Find and Delete Duplicate Files on Local Drives or Servers

On a system or server used by multiple users duplicate files are bound to occur. Over time, redundant files or relicts from former accounts will block disk and server space. To free up storage space and avoid unnecessary disk space usage, duplicates should be removed regularly in a process known as deduplication.

SpaceObServer offers an easy way to find redundant files: the duplicate search feature. It enables you to identify duplicates via MD5 checksum or a user-defined combination of file name, size and last change date (e.g. last change date only, name and size, etc.).

Checksums are automatically calculated in the background. They are then stored in the database allowing fast access and speeding up duplicate search operations. Comparing files by their attributes results in faster scans, but reduces accuracy since a file's content is not taken into account.

Once found, duplicates can be deduplicated using the SpaceObServer deduplication feature enabling you to delete or replace them.

SpaceObServer will count hardlinks only once and not report them as duplicates.

Useful hint: You want to compare entire folder trees? SpaceObServer will find similar folder structures.