Dude (DUplicates DEtector)

Finding duplicate files may not sound like the most exciting thing to do, but if you're looking to be efficient with your file management, you gotta do what you gotta do. Luckily, software to automatically detect duplicate files exists to make life more convenient.

Scanning for duplicates based on file hash is the most efficient method, and Dude (DUplicates DEtector) is a simple, practical utility that helps users spot those files on their drive and dispose of them at once. The program is portable, which means that there's no installation process to go through.

You'll initially have to specify the folder in which you want the program to look. Thankfully, the scanning process was completed with no delay for us, but your hardware might play a part in how slow or quick this step is.

Regardless, it's best to first familiarize yourself with the interface before doing anything. The dual-panel layout facilitates working with your files, as the program will group any duplicate files it finds in the top panel, informing you of the number of copies for a given file, as well as their size.

As it detects duplicates by way of file hashes, you might encounter two virtually identical files, but with different names. This means that the program successfully managed to match the corresponding hashes to the duplicate files, so you shouldn't be concerned that you're deleting a non-duplicate.

Once you've gone through a few duplicates, it's time to mark them. This can be done by pressing Space on the relevant files, which the program will then highlight in red. You will then be able to remove the marked files via the Delete key.

It is also possible to softlink or hardlink marked files through the Insert and Shift+Insert hotkeys respectively.

Dude (DUplicates DEtector) works as a portable, functional solution for a duplicates finder, which is surprisingly easy to operate once you get the hang of it.