How to Scan for Duplicate Files and Delete Them Easily
How to scan for duplicate files? The best way is to use a professional duplicate files finder that can not only find redundant files on your computer but also remove them easily and quickly.
By Hedy / Updated on July 10, 2025
What are duplicate files?
Duplicate files are copies of the same content that exist in multiple locations on a storage device, such as a hard drive, SSD, or external disk. These files have the same or nearly identical content, but they may have different file names, creation dates, or file locations. Duplicate files accumulate over time for various reasons, and they take up valuable storage space on your device.
There are many types of duplicate files, including:
◤ Exact duplicates: These are files with the same content. They are bit-by-bit identical, but may have different file names, file formats, or metadata.
◤ Partial duplicates: Also known as near-duplicates, these files are similar but not identical. Their content may differ, such as slightly different versions of images or documents.
◤ Different formats: Duplicate files can exist in different formats. For example, you might save the same image in JPEG and PNG formats.
Common causes of duplicate files include:
✦ File downloads: Multiple downloads of the same file, possibly from different sources or websites.
✦ File copy: Manually copy files without checking whether the content already exists elsewhere.
✦ Data backup: Creating file backups without properly managing existing backup copies.
✦ Software installation: Some software installations may create duplicate files or store temporary files that are not deleted after installation.
Managing duplicate files is critical to maintaining an organized and efficient storage system. Duplicate files not only waste storage space but also make it difficult to find and manage important files. Using a duplicate file finder tool can help identify and remove these duplicates, freeing up storage space and simplifying file organization.
How to scan for duplicate files on Windows 10/11?
In this article, we’ll introduce you two different ways to make it. One of them is Windows built-in File Explorer, and the other is a reliable third-party duplicate files scanner and deleter.
Way 1. Using Windows File Explorer
A step-by-step guide to find and delete duplicate photos using File Explorer:
Step 1. Navigate to the bottom left corner next to the Windows icon. In the search bar, enter "indexing options" and click the appropriate result to access indexing options.
Step 2. Click Edit and select Show All Locations. A window will pop up prompting you to enter your login details; make sure you use an administrator account to make these changes.
Step 3. Verify that all checkboxes under the "Change selected location" section are checked. If so, click OK and close the Indexing Options window. If not, make sure all checkboxes are checked before continuing.
Step 4. Press the Windows key and the E key simultaneously on your keyboard to open File Explorer. To more easily locate the files, navigate to your user account by going to Windows (C:) and selecting the Users folder.
Step 5. Click "Search" in the upper right corner. Enter the file extensions associated with common image formats, such as .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .tiff, .psd, .raw, .svg, .ico, and .webp.
Step 6. Organize search results by name for a more structured view.
Step 7. Check the files to identify duplicates saved in different locations. Use the "Date Modified" column to find out the latest version of each file.
Step 8. After viewing the file, select the duplicates you want to delete and press the DELETE key on your keyboard.
By following the steps above on how to scan for duplicate files Windows 10, you can effectively utilize File Explorer to find and delete duplicate files on your Windows system.
Way 2. Using duplicate files finder
Although File Explorer offers a manual method to scan for duplicate files, the process can be time-consuming. Choosing a powerful and efficient tool to remove duplicate photos can speed up the task significantly. AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup is such an effective solution. This tool quickly scans your computer and compiles a complete list of duplicate images, archives, documents, and audio files.
The tool's efficiency is enhanced by its customization options, allowing users to customize the process to their liking. Now, download the demo version to try how to scan computer for duplicate files:
AOMEI Partition Assistant for CleanupFree Up Disk Space To Keep Your PC Running Smoothly and Efficiently
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Find Duplicate Files" tab.
Step 2. 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.
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.
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 5. 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.
Conclusion
That's all about how to scan for duplicate files in Windows 11/10/8/7. This post covers two effective ways to make it. As you can see, AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup would be the better choice between the two methods. It has a concise interface and simple steps, making the whole process easier and more efficient.
