Move, Delete or Archive Duplicates
Duplicate File Detective not only finds duplicate files, it also helps you to manage them. Now you can move, delete, or archive (zip) duplicate files quickly and safely.
Choosing move, delete, or zip opens the Duplicate File Manager shown above - a final review stage that lists precisely which files the operation will touch. Drop individual files from the list without disturbing your markings, or change your mind about the operation entirely and archive a set of duplicates rather than deleting them. Nothing happens until you click Go.
Deleting duplicate files can be routed through the Windows Recycle Bin, giving you a safety net for anything you later regret. Moving duplicate files can re-create the original folder structure inside the target directory, rename files automatically to avoid collisions, and create destination folders as needed. Zipping duplicate files compresses them into an archive - optionally deleting each original once it has been safely added - which many users prefer as a reversible middle ground between keeping everything and deleting outright. Emptied parent folders can be cleaned up automatically along the way.
Duplicate File Detective also implements a number of protective checks during the duplicate file management process, improving safety. It will warn you before any deletion takes place, and specifically when a duplicate group has all of its entries marked - the mistake that leaves no copy behind. It warns before touching system files or read-only files, before sending paths longer than 255 characters to the Recycle Bin, before moving files to a volume that's low on disk space, and before processing any file type on your protected file types list. Files inside protected search paths are excluded from processing altogether.
Every file processing event can be appended to a log file, giving you a complete audit trail of what was moved, zipped, or deleted and when. Processing can be halted at the first error rather than continuing, and when the operation completes the duplicate report refreshes itself automatically to reflect the changes on disk. You can even replace processed duplicates with links to the copy you kept.