How Do I Scan Hard Drive for Duplicate Files and Remove Them?

You probably know the disadvantages of having a large number of duplicate files taking up space on your hard drive. Yes, it can slow down the performance of your hard drive, consume storage space, and make it difficult to find the correct or latest files. So, it's time to scan your drive for duplicate files and clean them up! Wondering how to do that? This passage will provide you with guidance.

How to scan for duplicate files on hard drives?

Here are 2 methods to guide you scan hard drives for duplicate files. If you want to scan a single hard drive, the first method is suitable. If you want to scan multiple drives for duplicate files, way 2 can be effective.

Way 1. Manually scan hard drive for duplicate files with File Explorer

To scan drive for duplicate files manually is not a complex task. You can use the Windows File Explorer program for this purpose. However, this option is more suitable for scanning smaller amounts of data; otherwise, it can be time-consuming. By the way, if you have specific requirements, such as identifying similar-sized files, this method may be limited, and it's better to seek help from a professional duplicate file finder.

Step 1. Connect your external/USB hard drive to the computer and open File Explorer by pressing the Windows key and the E key together on your keyboard.

Step 2. Navigate to your USB Drive, in this example, we'll use H:

Step 3. Organize the files by sorting them by Name, Date, or Size.

Step 4. Examine the files side by side to find duplicates. Then, look for similar files by searching its name, such as "TV Tool".

Repeat these steps until you've deleted all the similar files from your external or USB hard drive.

Way 2. Scan multiple drives for duplicate files and effectively clear them

Manually scanning your hard drive for duplicate files may not be an effective solution for expanding your drive's storage space. If your goal is to maintain organized and clutter-free hard drives, the method mentioned above can be quite time-consuming and exhausting due to the need to carefully scrutinize files.

Now, consider using software to scan for duplicate files, such as AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This tool can simultaneously scan multiple drives for duplicate files and offers various scanning options. After finding the files, you can filter files by type and apply search criteria like file size or identical names and decide which duplicates to keep and which to safely delete.

What’s more, it even provides safety measures to protect essential system files and accidental file deletion recovery. All of these can make it easy to maintain your computer clean and fast.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, then click the "Free up" main tab and select "Duplicate Files Finder".

Step 2. In the new window, you can limit the scan range and file types. Then, click “Scan”. If you choose “Advanced”, you can set more details for the files.

Step 3. During the scan, you can see the file numbers, time spent, and remaining time. If you want to stop the process, click “Stop Scan”.

Step 4. When the scan is complete, you can view the results. All duplicate files will appear in the window, and you can check the size and time by clicking “Preview”. Click “Smart Selection”, and the program will choose the appropriate files to delete.

3 deletion methods
✍ Delete directly: Duplicate files will be deleted directly and permanently.
✍ Move to Recycle Bin: Duplicate files will be moved to the Recycle Bin of your computer and can still be recovered. (Set as default)
✍ Remove to a specified folder: Move duplicate files to a designated location. You can set up a location to save the duplicate files.

You can also set your preferences in Settings as well.

Set personal preferences (This setting is for the smart set. For manual deletion, there is no need to set this option.)

Conclusion

It is easy to scan hard drive for duplicate files by choosing a powerful tool. If you want to maintain high performance, AOMEI Partition Assistant also shares functions like Migrate OS, Allocate Free Space, PC Cleaner, and so on. For Windows Server users, it provides the Server Edition.