Google Drive Duplicate Finder: How to Manage and Delete Duplicate Files

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Google Drive's automatic file syncing feature can be a double-edged sword, making it easy to accumulate duplicate files.

You can find duplicate files in your Google Drive account by using the built-in "Duplicates" feature, which scans your files and identifies duplicates.

Duplicate files can take up a significant amount of storage space, wasting valuable space in your Google Drive account.

The Google Drive Duplicate Finder tool allows you to easily identify and delete duplicate files, freeing up space and keeping your account organized.

Deleting duplicate files can help reduce clutter and make it easier to find the files you need.

Why to Remove

Removing duplicates in Google Drive is a must to free up space and prevent account overload. You can exhaust your 15 GB of free storage space sooner than you think.

Duplicate files can eat up significant space in your Google Drive account, making it a common reason to remove them. This will help you avoid reaching your account's maximum capacity.

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Removing duplicate files can also help eliminate duplications of your work, saving you time and effort in organizing your file library. You'll be able to arrange your documents more effectively.

Using third-party tools to remove duplicates is highly recommended, as they can clean out your hard disk space and boost your system's performance.

Understanding Google Drive Duplicate Files

Duplicate files in Google Drive are literally the same old files multiplied by two, usually labeled with a number after their name (1, 2, 3, etc.).

They appear for a variety of reasons, including misconfiguration of the cloud, synchronization problems, errors when copying or moving content, and problems with the file system in general.

Duplicate files are most common when synchronizing between multiple devices.

Finding duplicates in Google Drive can be downright difficult, especially if you have a lot of them.

Duplicate files can have different names but contain the same content.

They can be difficult to spot, especially if you have a lot of files in your Google Drive account.

Duplicate files can be caused by problems with the file system, including synchronization issues and errors when copying or moving content.

Duplicate files are usually labeled with a number after their name, which can make them easy to identify.

Managing Duplicate Files

Credit: youtube.com, Google Drive Storage Full-Find Duplicates in Google Drive | Google Drive Remove Duplicates - 2 Ways

You can find and delete duplicate files in Google Drive automatically using various utilities, which often rely on AI to identify patterns and suggest files for removal.

To manually delete duplicate files, you can use the List View in Google Drive, long press the control key, and select all useless replicas, which often start with "Copy of..." or have the same name with a number in brackets.

It's worth noting that Google Drive doesn't offer any options to search for duplicate files, so you have to find them one by one and delete them manually.

Here are some tips to avoid duplicate files in Google Drive:

  • Please use only the Google Docs version to prevent duplicates when editing linked files.
  • Please be aware of the files that you manually backed up to ensure a copy is not uploaded.
  • Organize all files in Google Drive as it will not only save your time but also you will be able to avoid duplicate files in data.

How to Manage?

Managing duplicate files can be a real challenge, especially when you have a large collection of files on your drive.

This Duplicate File Finder, Cleaner for Drive is a great tool to help you manage duplicate files. It can work seamlessly with different file types and even search through subfolders within a given directory.

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You can use this tool to select which files to discard yourself, giving you complete control over the process. It's also completely free and doesn't require registration to use.

If you need to make an actual copy of a file, you can pick a copy from the menu and start with Archive File Name& a new replica title. This way, you can keep a copy of the file without discarding the original.

You can also use the "keep as a different file" option and give the new copy a number next to the name in the brackets. This helps keep your files organized and easy to identify.

Tips to Avoid

Managing duplicate files can be a real headache, but don't worry, I've got some tips to share with you.

One of the simplest ways to avoid duplicate files is to use the Google Docs version when editing linked files.

This will prevent duplicates from being created in the first place. I've seen this happen to many people who forget to switch to the Google Docs version, and it's a real pain to clean up afterwards.

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To avoid duplicate files, please be aware of the files that you manually backed up. This will ensure that you don't upload a copy of a file that already exists.

Organizing all your files in Google Drive is a great way to save time and avoid duplicate files in the long run. Trust me, it's worth taking the time to do it.

Here are some specific tips to keep in mind:

  • Use only the Google Docs version to prevent duplicates when editing linked files.
  • Be aware of the files that you manually backed up to ensure a copy is not uploaded.
  • Organize all files in Google Drive to avoid duplicate files in data.

Deleting Auto-Generated Files

You can delete auto-generated files in Google Drive manually by following a few simple steps. Just open your Google Drive account and click on List View in the upper right corner.

Many auto-generated files start with "Copy of..." or have the same name with a number in brackets, making them easy to identify. To select them, long press the control key and click on all the useless replicas.

You can right-click any of the selected files and click on Remove to delete all the selected duplicate files in Google Drive at once. This method requires some time and effort, but it's effective in removing unnecessary files.

Manual Deletion

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You can manually delete duplicate files in Google Drive, but it's a bit of a tedious process.

To start, open your Google Drive account and click on List View in the upper right corner.

All your files will be listed here, so long press the control key and click all the useless replicas, which start with "Copy of..." or have the same name and a number in the brackets.

You can also delete duplicate photos from Google Drive by right-clicking any of the selected files and clicking on Remove.

This will delete all the selected duplicate files in Google Drive at once.

However, manually searching for duplicates can be time-consuming and may not be one hundred percent accurate.

So, if you have a lot of data on your Google Drive account, it's probably best to use a third-party tool.

But if you're okay with manually deleting duplicates, this method will get the job done.

Deleting Duplicate Files

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You can delete duplicate files in Google Drive manually by opening your Google Drive account, clicking on List View, and selecting all the useless replicas that start with "Copy of..." or have the same name and a number in the brackets.

Many utilities allow you to find duplicates in Google Drive automatically, and they generally don't require any special skills or a deep understanding of file structure. You can just download them and start a Google Drive search for duplicates.

There are third-party Google Drive duplicate finders like Cloud Duplicate Finder that can detect and let Google Drive remove duplicates automatically and quickly. This can be a more efficient option than manually searching for duplicates.

The Google Files app on Android devices can also be used to remove duplicates, but this functionality isn't always stable and effective. However, it's worth a try if you're on a mobile device.

Duplicate File Finder, Cleaner for Drive is a completely free add-on that works quite stable, although some users complain that it doesn't always see clones of photos. It also offers a shared file finder and an orphaned file finder, and it's cross-platform, supporting IE, Chrome, and Firefox.

FileRev and Add-ons

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Filerev offers a comprehensive report on your Google Drive's contents, highlighting duplicate files, large files, hidden items, oversized folders, and empty directories.

This report is automatically generated after logging in to the Filerev app with your Google account.

The app scans all files, providing a clean and organized view of your Drive's contents.

You can use this report to decide what to do with the highlighted items.

The Filerev add-on is a handy tool that doesn't require installing any programs, but you still need to register to use the local functionality.

It's distributed on a conditional free model, allowing you to use it for finding duplicate files in Google Drive for free, but with a limit of one million files per cloud.

You can use the add-on to locate large, hidden, and old files, as well as files by their specific types.

The tool offers filters to help you conduct the Google Drive check for duplicates that are hard to find.

You can review each item before deleting it individually or use the bulk delete feature to free up a significant amount of disk space.

The bulk delete feature is limited to 100 positions, but it's a convenient way to get rid of unwanted files.

File Finder, Cleaner

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Many utilities allow you to find duplicates in Google Drive automatically.

They generally don't require any special skills or a deep understanding of file structure, making it easy to find and delete duplicates.

You can just download them and start a Google Drive search for duplicates.

This Duplicate File Finder, Cleaner for Drive application is designed to work seamlessly with different file types and can even be set up to search through subfolders within a given directory.

It offers a shared file finder and an orphaned file finder, giving you more control over your files.

This add-on is completely free and doesn't require registration to use it.

It works quite stable, although some users complain that it doesn't always see clones of photos.

You can select which files to discard by choosing them yourself, giving you peace of mind when cleaning up your Google Drive.

Backup Space

Backup Space is a crucial aspect of using Google Drive. Google Drive has a storage limit of 15 GB for free users, which can quickly fill up with files and duplicates.

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To free up space, you can use Google Drive's built-in features. Google Drive's duplicate finder can identify and remove duplicate files, freeing up space and making your storage more organized.

Google Drive's storage can be expanded by upgrading to a paid plan. Paid plans start at 100 GB and go up to 30 TB, giving you more space to store your files.

Having a large backup space can be a lifesaver in case of data loss. Google Drive's backup space can be used to store multiple versions of your files, giving you a safety net in case something goes wrong.

Google Drive's backup space can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes it easy to access your files and restore them if needed.

Origin and Generation

Google Drive's file synchronization feature can be both a blessing and a curse. It makes life easier for users, but it also causes confusion and frustration due to the constant creation of duplicates.

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Duplicate files are generated in Google Drive when you upload a new file with the same name and format as an existing file. This can happen even if you're not aware of the duplicate file.

A warning notice "Duplicate file upload" appears when you attempt to upload a file to Google Drive if there is an existing file with the same name and format in your Google Drive. This gives you a chance to cancel the upload and avoid wasting storage space.

Part 1: Docs Origin

Duplicate files in Google Drive can be a real pain to deal with. They can clutter your storage and make it hard to find what you need.

Saving a Google file, making changes, and transferring it back to Drive can create duplicates. This is because you're essentially making a copy of the file.

Google Drive has introduced a duplicate finder to help with this issue, but it's not effective for multiple duplicate files scattered across your Drive.

Merging several copies into one can also lead to duplicates, which can quickly add up and become a headache.

Are Generated

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Duplicate files in Google Drive are generated through the file synchronization feature, which can cause confusion and waste storage space.

This feature makes life easier for users by automatically syncing files across devices, but it can also lead to multiple uploads of the same file.

A warning notice "Duplicate file upload" appears when you attempt to upload a file to Google Drive if there is an existing file with the same name and format in your Google Drive.

This notice gives you a chance to avoid wasting storage space and frustration caused by duplicate files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Google Drive prevent duplicates?

Google Drive does not prevent duplicates by default, but you can use tools like the "Duplicate File Finder" to identify and remove them. Organizing files before uploading and syncing devices correctly can also help minimize duplicates.

Walter Brekke

Lead Writer

Walter Brekke is a seasoned writer with a passion for creating informative and engaging content. With a strong background in technology, Walter has established himself as a go-to expert in the field of cloud storage and collaboration. His articles have been widely read and respected, providing valuable insights and solutions to readers.

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