If you’re a busty Google Drive user and upload a lot of files, then you might want to identify the duplicate files to save space.
Especially if you’re one of the free versions of Google Drive users, knowing how to identify duplicate files in Google Drive can be an essential task for you to free up space.
Duplicate files are not necessary as they are the copy of the original files. So if the original files exist on your Drive account, trying to delete them as soon as you can is good for you.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover some of the best ways to identify copied and duplicated documents, files, and folders and the ways of deleting them safely from your Drive account.
How Do I Find Duplicate Files In Google Drive?
The first method to find a copy file in your Google Drive is by directly going to the folder and manually checking them.
If you notice a document named “Copy Of” in a particular folder, you can assume that you have a copied file.
As you can see in the image, I have a duplicate file in the folder named “Copy of First File,” here, the “Copy Of” is the dynamic name from the Google Drive system, and the rest of the name is the name from my original file.
This manual is one of the easiest ways to find duplicate files in Google Drive. However, if you’re a regular GD user and you use the platform a lot, you may have so many original files and duplicate files as well.
Let’s show you how to delete duplicate files and delete them manually instead of using an automatic system to scan the entire Drive to find all copied files at once.
After this section, we’ll tell you the advanced searching and deleting system by using some third-party apps.
Find and Remove Copied Files in Google Drive (Manually):
The process we’re going to follow is manual. There is no automatic system. You have to go to your Drive folder and then find and remove them.
Step #1: Open Google Drive in your browser or download the Drive app and log into your account using your Gmail address.
Step #2: Assuming you’re going to access the Drive account via a browser. Once you’re in the account, find a folder where you would like to search for duplicate documents.
Step #3: When you’re in a folder, look at the right corner of the page, find the find icon, and click on it to change the view of the file. It will help you to understand all the files in an organized way.
Step #4: After changing the view of the files, you can now easily identify all the duplicate files in that particular folder. Just find documents named “Copy Of.”
Step #5: As you can see in the image, I have one duplicate file. Now I will delete that file by right-clicking on the file and then “Remove.”
Step #6: finding a file in Google Drive and clicking on the removing button doesn’t mean you have successfully deleted the document from your account. Rather, you have to go to the Trash folder to delete the file permanently.
To delete the removed files:
- Click on the Trash folder that is located on the left side of your account
- You can see all the files you removed in the last 30 days. Google will permanently delete the files after 30 days of deletion from the original folder.
- Right-click on the file and click on the “Delete Forever” text.
Tools to Find and Delete Duplicate Files in Google Drive:
Manually finding and then deleting the copied documents in Google Drive and anywhere is always a hassle as it requires a lot of time and hard work.
To solve the issue, the latest technology can help you. Some great tools can be found online to make the entire process of finding and removing copied documents in your Drive account.
Note: Since another company or person makes third-party tools, there might be a little bit of risk when you connect the services with your Google Drive account to find and remove duplicate files.
We’ll highly recommend you read the app’s privacy and policy page before connecting the services with your Gmail account. Allowing the services with your Drive account means you will give them access to view your information on your account.
According to our research, we have found two tools that are the most trusted and useful for this task. The first is drive cleaner, and the last is cloud duplicate finder.
Both tools will work well when you how I can identify duplicate files in Google Drive. However, the second one is my favorite.
Follow the step-by-step guide on how to use a third-party service to scan your entire Google Drive account and find all the duplicate documents in a few moments.
Step #1: Directly visit the link (cloudduplicatefinder.com) from your browser like Google Chrome.
Step #2: As soon as you reach the website, you’ll need to create an account. You’ll have two options, create an account via your Gmail account or your Microsoft account.
Select one of the methods to open an account. I’m going to select Google to create the account.
Step #3: After clicking on Google, It will redirect you to the “Open an account by Google” page. Select the Gmail account from the page.
Step #4: After selecting the Gmail address, your account opening process will be done.
Step #5: From the Dashboard, look for the “Add New Drive” button to connect your Google Drive with the cloud duplicate finder.
Step #6: After clicking on the Add New Drive button, it will take you to a new page and ask you to select your Drive account. Select your Google Drive’s Gmail and also allow access.
Step #7: You should now see all the files and folders in the Dashboard. Checkmark the folder name where you want to run the duplicate finder app to find the copied files.
Step #8: After selecting the folders, click on the scan button from the right side. It can take a while to complete the scanning process. The time will depend on your net speed and the content that you have in your Drive account.
After completing the process, the system will show you a message.
As you can see in the image, I have two duplicate files in my Drive account. You’ll see yours.
Step #9: You can see all the duplicate documents in a list view. Not only that, but also you can select them and take action from that third-party service, like deleting the files and moving them to another path.
However, deleting and moving features are only for pro users. If you do not want to find duplicate documents in your Drive again, you can try their pro features to save a lot of time and easily delete them from one place.
Tips: The shared way was one of the easiest and most common methods to find all the copied documents in your Google Drive.
However, when you complete the job, don’t forget to remove the third-party service from your Gmail because such services may steal or transfer information later.
How To Remove Third-Party Apps In Google Drive?
Since third-party apps or services connected to your Google Drive will consume space and can be risky, it is always a good idea to remove them after use.
Here’s how to do that:
- Log into your Drive account via a browser.
- Click on the setting icon from the top of the right corner.
- Click on Settings> Manage Apps.
- Select an app, click on the option, and then “Disconnect from Drive.”
How to Use Cleaner for Drive To Find Duplicate Files in GD?
If you have already followed the method of using the cloud duplicate finder, you can easily follow this method too. Google cloud duplicate finder offers a great interface for users, while the Cleaner For Drive offers a simple design.
Since design doesn’t matter here and functionality is the main factor, you can use one for the task.
Here’s the process of using the Cleaner For Drive.
Step #1: Visit the link to access the website on your browser.
Step #2: You’ll need to log in & Authorize your account by clicking on “Select File, Folder From the Google Drive.”
Step #3: Select your account and access your Drive account.
Step #4: Click on “Select files, folders from Google Drive” and select as many files or folders as you want to scan to find the duplicate documents.
Step #5: As you can notice in the shared image, I have two duplicate documents in my account. There you can see how many duplicate documents you have in your account.
The benefit of using the tool instead of using the Could Duplicate Finder app is you can trash your duplicate files without paying a single dollar.
Why Does Google Drive Duplicate Files?
It is almost impossible to Google that the system will automatically duplicate files. However, if you notice something like this, you can clear your browser cache, or if you’re using the Google Drive app, try to uninstall and install it again.
This issue can arrive if you have the synchronization feature run with your Drive account from your local computer.
How Do I Merge Duplicate Folders In Google Drive?
There is no way to merge duplicate folders in Google Drive. However, if you think you have two folders containing the same content, you can delete one by keeping another one.
One of the easiest ways to follow the alternative of merging duplicate folders in Google Drive is renaming the other folder name with a different name.
For example, if you have a folder named “One” and a duplicated version of that folder named “Copy of One,” you can change the “Copy of One” folder name with another name.
How Do I Stop Google Drive From Duplicating Files?
If you’re facing any issues with your browser, try to uninstall and install the browser. If that solution is not solved by uninstalling and reinstalling the browser, accessing your account from another browser or the desktop app can be a good idea.
Can You Duplicate Files In Google Drive?
There is a great feature named “make a copy” in Google Drive that allows you to make a file duplicate quickly. Right-click on the document and click on the “Make a Copy” option to make a copy.
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Final Words:
The post has answered the question of how to identify duplicate files in Google Drive. So follow one of the ways and remove the copied files from your account and free-up space to store more information.
