How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Hard Drive?

This fast-forwarding era does everything online, from where too many files are downloaded or created in a single day. And at some period, this hard drive or storage device becomes full of these files. Also, these files negatively impact the system’s efficiency, and these files take up unnecessary space. That’s why most users look for a solution that can remove duplicate files from hard drives to enhance the performance of the hard drive and the system. To delete duplicate files on hard drives, we have brought here different methods in this blog. In addition, a specialized tool like Duplicate File Finder & Remover is also part of it so that it can perform better and more efficient file finding and removal tasks.

Reasons to Find Duplicate Files on External Hard Drive

Several reasons are there for finding duplicate files on an external hard drive.

• Duplicate files take up much storage, and removal by deleting duplicates opens up much space for new files and projects.
• The file access and transfer of an external hard drive containing much duplicate data tend to be slower.
• Identifying and deleting duplicates helps streamline file organization.
• Backup time is longer when duplicate files exist during the time of data backup.
• Multiple versions of the same file can lead to confusion about which is the most recent or accurate version. 
• Reducing duplicates can help avoid accidental editing or deletion of the wrong file.
• If you frequently share files, having duplicates can complicate sharing processes. 
• In shared environments, duplicate files complicate tracking of which version to use or update.
• If you plan on transferring your files to another drive or cloud storage, the removal of duplicate files can make the process easier to achieve.
• With less data storage, this will also mean using lesser amounts of energy, hence leaving a greener digital footprint.

Delete duplicate files on external hard drives can greatly make for an organized, efficient, and user-friendly experience.

How to Remove Duplicate Files on Hard Drive?

There are various methods available to delete the duplicate file from your system. Let us explore all the methods one by one for better result outcomes:

#1. Delete Duplicate Files Using File Explorer and Indexing Option

1. Open the search by pressing the window icon on your keyboard, then type the indexing option.
2. After that, select Modify so that you can select which folders you would want to index. Make sure you have selected the folders containing duplicated files you wish you mark.
3. Now, click OK to save your settings.
4. Open File Explorer using the folder icon on your taskbar or by pressing the Windows + E button.
5. Then, navigate to the folder you wish to search.
6. Use the search bar at the top right to type a common file name or extension, “*your query*” for example “*.jpg*” when you are searching for pictures.
7. Now, the indexed search will quickly locate files based on your query.
8. You could sort your search results based on name, size, and date modified by clicking the column headers that have this option.
9. After that, hold the Ctrl key and click on the duplicates you want to remove.
10. Then, right-click on the selected files and choose Delete to remove them.
11. In the end, do not forget to empty your recycle bin for the files to be permanently deleted.

#2. Remove Duplicate Files with the help of File Explorer

1. Launch File Explorer from a folder icon on your taskbar or by using the Windows + E key.
2. You then navigate to the folder that you want to search for.
3. In the top right corner of the window, you can use the search bar to enter a common file name or extension, ~”*your query*”.
4. Now, the indexed search will instantly find files that match your query.
5. You can also sort your search results by name, size, or date modified if you click on the column headers for that field.
6. After that, select the duplicate files you wish to delete with the Ctrl key held down.
7. Once you’ve selected those files you can permanently delete them from your hard disk or system using the keyboard shortcut shift+delete.

#3. Delete Duplicate Files on Hard Drive with the help of Windows PowerShell

Here’s a step-by-step guide to identifying and removing duplicate files using PowerShell:

1. Press the Win + X keyboard shortcut and open Windows PowerShell or open Windows Terminal.
2. Use the command:

set-location –path C:\

3. Use the cd command to change to the directory where you want to search for duplicate files. For example:

cd "C:\Path\To\Your\Folder"

4. Determine your duplicate files based on the hash values using the following command:

Get-(directory you want to search) -Recurse | Get-filehash |Group-Object -Property Hash | Where-Object { $_.Count -gt 1 } |ForEach-Object { $_.Group | Select-Object -Skip 1 }Out-File -FilePath "(location where you want to export the result)"

5. This command will list all duplicate files, keeping one instance of each.
6. Now, look at the output to verify that the files listed above are indeed duplicates
7. If you want to delete these duplicates automatically, you can modify your delete command like so:

Get-(directory you want to search) -Recurse | Get-filehash |Group-Object -Property Hash | Where-Object { $_.Count -gt 1 } |ForEach-Object { $_.Group | Select-Object -Skip 1 | Remove-Item -Force }Del |

Warning: When you run this command: there is no reverse undo option for this command, and the duplicates will permanently disappear without you ever seeing them again. Hence use this command with caution.

8. After running the previous command, you might want to rerun your original command to confirm that the duplicates are gone.

Limitations of Delete Duplicate Files on Hard Drive Manually

• This proves to be quite labor-intensive and time-consuming as one searches through files one by one to delete all duplicates.
• The more versions you have of related files, the higher the chances of permanently deleting an unwanted file.
• Without specialized tools, you may overlook duplicates that don’t have the same name, especially if you are using non-technical tools to delete files.
• Generally, manual methods don’t provide many advanced features.
• You may not get a preview of the files that you are about to erase.
• Finding and identifying duplicate files manually becomes impractical when dealing with a great number of files.
• The process can lead to further disorganization.
• Manual deletion usually does not support copying to a temporary folder for easy review of the duplicates.

These limitations highlight some of the problems in manual duplicate file deletion and underscore the advantages of specialized software for this purpose.

#4. Professional Ways to Remove Duplicate Files From External Hard Drive

The Duplicate File Finder & Remover is a powerful solution for identifying and removing duplicate files saved on your hard drive. By filtering similar files, it saves you time and effort in manually cleaning up cluttered storage. The tool efficiently handles duplicates based on various criteria across all selected files and folders. It supports multiple file formats of varying sizes, ensuring a comprehensive cleanup. Additionally, the tool features a user-friendly design and advanced functionalities, including a free duplicate finder that allows you to explore its capabilities.

Steps to Delete Duplicate Files on Hard Drive via Tool

Here are the ways to know how our tool functions. Follow the described steps to delete duplicate files with our tool and save your precious storage:

1. Download, Install, and launch your system’s DRS Duplicate File Finder & Remover Tool. Run it as administrator.
2. To add a file, select the add file or add folder option as per your needs.
3. After adding a file or folder, you see the additional features along with them. Choose it according to your needs or set it as default.
4. If you want to delete duplicate files based on binary and metadata choose the “on the basis of duplicate files” option.
5. After that, our tool scans the duplicate folders or files.
6. Now you will be able to see the duplicate file based on different file extensions.
7. In the end, you will be able to remove duplicate files from your hard drive as well as a system to enhance its performance.

Conclusion

In this blog, we explored various methods to delete duplicate files on hard drive. You can choose the method that suits you best. For a guaranteed and safe solution, the automated technique is ideal, as it quickly detects and removes duplicates with minimal effort. Additionally, this utility allows you to store duplicate files in a separate folder rather than deleting them outright, providing a more flexible approach to file management. Overall, these methods ensure a smoother and more organized experience for your storage needs.

Also Read: Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac.