While organizing my computer recently, I noticed that my photo folders had quietly filled up with endless duplicates. Backups from my phone to the cloud, cloud syncs back to local storage, and device migrations had all left multiple copies scattered around. My hard drive was crammed with duplicates, but I hesitated to delete them manually for fear of losing something important.
Then I came across Czkawka, a free and open-source tool on GitHub that solved this problem perfectly.
Key Features
- Duplicate File Detection
Czkawka quickly scans and identifies duplicates—even if file names differ—because it compares actual file contents, not just metadata. For example, when I scanned my Documents folder, it found several gigabytes of redundant files. - Similar Image Detection
This feature is especially useful. It can identify photos that look alike but aren’t exact copies—such as multiple shots of the same scene or resized versions of the same picture. I ran it on my photo library and discovered dozens of near-identical landscapes, which made it easy to keep only the best versions. - Empty Folder Cleanup
Uninstalled software often leaves behind empty folders. A quick scan found dozens in my Program Files directory, and cleaning them made the structure much tidier. - Additional Tools
- Large file finder: Locate space-hogging files quickly.
- Temporary file cleaner: Automatically detect and remove system temp files.
- Similar video detection: Even video files can be analyzed to spot near-duplicates.
- Broken file detection: Identify corrupted files that can’t be opened.
Installation Guide
Setup is straightforward—just follow the README:
- Download the correct version from the https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka.
- On Windows: extract and run directly.
On Linux: install via your package manager.
On macOS: install with Homebrew using brew install czkawka.
Final Thoughts
For anyone who regularly manages large numbers of files, Czkawka is an excellent solution. It handles standard duplicate cleaning, adds smart recognition for similar content, and works fast—all while being free and open-source.
Just remember to back up important files before deleting anything, to avoid mistakes. Overall, it’s a powerful, reliable, and user-friendly tool worth trying.