The duplicate scanner only identifies files that are byte-for-byte identical copies of other files. It does not guess or estimate -- it uses cryptographic hashing to verify that two files contain exactly the same data.
Safety measures for duplicate cleaning:
- One copy always kept -- The oldest copy of each file is always preserved. Only the extra copies are removed.
- User folders only -- The scanner only checks your personal folders (Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Pictures, Music, Videos). System files and program files are never touched.
- Confirmation required -- You see every duplicate group and approve the clean before anything is removed.
- System Restore point -- A restore point is created before cleaning, as with all other clean operations.
- Recycle Bin option -- Enable this in Settings to send removed duplicates to the Recycle Bin for easy recovery.
- Logging -- Every removed duplicate is logged with both the kept path and the removed path.
The most common duplicates found are: photos copied to multiple folders, files downloaded more than once, documents saved in multiple locations, and large media files backed up to extra folders.