Delete Duplicate Files on Windows 10/11: Find and Remove Them

Over time, your Windows PC accumulates photos, documents, downloads, and installers, and many of them end up duplicated.

These redundant copies take up valuable storage space on your hard drive and external drives, make files harder to organize, and can slow down searching and backups.

If you want to know how to delete duplicate files, this guide shows you how to find and remove them in 3 ways.

How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Windows 10/11

Quick answer: To find and remove duplicate files in Windows 10/11, use a cleaner like MiniTool Partition Wizard, which compares file hashes and deletes duplicates in a few clicks. Or check folders in File Explorer or use PowerShell to list duplicates by hash.

Below are 3 methods to find and remove duplicate files on Windows 10/11. The first one is third-party software, and the other two are built-in Windows tools.

Before you delete duplicate files:

1. Back up important files first.
2. Only delete user-created duplicates, such as photos, documents, and downloads. Do not remove files in C:\Windows, C:\Program Files, or other system and program folders, as this may cause software crashes or system instability.
3. Keep one copy of each file, and check the Recycle Bin before emptying it.

Here is a video guide:

Method 1. Delete Duplicate Files with MiniTool Partition Wizard

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a free duplicate file cleaner, which enables you to find and delete duplicate files stored across your PC and external drives with just a few clicks.

Its key features:

• Fast scanning using MD5 (default) and SHA-1 hash algorithms for accurate content matching.
• Filters for file types, size, and locations (e.g., exclude external drives).
• Sort files from results by name, size, or quantity to easily identify and manage duplicates.
• One-click selection of duplicates (e.g., keep the newest/oldest modified/created).
• Safe deletion (files go to the Recycle Bin by default).

Now, try the steps below to find and remove duplicate files.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Download and install this software on your computer. Then launch it.

Step 2. On the top toolbar of the main interface, select the Duplicate Cleaner feature.

Step 3. In the following interface, configure the scan settings, including location and file type. Then click Scan Now.

Step 4. After scanning, the results will show all duplicate files with their size and quantity. To view the full path of all duplicate files, click Expand All.

Step 5. Click Smart Select and then select different selection methods according to your needs.

Step 6. Click Delete Selected Files to choose different deletion options. Then click OK to start the deletion of duplicate files.

Method 2. Find and Remove Duplicate Files with File Explorer

File Explorer is Windows’ default file management tool. Its search and sorting capabilities let you manually identify redundant files. This method works best for specific folders rather than the entire hard drive. It is time-consuming and prone to errors.

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Win + E.
2. Navigate to the folder you want to scan (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\Downloads).
3. Click the View tab at the top, then select Details to display file attributes like size, type, and date modified.
4. Use the search bar to filter by file extension (e.g., .jpg, .docx, .pdf).
5. Click the Size column header to sort files by size. Duplicates are often the same size, so grouping files this way makes them easier to spot.
6. For files of the same size, check their names, dates modified, and content.
7. Once confirmed, select the duplicate(s) (hold Ctrl to select multiple files), right-click, and choose Delete to move them to the Recycle Bin.

Method 3. Find Duplicate Files with PowerShell

For tech-savvy users, PowerShell can find duplicate files by content. The command below calculates a hash value for every file in a folder, groups files with identical hashes, and saves the list to a text file. It does not delete any files automatically.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).

Step 2. Type cd “folder path” and press Enter. Replace the folder path with the folder you want to scan, such as C:\Users\forev\Desktop.

Step 3. Copy and run the following script in PowerShell:

(Get-ChildItem -Recurse -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Get-FileHash -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Group-Object Hash | Where-Object { $_.Count -gt 1 } | ForEach-Object { $_.Group | Select-Object Path, Hash }) | Out-File “$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\dupes.txt”

Step 4. When the process finishes (it may take a while for large folders), open dupes.txt. Files with the same Hash value are identical. Keep one copy in each group and delete the others manually. Double-check each path before deleting to avoid removing the wrong file.

Here is a table to show the difference between the three methods:

Which method should you choose? Use MiniTool Partition Wizard if you want to scan whole drives quickly and accurately, File Explorer for a few small folders, and PowerShell if you prefer command-line tools and hash-based checks.

How to remove duplicate files on Windows 10/11? This post offers 3 methods. Among them, MiniTool Partition Wizard is worth trying.Click to Tweet

What Are Duplicate Files and Why Delete Them?

A duplicate file is an identical copy of another file, meaning they have the same content, file size, and often the same name. Even files with different names can be duplicates if their underlying data matches. Deleting them frees up disk space, reduces clutter, and makes it easier to find the right file.

Duplicate files form for a variety of reasons:

• Accidental copies: Dragging and dropping files instead of cutting them, or using “Copy-Paste” when you meant to “Move,” creates instant duplicates. This is especially common with photos or documents transferred between folders.
• Download redundancy: Downloading the same file multiple times. Whether because you forgot you already saved it or the first download failed, it piles up duplicates in your Downloads folder.
• Backup errors: Improperly configured backup settings can create redundant copies.

Duplicates can be any type of file, including:

• User files: photos, videos, music files, documents, and downloaded attachments.
• System/application files: Windows and installed programs sometimes create duplicate system files or library files in different directories to avoid conflicts or for system recovery. Do not delete these.

Delete Duplicate Files FAQ

Bottom Line

Duplicate files consume storage space and performance on Windows computers. Making duplicate file cleanup part of your routine computer maintenance can ensure performance.

To do that, you can choose a third-party duplicate cleaner or built-in tools like File Explorer and PowerShell.

If you have any questions or suggestions on how to use MiniTool Partition Wizard, do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected]. We’ll reply to you as soon as possible.