC. Whether you prefer the native tools like Windows File Explorer and PowerShell commands or opt for the user-friendly AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup, you now have the knowledge and tools to free up valuable disk space and improve the performance of your computer.
