Managing duplicate files is indeed crucial for maintaining a clutter-free and efficient computer. However, before you proceed to remove duplicate files from your PC, it’s essential to consider some important factors. Taking a moment to understand these key aspects will make the process of eliminating duplicate files more efficient and reduce the risk of unintentionally removing critical data. Let’s explore these factors to ensure you’re well-prepared for the task at hand.
Things to Keep in Mind When Eliminating Duplicate Files
Consider the following things when cleaning your computer of duplicate files.
Point No 1: Filtering Duplicate Files Is Not Always Facilitated by Sorting
For many people, sorting is considered the most effective approach to removing duplicate files. However, it may not be the robust file-filtering method. While, it facilitates organizing files and viewing them in a sorted list, it does not necessarily highlight comparable files or organize them quickly.
When attempting to avoid the problem of mistakenly copying a file more than once during a drag-and-drop operation, organizing files based on their name or creation time. However, it is unable to distinguish the original file from the collection of copies.
Point No 2: Files That Are Scattered Throughout a Single PC Are Not Backups
Data is safeguarded by backups, but keeping many copies of a file on the same machine for backup purposes is pointless. This practice only increases the prevalence of duplicate files on your device.
As a result, you should make three copies of your files: one backup copy on a different computer, two backup copies on other storage devices, and a third copy on a different device.
Point No 3: Not Every Duplicate File Needs to Be Deleted
Not all duplicate files should be eliminated, thus you should proceed with extreme caution while eliminating them. Certain files, like DirectX archives, are essential for maintaining optimal computer performance. Therefore, you shouldn’t delete these files from your PC.
Point No 4: Multiple Formats May Contain Duplicate Files
The format of duplicate files does not have to be the same; they may also exist in various formats. For exmple, an image file, could be in the JPG, PNG, or JPEG formats. Because of this, while removing duplicate files, you should be mindful of the file types.
Point No 5: Not Every Identical File Is in the Same Place
It’s not always the case that duplicate files reside in one place. For instance, a game file can be found in both the source folder and the game directory, depending on where you originally saved it. As a result, you might have to look for a file duplicate in several places.
Point No 6: Files With the Same or Similar Names Are Not Always Copies of One Another
Files with identical or similar names might occasionally have distinct contents. They cannot thus be viewed as duplicates. Thus, before deleting such files from your computer, you should review their contents.
Point No 7: It Takes More Than Just Recovering Duplicate Files When You Delete Duplicates
It is a good thing that many users constantly engage in the decluttering activity of removing duplicates from their system. They frequently overlook files, though, that aren’t big enough to take up much storage space.
Point No 8: The Laborious Process of Removing Duplicates Takes Time
The manual process to remove duplicate files might take a long time. Eliminating duplicates appears to be an easy task. It takes a lot of time and is exhausting, though. It is hard to remove duplicates without a lot of spare time and energy since it requires a thorough examination of your computer’s interior and exterior for duplicate files. Therefore, it is wise to use the finest duplicate file finder and remover to locate and remove duplicates.
Point No 9: When Removing Duplicates, Avoid Using the Shift+Del Keyboard Shortcut
The Shift+Del shortcut is a common way for users to permanently remove files. If you fall into this category as well, kindly avoid removing duplicate files using this shortcut. This shortcut raises the possibility that you may inadvertently erase a crucial file, rendering it unrecoverable from the Recycle Bin. That’s why you shouldn’t use it.
Point No 10: If You Are Confused, Don’t Remove a File
Do not remove a file from your device if you are unsure whether or not to erase it. It is best to remove a file from your computer only if you are sure, that it is no longer needed.
Point No 11: Don’t Rely Too Much on the Recycle Bin
Unless you delete something permanently, everything you delete goes into the Recycle Bin. However, for reasons like inadvertent deletion, you could also lose data from the recycle bin. It is difficult to restore a permanently erased file without the use of specialized tools. As a result, you should exercise caution while eliminating duplicate files and avoid relying too much on the Recycle Bin.
Point No 12: Put a Shredder to Use
Use file shredding software to permanently destroy data and prevent them from being recovered. To protect your privacy, it deletes the data and renders it unrecoverable.
Bonus Point: Use Duplicate Files Fixer To Remove Duplicate Files From Your PC
Duplicate Files Fixer, created by Systweak Software, is a powerful solution for efficient file management tailored to your requirements. This software is designed to help you easily identify and manage identical and similar files, including photos, videos, text documents, music files, archives, and other multimedia data, based on various parameters such as date and size.
Moreover, this duplicate cleaner offers the flexibility to exclude specific folders from duplicate scanning, allowing you to retain essential data. With Duplicate Files Fixer, you can enjoy a streamlined and clutter-free digital experience across your devices.
The Final Word On Things To Remember While Removing The Duplicate Files
Here are a few helpful factors to keep in mind when removing duplicate files. We hope this post was useful to you. Please feel free to comment if you have any queries or recommendations regarding this article. You can increase your tech knowledge by reading other posts on our site till we return shortly with another educational piece. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Flipboard, and Pinterest.