CCleaner Duplicate Finder Review: Should I and How to Use CCleaner?

“Should I delete duplicate files in CCleaner?” and “How to remove duplicate files with CCleaner?”, both are frequently-asked questions by users who want to find and delete duplicate files on their computers. And today, to answer these questions objectively and genuinely, we here have a review on CCleaner Duplicate Finder, helping users to find the answers themselves basing on our trial.

CCleaner Duplicate Finder Review

Before to figure out if CCleaner Duplicate Finder worth a try or not, we need to have a basic understanding about what does it do and how does it help to find and delete duplicate files.

1. What Does CCleaner Do?

CCleaner is a lightweight utility to clean junk on computer, such as temporary files, broken shortcuts, registry files, unwanted applications, duplicate files, etc. Or in other words, CCleaner is capable of:

• Protect your privacy by deleting web or local history you’ve accessed to use
• Clean up registry
• Reduce memory load by letting certain programs auto start when your device is power on
• Remove unwanted applications
• Find and delete duplicate files

As you may have noticed, finding and deleting duplicate files is one of CCleaner’s features, CCleaner helps users to clean their computer in various ways.

2. Platform, Free or Pro(Paid)

CCleaner is available both on MacOS and Windows, but the versions offered for each platform are a little different.

For MacOS, there are 2 versions, Free and Professional. The free version only opens several basic features to users, allowing them to remove some temporary or historical files. Users who want to delete duplicate finder in CCleaner will have to buy the professional version. The Pro version doesn’t offer a free trial, users need to buy a license for utilizing this tool.

For Windows, there are also 2 versions offered: Free and Professional. And luckily for Windows users, the free trial for Pro version is available, users can try before a commercial investment.

In conclusion, no matter you are using a Mac or Windows PC, if you want to find and delete duplicate files in CCleaner, you will need to download or buy its Pro version, its Free version doesn’t support to remove duplicate files.

3. CCleaner Duplicate Finder

Finding and deleting duplicate files is an effective way to clean up computers, and that’s the reason why CCleaner builds in this useful feature. This feature allows users to remove duplicate documents, videos, movies, photos or other files on your computer.

• Interface
  Once you have launched the program, you can go to “Tools” and choose “Duplicate Finder”, you will find an informative but neat interface. It is easy to use and user-friendly, all the needed icons for customizable settings are arranged in good order, if you need to tweak the settings, just checkmark before the options.
• Search/Find duplicates
  CCleaner allows users to search or find duplicate files in a smart way. Users can search duplicate files that match by name, size, modified date, or content. Even, you can ignore to look through certain files, such as zero-byte files, system files, read-only files, hidden files, even you can specify the min or max file size that you want to ignore to scan.In addition, during the scanning process, users can include or exclude some drives or folders for searching. For example, if you are quite sure there are lots of duplicates on a drive or in a folder, you can include for scanning, if you don’t want the program look through some files that stored in an important folder, you can exclude for searching.
  Yet, CCleaner cannot find all duplicates, there will be some files missing in the duplicates results.
• Delete duplicates
  After the scanning process, CCleaner will find all the duplicates in your selected folder and list them with details, you will know the name, path, size and creation data of these files.You will have 3 ways to select the files for deletion:
  1) Delete selected files: check the box before this file, then click “Delete Selected”; 
  2) Delete all duplicates: right click on any file, then click “Select All”, then delete;
  3) Delete a particular file type: right click on a file of that particular type, then click “Select All of Type” and delete.
  As you may have noticed, though CCleaner offers different solutions to delete files, it doesn’t do that smart as it does in searching duplicate files or as good as other duplicate file finders. Generally speaking, a convenient duplicate finder will offer different options for users to delete duplicates fast and efficiently, such as select all, deselect all, delete the newest, delete the oldest or customize the selection. And its seems in CCleaner, “choosing one by one, then delete” is the safest way to delete duplicate files, since it doesn’t support Preview these duplicates before deletion.
• Restore Deleted Files?
  There is a button “Restore results” on the top right corner, this feature is only available when you have paid for its Windows bundle, which includes a data recovery software called Recuva. If not, you will be asked to install this program first.

 

Then, should I delete duplicate files in CCleaner?

Now, we finally come to this frequently asked question “should I delete duplicate files in CCleaner”. You can find the answers by reading following.

1. Is it safe to delete duplicate files in CCleaner?

Yes, it is absolutely safe. First, CCleaner is a simple and clean software to help users clean up their computers, there is no bundled app or malware. Second, CCleaner does helps to find duplicates. If you are not quite sure about the duplicate results, preview these found files according to the path, then delete.

2. How does CCleaner help to delete duplicate files?

As we mentioned in above review, CCleaner cannot allow users to preview found duplicates, if you want to delete some duplicates without mistake, you will have to preview one by one according to the path before final deletion. 

While, CCleaner only offers 3 ways to select duplicates for deletion, users are not allowed to select files smartly. That’s to say, it is not difficult to delete files in CCleaner, but it will take some time to decide which files you should delete.

So, here is the conclusion, if your duplicates are not large in quantity, try CCleaner. If you have a lot of duplicate saved on your computer and all of them are important, you will have to take some time and efforts to delete the correct duplicates in CCleaner, since it doesn’t offer a smart way to select files for deletion.

 

How to Use CCleaner Duplicate Finder on Mac or Windows?

• Step 1. Download and install CCleaner Duplicate Finder;
• Step 2. Launch the program, go to Tools> File Finder;
• Step 3. Check the options and select according to your needs, then click “Search”;
• Step 4. Select the files you want to delete. For safe deletion, check these selected files in the original folder, to make sure you are deleting the one you expect;
• Step 5. Click “Delete” to remove duplicate files in CClener.

 

What if CCleaner Duplicate Finder Not Working?

Sometimes, CCleaner just disappoints users. The major complaints about CCleaner duplicate finder are its failure to find all duplicates, or crash when scanning a large drive/folder.

Then, what to do if CCleaner Duplicate Finder is not working? You may be able to re-start the program if it crashes during scanning process, but there will be no good way to deal with its incompetence to find all expected duplicates. In this case, a professional duplicate finder will be the best solution.

CCleaner Alternative for Mac

Cisdem Duplicate Finder for Mac is a dedicated mac program designed to find and delete duplicate photos, videos, music, archive, word, pdf, or other documents, on external or internal drive.

Powerful features:

• Smart search: Cisdem offers a general setting and ignore list to help users find the duplicates easily and smartly;
• 3 Duplicates removal methods: move to trash, remove permanently, move to folder;
• Fast selection: Select all, deselect all, smart select, select newest, select oldest;
• Fast scanning even when dealing with large size folders
• Preview files within Cisdem before deletion
• Nearly all duplicate files can be found by Cisdem
• Enable users to find similar images

How to Use CCleaner Alternative for Mac?

Free Download

 

CCleaner Alternative for Windows

Easy Duplicate Finder is a Windows program allowing users to find and delete duplicate photos, music, videos, emails and other documents. In addition, it supports to remove duplicates in applications. Even, it offers advanced setting to scan or delete files, and the feature of previewing duplicate, to make sure users won’t delete duplicates by mistake.

How to Use CCleaner Alternative for Windows?

• Step 1. Download and install Easy Duplicate Finder on Windows PC
• Step 2. Choose a Scan mode.
• Step 3. Add a folder to include to scan, also you can add a folder to exclude from scanning. Then click “Start Scan”.
• Step 4. After the scanning, click “Go Fix Them”.
• Step 5. Preview the found duplicate files by clicking the “Preview” icon.
• Step 6. Select the files you want to delete, then click Delete to remove duplicate files on Windows PC.

 

Final Words

For users who are also looking for an effective solution to clean up their computers, CCleaner is a good tool. In addition, its duplicate file finder does helps to find and delete duplicate files. But, if you want to remove dupliates smarter and more efficient than CCleaner, a professional duplicate finder is a better choice, since CCleaner is not exclusively designed to delete duplicates.