A clearer view of your files.
Select a folder, review the evidence, and make a plan. Duplicate File Locator reads your chosen files locally and never deletes, moves, renames, or edits them.
Try the guided demo first. It uses fictional example files, including exact copies, different files with matching names, and large unverified candidates. Your folders are not accessed.
1. Choose a folder
Open the file finder and choose Connect folder. On browsers with a directory picker, grant read access to the folder you want to review. Other browsers use a folder-selection input. Browser and device support varies, especially on older phones and browsers. If a folder cannot be chosen, use Select files and choose the files to compare. Only those files are scanned. Original folder locations are not provided; paths show filenames, and names alone do not prove a duplicate. Some mobile pickers allow only one file at a time; choose at least two files in one selection to compare copies. Cancelling the picker keeps the current session.
Files and subfolders within the selection are indexed. The app cannot scan your whole device without your selection. Cloud placeholders that have not been downloaded may fail to read. Read access lasts for this browser session; no folder connection is saved for later.
2. Let verification finish
The scanner first groups files by non-zero size, then computes SHA-256 for same-size candidates up to 128 MiB each. Hashing reads an eligible file into memory, one at a time. Large folders can take time. The progress panel has a Pause control for scheduled work; a read already in progress must finish before the pause takes effect.
Files larger than 128 MiB, unreadable files, and files without available hashing remain unverified. Empty files are indexed but excluded from duplicate detection. A no-results message does not prove that unverified files are unique.
3. Review the three evidence types
| View | Meaning | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Exact copies | Same size and matching SHA-256 | Compare locations and file context |
| Possible copies | Same-size candidates with missing verification | Verify externally before deciding |
| Name conflicts | Matching filenames; contents may differ | Inspect both files instead of assuming a copy |
4. Compare and label copies
Open a group to see each path, size, last-modified time, and available hash evidence. Use its comparison controls to put two copies side by side. A supported image or readable document can open in the read-only Viewer; unsupported formats still have file facts available.
Choose Keep in plan or Potential redundant copy for each member. These are labels in memory, not commands to your filesystem. A group is reviewed when every member has a label and at least one is kept. Keeping every copy is allowed. The newest modified date is not an automatic recommendation.
5. Export your plan
Open Your review plan to download readable Markdown or structured JSON. Reports include filenames, relative paths, evidence, and labels; they do not include source file contents. Check paths for private information before sharing a report. “Extra-copy bytes” is a logical estimate, not space already reclaimed.
Explore when it helps
Files searches the complete connected index, even when the displayed rows are capped. Explore opens storage, activity, versions, and File Map. The visual map is capped at 340 nodes; the underlying file index remains complete. The keyboard-accessible Files view offers a text alternative to the map.
Inside Files is optional. Choose Analyze file contents to index supported readable text up to 2 MiB per file and 64 MiB per run. Some small Markdown/YAML files are already read during scanning for embedded metadata. HTML and SVG source is shown cautiously rather than executed as an active page.
Session memory and downloads
Review labels, saved searches, pinned destinations, and file facts stay in memory. Reloading, closing the tab, or loading another folder clears the working session. Download a plan if you want to keep it. A Changes snapshot is a file-facts report, not a backup of your documents. Changes and snapshot actions require a folder selection because individual-file selection does not provide original folder paths.
Keyboard and theme
Use Tab to move through controls, Enter or Space to activate buttons, and Escape to close dialogs. Ctrl/Command K opens Find & commands. Alt+Left and Alt+Right navigate workspace history. The header theme button remembers your light or dark choice across pages and later visits on this website. Before you make a choice, the site follows your system preference. Only this display preference is stored; file data and review labels stay in memory. If browser storage is blocked or cleared, the saved preference is unavailable.
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