Dealing with duplicate files

All of us end up with duplicate files in our systems over time.

We save a file in our 'main' folder for a particular type of item, then deliberately create a copy in another location for a reason. For example, I have a list of resources in an articles folder, and - when I am going to send a copy to a client for their information - I copy the file into my client folder so that I know I have sent a copy to my client.

However, file duplication is not always deliberate. We may move things to the wrong folder. We may file things in the wrong folder, then do it again later when we can't find what we were sure we had filed. We can file the same thing multiple times under slightly different names. We can drag and drop files across partitioned drives without realising it, and end up with a double set of - more or less - the same files on the same device.

This is where a piece of kit such as dupeGuru (https://dupeguru.voltaicideas.net/) comes in. This freeware was created to find duplicate files on our devices, scanning for filenames or file contents using a 'fuzzy matching' algorithm. Not only does it search for all the usual file formats, it also does a good job of searching music and image files.

We can customise how we see our results, what type of duplicates we are looking for, and what we want to do with the duplicates we find (such as copying duplicates to another folder). There are a range of filters and sorts. dupeGuru has been designed for safety, so we don't unintentionally delete files (no 'oops' moments). The app has versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Check it out :-)

Sam