Duplicate files are a bane of your computer’s existence. Even if you are ultra careful, they are bound to appear. For instance, duplicates are unavoidable when you regularly transfer files between devices, when you are creating and managing multiple versions of files, and so on. As such, over a period of time, these duplicates accumulate and clog up your storage space.
On an average hectic day, it might not be feasible for you to identify duplicate files manually. This is where you can bring into force a dedicated duplicate file finder tool. In this post, we are going to discuss AllDup which is regarded as one of the best duplicate file finders.
What is AllDup Duplicate File Finder?
AllDup for Windows is a utility with which you can identify tons of duplicate files across a variety of file types – audio, video, images, documents, and more.
It ensures that you delete the right duplicate files instead of deleting the wrong or important ones. It does that by offering you multiple comparison methods, filters, and other features that we are going to discuss in this post.
Towards the end, we’ll find out how powerful and efficient AllDup Duplicate Finder is for your Windows 11/10 PC.
How To Use AllDup Duplicate File Finder On Windows?
Step 1 – Download, install, and run AllDup duplicate file finder on your computer.
Step 2 – From the right-hand side, click on the + icon to add a drive or folder that you want to scan for duplicate files, or you can click on an existing drive or folder added to the list.
Step 3 – Select your desired Comparison method.
Step 4 – Next, click on the Search Method on the toolbar that you can see at the top and choose a Search Method.
Step 5 – You can exclude specific files and folders by clicking on File Filter or Folder Filter respectively.
Step 6 – Click on the Start Search button from the top.
Step 7 – Preview the files and either manually select the files you want to delete or select all files by clicking on the Select All button.
Pricing –
AllDup is a free duplicate file finder utility. You can download and install it for free without paying up for any subscription fee.
Notable Features –
1. Comparison Methods
AllDup offers multiple comparison methods in order to compare duplicates. As can be seen in the screenshot above there are 4 comparison methods – you can compare all source folders; compare files within the same source folder; files between different source folders and compare files within the same source and subfolders.
2. Create Profiles
Let’s assume you conducted a search for duplicate files with certain search criteria. AllDup lets you save your search settings (for example, source folders, search methods, etc) into a file so that you can load these settings in the future. You can click on the Profiles option and choose and load from amongst saved profile files.
3. Search Methods
AllDup offers a total of 6 search methods on the basis of which you can find duplicate files. When you click on a Search Method, you have further options. For instance, when you choose to Find similar audio files, you can choose the length of audio files, algorithm, ignore ID3 tags, etc.
4. Find Hard Links
While primarily AllDup is a duplicate file finder, it also comes with the ability to show hard links alongside the files they correspond to. In case, there are multiple hard links for any file, they are grouped neatly.
5. Preview Files
The file preview lets you display different file types directly in the search results. This way you can be sure of the files you are deleting.
6. Filters
To make the scan or identification of duplicate files and folders more precise, AllDup for Windows PC offers you two types of filters, namely, the File Filter and the Folder Filter. The File Filter lets you include or exclude the files of a particular file format. You can also exclude files with 0 bytes or files that are smaller or larger than a particular file size. Similarly, with Folder Filter you can include or exclude folders from being scanned. Apart from that, there are a few more options in either filter as you can see in the screenshot above.
If Not AllDup, Is There Another Duplicate File Finder You Can Try?
The interface of AllDup is something that might come across as a little complicated, especially for someone new to the concept of duplicate file finder. In that case, you can always opt for an AllDup alternative. Duplicate Files Fixer, for example, is one of the best AllDup alternatives available. Below is a brief demonstration of how you can use Duplicate Files Fixer to find duplicate files –
Step 1 – Download, install, and run Duplicate Files Fixer.
Step 2 – Select the file type in which you want to identify duplicates. From the Scan Mode dropdown, you can also opt for finding duplicate files from cloud storage mediums as well.
Step 3 – Click on Scan for duplicates.
Step 4 – Once the scan is complete, you can review the duplicate files. You can even hit the Automark button at the top which will leave one copy in each group unmarked.
Step 5 – Click on Delete Marked to remove the duplicates.
To know more about Duplicate Files Fixer and why it’s one of the best tools to clean up, declutter, and reclaim storage space, check out this post.
AllDup – Indeed A Force To Reckon For Removing Duplicate Files
Keeping aside the interface, AllDup is indeed an efficient duplicate file finder that can help you identify and remove duplicate files in a safe and fast manner. Also, you won’t have to spend an extra penny for a subscription. If you have used AllDup already, do share your experience in the comments section below. And, if you have a favorite duplicate finder tool, do let us know that as well. For more such content, keep reading articles on WeTheGeek. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.