How to Find Duplicate Files and Images with Different Names

In many cases, duplicate files are unnecessary. You don’t need two copies of the same photo of your cat, unless you are keeping the extra one as a backup.

When organizing your files, if you spot two files sharing the same name, you can take a closer look and delete any identified duplicate. But what about duplicate files with different names? These can be harder to find.

In this article, I’ll show you how to easily, quickly and safely find and remove duplicate files on your device, even if they are differently named.

 Cisdem Duplicate Finder

The Best Duplicate File Finder & Remover

• Accurately identify duplicate images, videos, documents, audio files, and other files - by comparing file contents, regardless of file names
• Support Windows PC, Mac, external storage devices, cloud drives, and more
• Scan for duplicate files in folders, drives, iTunes, Apple's Music, and Mac's Photos
• Offer 3 modes to view duplicates, with side-by-side photo previews
• Automatically select all but one file for deletion in each set of duplicates, enabling you to remove all duplicates at once
• Allow you to adjust selections manually, or choose from 8 rules (e.g. Select Newest)
• Easy to use for everyone

Free Download Windows 10 or later Free Download macOS 10.11 or later GET IT ON Google Play Download on the App Store

Steps: How to easily find duplicate files with different names

Using software Cisdem Duplicate Finder is the most efficient way to handle those duplicates.

This tool generates unique hash values (e.g. 0e60acc02f0eaf518cd867e419d4ab28) based on the file contents and compares these hashes. Files with the same hash are identified as duplicates, regardless of their file names. In addition, the tool compares files sizes and types to further ensure accuracy.

Below you can find the instructions for different devices.

On Windows or Mac

Step 1. Install Cisdem Duplicate Finder

Download and install the tool on your computer. Open it.

Free Download Windows 10 or later Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

Step 2. Add the location(s) to scan for duplicate files

To find duplicate files in a folder or drive, add location using drag and drop or the Add button. (The Add button is recommended on Mac.) To find duplicate files within and across multiple locations, add these locations.

To scan a location on an external hard drive or in a cloud storage service, please first connect the external drive to your computer or install and set up the service’s desktop app.

Step 3. Start the scan

Click the Scan button, and Cisdem Duplicate Finder will start comparing files by their contents and identifying those with exactly identical content as duplicates.

Optionally, you can go to Settings for customization before scanning.

Step 4. View detected duplicate files

When the scan is complete, the results window will appear, displaying all found duplicate files. You can conveniently view, sort and search them.

Step 5. Select duplicates for removal

In each set of duplicate files, the tool has automatically selected all but one file for removal. You can manually adjust the selection if needed.

In addition, there are preset rules for mass selections. On the left side of the results window, highlight the sets to which you want to apply a rule. Next, choose a preferred rule. For example, choosing the Select Newest rule will select all but the oldest file for deletion in each set.

Step 6. Delete all duplicates at once

Click the Delete button to remove all the selected duplicate files. Confirm the deletion.

By default, the deleted files will go to the Recycle Bin (on Windows) or Trash (on Mac). And this allows easy restoring of files when needed.

On Android or iOS

Step 1. Get the app

Install the duplicate file finder on your Android device, iPhone, or iPad from the app store.

GET IT ONGoogle Play Download on theApp Store

Step 2. Start a scan

Tap Start Scan, and the app will start scanning files across your phone or just the Photos app (depending on your device) and comparing their contents to detect identical files.

Step 3. View scan results

When the scan is done, you will see a list of detected duplicates. You can view their information and preview them using the associated apps.

Step 4. Remove duplicates

With automatic selections and manual adjustments, you can easily make sure that unwanted duplicates are selected for elimination. Then, tap Clean at the top of the screen to delete selected files.

FAQs

Does the name matter in identifying duplicate files?

It depends on how the identification is done.

When you look for duplicate files manually, the name can be helpful. For example, when you see these two files: “IMG_0050.jpg” and “IMG_0050 copy.jpg”, you can know from the name that they may be duplicates. If they have completely different names, you will probably miss them.

When duplicate file finder software uses algorithms to automatically detect duplicate files, the names don’t matter. For example, Cisdem Duplicate Finder focuses on comparing hash values of files. Each file has a unique hash value that represents its content. This is just like each person has a unique fingerprint. File names don’t affect hash values.

In summary, names can help you spot potential duplicate files in manual identification, but software tools don’t consider names.

Can different files have the same hash value?

In theory, it's possible for two different files to have the same hash value, but the chances are so low that it never happens in reality. Therefore, comparing hash values is the an efficient and reliable way to identifying duplicate files while ignoring their names.