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4 Easy Methods to Remove Duplicate Files in Windows 10

Remove unnecesary files on your device and boost its performance

6 min. read

Updated onJuly 12, 2024

updated onJuly 12, 2024

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Key notes

Resolve multiple Windows PC issues and speed up your PC effortlessly with specialized software.

How do you remove duplicate files in Windows 10? Here is what you must know. Superfluous duplicate files can waste quite a bit of hard drive storage space.

So, it’s surprising that Windows 10 doesn’t include a built-in file scanner with which users can find and delete duplicated files.

There are plenty of third-party system maintenance and more specific duplicate file-cleaning utilities for Windows to scan for and erase duplicates with.

Can Windows find duplicate files?

Users of the OS can find duplicate files, but the OS does not offer a native duplicate file finder. This means you must rely solely on third-party tools or alternate methods to identify duplicate files on your PC.

While, in the end, you may be able to find duplicate files on the OS, you must note that the solutions may not be straightforward.

If you’re also looking for quickways to delete email duplicates in Outlook, the highlighted guide will help you.

How can I delete duplicate files in Windows 10?

1. Use File Explorer

In the following guide, we showed you how to sort and delete duplicate files using the built-in File Explorer app. This can be a task that will take a lot of time and attention, but in the end, you will manage to get rid of the duplicates.

Now, click onModifyand click the Show all locations button in the next window.
Make sure all the boxes are checked and click the OK button.
Press the Windows key + E to start File Explorer.
Now, go to your user profile from the following location: This PC\Local Disk C:\Users
You need to make a few adjustments to sort the files better:
Now that we’ve prepared our File Explorer window, we can look for duplicate files by typing the extensions of the files we’re looking for in the Search tab.
We have prepared a file extension table below to make your work easier.
Finally, look at the files’ names, the date they were modified, and the size, and when you find a duplicate, click on the file and hitDelete.

You can also develop your technique and select other folders or settings to view the files, but this worked for us.

2. Erase duplicate files with CCleaner

The easiest way to resolve this issue is by using CCleaner. This fantastic software can help you remove any duplicates and offers a wide range of other valuable options.

CCleaner’s Duplicate Finder is a perfectly sufficient utility for purging duplicated files. However, there are many other alternative duplicate file finder software.

CCleaner

3. Use PassFab Duplicate File Deleter

This is an efficient way to remove duplicate files in Windows 10.

You should know that with the Free Trial version, you can only remove 15 files. You must purchase a monthly, yearly, or lifetime software version for unlimited removal.

Of course, you may scan a whole drive or just the folders you may be interested in. Also, we remind you that there is the option of scanning only for photos, which will go a lot faster.

But anyway, the process is still speedy because PassFab Duplicate File Deleter uses the latest MD5 algorithm to ensure the result is fast and 100% accurate.

Also, you can quickly scan external drives, SD cards, USB flash disks, and more, and it will detect any format of duplicate files.

PassFab Duplicate File Deleter

4. Via PowerShell

A great method to remove duplicate files on your PC is to use the built-in Powershell tool. It is a command-line shell that allows you to make modifications on your PC.

This method also works for Command Prompt if you don’t have Powershell set as default on your PC. Furthermore, if your PC uses Windows Terminal instead, you can enter it and choose to run Powershell/Command Prompt from within the tool.

So, now you know how to remove duplicate files in Windows 10 using your built-in File Explorer or some of the most clever tools available.

Aduplicate finder softwareis often one of your best alternatives in finding and deleting Windows duplicate files. Users also come acrossduplicate drive letters in Windows, and this can be fixed with a registry edit.

If you know of any other convenient way of getting rid of duplicate files, let us know in the comments section below.

4 Easy Methods to Remove Duplicate Files in Windows 10#

Can Windows find duplicate files?#

How can I delete duplicate files in Windows 10?#

1. Use File Explorer#

2. Erase duplicate files with CCleaner#

CCleaner#

3. Use PassFab Duplicate File Deleter#

PassFab Duplicate File Deleter#

4. Via PowerShell#