Duplicate files on Windows are the main cause of computer slowdowns. They can be eliminated with programs like CCleaner. Here’s how to do it
Duplicate files are one of the main causes of slowdowns on a Windows computer. But how do these duplicate files get created? Simple, when copying and moving files within Windows folders it is common for more than one copy of the same file to exist.
Unfortunately, there are several softwares and applications that we can use to locate and delete duplicate files on our device. This is one of the first steps to take in order to do a good cleaning on our computer and increase not only the available memory, but also the performance of the machine. It should be said that there are an infinite number of programs and tools for eliminating duplicate files. However, not all of them are reliable and, in general, if we don’t have a lot of knowledge, it’s better to rely on a service that offers a simple graphical interface and intuitive functions.
Programs to delete duplicate files
As we said, if we don’t have a lot of knowledge and don’t want to waste too much time cleaning our computer of junk files, we have no choice but to rely on a simple and clear tool. Among the best in this sense is Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. In addition to having a very clean interface, this program offers a convenient preview service. Basically, before deleting videos, photos and documents forever we can understand what we are going to delete. The software is free. By default Auslogics Duplicate File Finder scans images, audio files, video files, archives and applications, but you can also select a single file type to search. Or to speed up the cleaning, you can also use filters. These divide the files by size, date or type. Another effective and quite intuitive tool is Duplicate Cleaner Pro 4. It has many features and a clear interface, the only “flaw” is that it is a paid service.
CCleaner
One of the most popular tools for cleaning duplicate files is definitely CCleaner. This is a widely used, and free, program that is capable of performing various tasks. From the general cleaning of junk files to the precise identification of duplicates. If you don’t want to use all of CCleaner’s features, just go to Tools and then select the Duplicate Finder function. In this way we’ll scan our documents more quickly and accurately looking for two identical files. Compared to Auslogics Duplicate File Finder has a simpler interface.
SearchMyFIles
If we have some knowledge about cleaning and optimizing a computer we might think about downloading an application with advanced and customizable filters. Among the most recommended in this sense is SearchMyFiles. The interface is quite complex and has several fields for manual search, where we can browse files by keywords, date, size and type.