How to Delete Duplicate Copies of Files in Windows & Mac? Best Solution

Advantages to Remove Duplicate Copies of Files

Users often recognize the benefits of removing duplicate files from their Windows and Mac systems. These duplicates can include photos, videos, text documents, and other types of files. In the following section, we will explore the advantages of eliminating these duplicate copies from your system.

• Removing redundant files from your PC can free up valuable disk space.
• The overall efficiency and responsiveness of the system are enhanced.
• It simplifies the management and organisation of files.
• Reduces confusion and errors when managing multiple files.
• Shortens backup time by eliminating duplicates.
• Saves time and effort in retrieving and managing files.

Instantly Duplicate Copies of Files in Windows & Mac

There is no built-in tool in Windows or Mac to find and delete duplicate files from your system. Therefore, you should opt for an easy and fast solution, such as the Aryson Duplicate File Finder & Remover Tool. The software also remove duplicate images on Windows 10 and other pervious version. This tool can quickly find duplicate files in all file formats and offers many useful features and filters. The steps to remove duplicate files on Windows and Mac are as follows:

1. Install and run the Duplicate File Finder & Remover on your system.
2. Click on the Add Files/Add Folders to add the files to the software.
3. Select the Duplicacy Parameters and click on the Next button.
4. Finally either delete the duplicate files permanently or move them to the trash can.

Remove Duplicate Files on Windows Using File Explorer

This section will outline the steps to delete duplicate files in Windows 10/11. While Windows does have File Explorer, which can help find and delete duplicate files, here are the steps to remove similar files using this tool:

1. Open the Start menu and search for indexing options. Click on the relevant app from the search results.
2. In the Indexing Options window, click Modify. Then, select Show all locations.
3. Check all the available boxes and click OK.
4. Launch File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E.
5. Access your user profile by navigating to This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Users.
6. To organise your files:
   1. Click the View tab and select the Preview pane to see a preview of the files you are considering.
   2. Go to the Layout section and choose Details.
   3. In the Current View section, click Group by, select Name, and choose Ascending.
7. Search for duplicate files in the File Explorer by entering the file extensions you want to remove in the Search box.
8. Examine the file names, modification dates, and sizes. If duplicates are found, select them and click the Delete button.

The steps outlined above allow you to delete duplicate files using File Explorer. While this method may be more time-consuming, it remains effective for removing unnecessary files from your computer.

How to Remove Similar Files in Mac?

Even on a Mac, deleting identical files can be challenging. However, you can use Finder to locate and remove duplicate files. We’ve also streamlined the steps to make the process easier for users.

1. Click on the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.
2. Navigate to the folder or directory where you want to search for duplicate files. You can use This Mac to search your entire system.
3. In the Finder window, enter a common file type or name in the search bar. For a broader search, you can type a general keyword related to the files you suspect are duplicates.
4. Click on the View menu and select As List to view files in a list format.
5. Click on the Name column header to sort files by name, or use other criteria like Date Modified or Size to group similar files together.
6. Look through the sorted list to identify files that appear to be duplicates based on name, size, or date.
7. Select the duplicate files you want to remove by clicking on them while holding the Command (⌘) key.
8. Right-click (or Control-click) on the selected files and choose Move to Trash from the context menu. Alternatively, you can press Command (⌘) + Delete to move them to the Trash.
9. Right-click (or Control-click) on the Trash icon in the Dock and select Empty Trash to permanently delete the files. Alternatively, open the Trash and click Empty in the upper-right corner.
10. Double-check the locations where you removed duplicates to ensure no necessary files were accidentally deleted.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve addressed how to delete duplicate files on both Windows 10/11 and macOS, covering searches across various locations like the C drive, flash drives, external hard drives, and more. We’ve outlined basic manual and free methods for removing duplicate files on these systems. For situations where these methods might not be sufficient, we suggest using the Aryson Duplicate File Finder & Remover to effectively locate and eliminate duplicate data.

About The Author:

Mithilesh Tata

Mithilesh Tata is dedicated to making the lives of his customers as simple as possible. He enjoys learning about new applications and utilities that can help people protect their data. Mithilesh also has a strong grasp on email migration & data recovery. He enjoys validating every component of the software, technical materials, and anything else that has to do with his working life.

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