How to find and delete duplicate files in Windows 11

Is your system slowing down due to insufficient storage space? This is a problem we all face at some point, but everyone has a different approach.

While many people are uninstalling apps, it is recommended that you remove duplicate files in Windows 11 first.

No matter how careful you are in arranging the various files on your PC, there is always a chance that you may inadvertently copy some of them.

If these are scattered across folders and drives, it will make the process more difficult.

However, there are always ways to find and delete duplicate photos and files in Windows 11, and we discuss it in detail in the following section.

By the time you complete this tutorial, you should have cleared out a significant amount of storage space on your PC.

You can also check out how to remove duplicate files in Windows 10.

How to find duplicate files in Windows 11?

Before we dive into how to remove duplicate files in Windows 11, you must know how to find them. While there are several ways to do this, including using third-party software, the built-in File Explorer proves extremely useful for finding them.

While to automatically find and delete duplicate files, you can use reliable third-party software tools, as described in the next section.

1. Sort to identify duplicate files in File Explorer

1. Press Windows ELaunch File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you want to find duplicate files.
2. Now, click on the Sort menu in the top command bar and select Name from the list of options.
3. The files will now be sorted based on their file names, files with a name suffixed with Copy are duplicate files.

#When you paste the same file multiple times in a folder, File Explorer automatically appends the suffix Copy to it to help identify it easily. So, by using this method, you can easily find duplicate photos and files in Windows 11.

2. Select the details view in File Explorer

1. Go to the folder where you want to find duplicate files, click the "View"menu, Then select "Details" from the list of options.
2. The files can now be seen with relevant details listed under different columns.

Once the files are listed, you can easily match them and find duplicate files. Although this method is bound to take some time, as manually checking the details of each file and then comparing it to other files to find duplicates is a tedious task.

To make things easier and faster, make sure the files are also sorted by their Name, as mentioned before.

Now that you know how to find them, let’s see how to remove duplicate files in Windows 11.

How to remove duplicate files in Windows 11?

1. Via File Explorer

1. After identifying duplicate files after sorting by name and switching to details view, select them individually and then single Click the Delete icon or button in the command bar. Del
2. An easier way to delete multiple files at once is to hold down the Ctrl key, select all the files you want to delete, and click Del key.
3. If a confirmation box pops up in either case, click Yes.

This is probably the easiest way to remove duplicate files in Windows 11, but it is certainly a tedious task. Navigating to each folder, sorting the files, finding duplicate files, and then deleting them may not be something you can do.

However, it is also safer because you won't end up deleting any critical files. In some cases, people use third-party software solutions and end up deleting some important files.

2. Use Command Prompt

1. Find the folder where the duplicate files you want to delete are located, right-click it, and select Copy as path from the context menu.

2. After obtaining the folder path, press Windows S to launch the "Search" menu.

3. Enter Windows Terminal in the text field at the top.

4. Right-click on the relevant search result and select Run as administrator from the context menu.

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5. Click Yes in the pop-up UAC (User Account Control) prompt.

6. Now, click on the down arrow at the top and select Command Prompt from the list of options. Alternatively, you can click Ctrl in a new tab Shift to launch the Command Prompt.

7. Type/paste the following command while replacing the folder path with the actual path you copied earlier and hit

Enter

: cd /d "folder path"<strong></strong>

8. Execute the following command and replace the name and extension of the file to be deleted here. ：

del "* - Copy.png" <strong></strong>For example, if you want to delete the

.txt file

with a suffix of 1, the command is as follows: <strong></strong>del "* - 1.txt"<strong></strong>

##If you are used to using commands to perform tasks, You can use command line tools to automatically remove large numbers of duplicate files in one go.

The recommended tool is Command Prompt, but this method also works with Powershell. With commands, you can modify your PC's files and sort out duplicate files.

That’s it! Duplicate files under this command will now be removed in Windows 11. It's quick and easy, but there's an even easier and faster way, using reliable third-party software.

3. Use reliable third-party software

If you do a Google search, it will list tons of third-party software. Most of them will claim to be the best way to remove duplicate files in Windows 11.

However, not all are effective. Conversely, some can even delete critical files and prevent the operating system from booting. Therefore, it is important to choose reliable third-party software.

We recommend using

Easy Duplicate Finder

, a specialized tool that scans your computer for all duplicate files and allows you to easily delete them with a single click.

It's simple to run and one of the fastest. Furthermore, it can find duplicates in different file types, whether they are images, videos, audio clips, and more. Moreover, it not only finds duplicate files on your computer, but also on Google Drive, iTunes, Windows Media, and other platforms.

How to delete temporary files to clear storage space in Windows 11?

In addition to duplicate files, there are also temporary files on your computer that take up a lot of storage space. And if you let them accumulate, it can also affect the performance of your system.

Therefore, it is recommended that you clear these regularly.

Delete Temporary Files in Windows 11

Check out this article to learn how to delete temporary files in Windows 11.

Also, learn how to run disk cleanup and clear cache in Windows 11. All methods listed in these articles also apply to previous iterations.

By now, you already know how to find and delete duplicate files in Windows 11. And with proper knowledge about various methods, you can easily choose the one that suits your requirements and is most effective.

Also, check out the best tools to find and remove duplicate files in Windows 10. If you have another PC running a previous operating system, this should work.

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