Chapter 10 Finding Duplicate Files
AIClue can find files with identical content among scanned files and display them by group, helping you decide which copies can be cleaned up.
Duplicate detection only applies to files AIClue has recorded. After adding directories, wait for directory scanning to finish before opening the duplicate detection page.
10.1 Enter Duplicate Detection
Click Duplicate Detection in the left sidebar to enter the duplicate file detection page.
If you have checked for duplicates before, the page immediately shows the previous results and when they were last updated. Opening the page does not check again automatically. Choose Find Duplicates the first time, and Check Again whenever you want to update the results.
While results are updating, you can keep reviewing, filtering, and selecting files in the previous results. Cleanup and shortcut replacement become available again after the update finishes. If the update fails, the previous results remain available.
If the results finish updating but cannot be shown temporarily, the page asks you to reopen it later instead of continuing to show an old file list that no longer matches.
10.2 View Duplicate Results
After scanning finishes, if duplicate files are found, the page displays results by duplicate group.
The top statistics area shows:
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| Duplicate groups | Number of duplicate file groups currently found |
| Duplicate files | Total number of duplicate files in the current results |
| Cleanable space | Approximate space that can be freed if only one file is kept in each group |
Each duplicate group shows the number of files, single-file size, and the list of files in the group. Click the group title to expand or collapse the group.
When results span multiple pages, the page separately shows the current and total pages for duplicate groups and files within a group, with direct page-number navigation. These controls stay hidden when there is only one page.
When an expanded group contains many files, scroll within the group first. Continuing at the top or bottom naturally returns scrolling to the full duplicate results list.
10.3 Filter Results by Type
The top of the duplicate results provides type filters. You can view:
- All
- Images
- Videos
- Documents
- Archives
Type filtering only affects the current duplicate result display. It does not delete files and does not change original file classification.
If a category cannot be loaded temporarily, the previous results remain on screen so you can try again later.
10.4 Choose Files to Clean Up
On the duplicate detection page, checked files are copies that will be deleted. Unchecked files are kept.
You can choose files in two ways:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Select manually | Expand a duplicate group, then click file rows or checkboxes one by one |
| Smart select | Let AIClue automatically choose extra copies in each group according to the current keep rule |
Note that each duplicate group usually needs to keep at least one file. If all files in a group are checked, the page shows a warning. Confirm carefully before cleaning an entire group.
Cleanup controls are temporarily unavailable while your selection is updating. If a selection cannot be completed, AIClue restores the current selection. If it cannot be confirmed, reopen the page before cleaning up files.
10.5 Set Keep Rules
The Smart Select operation in the action bar lets you choose a keep rule. After you choose a rule, AIClue automatically checks the copies recommended for cleanup in each group.
Current rules include:
| Rule | Description |
|---|---|
| Keep first in order | Keep the first file in the list |
| Keep earliest | Keep the file with the earlier created time |
| Keep latest | Keep the file with the later created time |
| Keep shortest path | Keep the file with a shorter, easier-to-recognize path |
If you are unsure which one to keep, expand the duplicate group first and review file path, created time, and modified time before acting.
10.6 Preview, Open, and Locate Files
After expanding a duplicate group, move the mouse over a file row to use the action buttons on the right side:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Preview | View file content or details in the preview area |
| Open file location | Locate the file in the system file manager |
| Open file | Open the file with the system default app |
These operations help you confirm whether a file can be cleaned up before deletion.
10.7 Delete Selected Copies
After confirming your selection, click Delete Selected to clean up the currently checked files. Deletion affects real files and moves them to the system recycle bin.
AIClue checks each file again before cleanup. Files that changed after duplicate detection are skipped so an outdated result cannot clean up a changed file.
The dropdown next to Delete Selected also provides:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Move to recycle bin | Delete checked copies and move them to the system recycle bin |
| Replace with shortcut | Delete checked copies and try to create shortcuts in their original locations pointing to the kept file |
After deletion completes, cleaned files are automatically removed from the current results without checking again. If some files fail to delete, the page shows the failure count and keeps the files that could not be cleaned up.
If cleanup is interrupted, AIClue synchronizes the completed portion. Review the current results before trying again.
Important: Although files are moved to the system recycle bin, this is still a real deletion operation. Preview files or open their locations to confirm before cleaning them up.
10.8 No Duplicate Files Found
If no duplicate files are found, the page shows No duplicate files found this time.
If you just added or moved files, return to Chapter 4 Directory Management and File Scanning, confirm that related directories have finished scanning, then run duplicate detection again.
10.9 Usage Tips
- Start by cleaning duplicate groups that take up more space.
- Be careful with files in work directories, project directories, and system directories.
- If unsure, use Open File Location first to confirm the file’s purpose.
- Keep at least one file in each group to avoid deleting all copies by mistake.
- If you discover a mistake after deletion, restore the file from the system recycle bin as soon as possible.
10.10 Next Steps
After you are familiar with duplicate detection, continue with:
- Chapter 11 Account and Feature Access: Learn account state and feature access prompts
- Chapter 12 Settings and Maintenance: Learn settings, maintenance, and troubleshooting entries