Hello! In recent times, we have experienced a relative decline in the amount of storage space. Indeed, SSDs, which are still more expensive than hard disks, have been responsible for slowing down the expansion of the amount of data storage present by default on computers. Certainly, SSDs have meant a relative reduction in storage capacity. However, they have finally prevailed. In fact, they are much faster and, according to the experience of some people and some studies, more durable. On the other hand, it is a fact that hard disks have been slow to evolve properly. One of the criticisms of this new system is that its size is sometimes limited. That is, with respect to mechanical hard disks. So, duplicate files can be a real headache. That is why today we will see 4 applications to remove duplicate files.
Why is it important to clear duplicate files?
Certainly, SSDs are still more expensive than hard disks. However, today their prices are affordable enough to have 1 terabyte of storage in this format. Does this seem too much to you? The reality is that this amount has become the minimum necessary if you don’t want to run out of space. Especially if you deal with things that take up a lot of disk space. For example, gaming. Remember that recent triple A titles take up tens of gigabytes, or even more than 100. Another activity that demands a lot of hard disk space is professional video editing. Often, if more than 1 terabyte of storage is required, then we resort to traditional hard disks. In addition, they are frequently used in conjunction with an SSD. This is intended to store the operating system and some critical files.
This is the consolidation of SSDs. In addition to the presence of software that occupies more and more space on the disk. Consequently, keeping under control the amount of space used can become important for the average user. Therefore, the use of tools to detect duplicate files comes in handy to recover that space that has been uselessly lost.
Sometimes a file is replicated in several subdirectories because it is a resource that is reused with some frequency. However, this can result in the loss of a large amount of space. Especially, if the file is large and one forgets to delete the copies that are no longer useful. In such situations, it does not hurt to use a tool to detect and delete duplicate files.
The best tools to remove duplicate files.
However, we would like to issue a word of caution before proceeding further. If a duplicate file is in the system folders, or you are not clear where it came from, it is wise not to delete it. Basically, the border can be set at the root of the user’s personal folder. Example: C:\Users\“Username”. Any file that is at a higher level should not be deleted in order to preserve the integrity of the system.
Duplicate Cleaner Pro
Duplicate Cleaner Pro is one of the most popular tools in its segment. Indeed, its description leaves little to the imagination. However, it is important to keep in mind that it is a paid application that allows, on a trial basis, to delete a maximum of 15 files for free. After that, the user will have to check out. Therefore, it is good to select the context in which you want to test the application to see if it convinces you or not.
Moreover, its interface is quite simple and self-explanatory. It allows you to protect and exclude folders from searches. It also indicates how many times a file is repeated and how much space would be gained by deleting its copies. Furthermore, it is also able to scan Google Drive, Dropbox, SmartScan mobile and proceed to delete empty folders. However, there is one key tip to use it without risk. It is advisable to limit its use to files hosted in the user’s personal folder in the operating system to avoid unpleasantness.
Auslogics Duplicate File Finder
Another tool available for removing duplicate files is Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. Compared to the previous one, this one can be a bit more finicky when it comes to configuring the search. In fact, by default, it ignores files that share the same creation date. If one is not attentive to this detail, it is possible to see that it does not find the duplicates of the file that the user wants to delete.
On the other hand, the tool offers the possibility to add a trial version of the Auslogics driver updater. Therefore, this is a typical tool that aims to help the user to maintain the system. However, it is always better to be careful with such tools. If you use them, only use those parts that are useful and do not pose a risk to the integrity of the operating system.
To perform a complete search of all personal files, the user must uncheck the corresponding boxes to expand the radius. Especially the one referring to the mentioned date of creation. After configuring the search, the user should see that the tool works correctly. In addition, it offers additional features. Namely, cleaning drives, optimizing drives, recovery of lost files. In addition to the aforementioned driver updates and possibilities to improve PC performance. When the user clicks on these options, he will be directed to the download of the corresponding Auslogics application. Once there, you must make the corresponding payment.
SearchMyFiles
This tool is a portable application with an old-fashioned look and feel. However, for searching, it is possibly the most powerful of all those mentioned in this list. On the other hand, the price for that power is that it is more complicated to use. Indeed, it may require some knowledge of command line or regular expressions to fully understand it.
SearchMyFiles is not oriented to find duplicate files, but any file found within the directory set by the user. Criteria such as creation, modification, and access date are supported. Apart from attributes such as whether it is a system file, read-only or hidden. Additionally, it allows playing with the wildcard as padding of any character set. For example, if the user enters *.png in the Files Wildcard field, the tool will search for any file whose name ends in “.png”. Consequently, this should ultimately result in finding all images in PNG format within the specified directory.
It is recommended to set the starting point in the user’s root folder to avoid sensitive system files. However, this does not exclude the care of manipulating personal files. Especially if we are talking about a computer that is being used for professional or management purposes. After performing the search, the user can see the files that have the same name and proceed to delete the duplicates that he/she is not interested in keeping. However, it is best to look at the size and location first to make sure that you delete the correct ones. Bye!
