How to Delete Duplicates

[John Laurent]

I see nothing on the duplicate list screen for how to delete duplicates.

[John Laurent]

I see nothing on the duplicate list screen for how to delete duplicates.

Does the duplicate file list include the original or just duplicates? i.e., if I delete all duplicates, will I lose the original? Some of the duplicates are back-ups. Should I keep those?

[nukecad]

I have merged your 2 posts together, there is no need to post twice and it can get confusing if/when answers are given in 2 places at once.

It shows both the original and any duplicates, you tick the box(es) next to the one(s) that you want to delete and the Delete button then becomes available.
Only you can decide which copies you want to keep or not, but if you delete backups then obviously you no longer have a backup.

If you are unsure then leave the files alone.

You should use the Duplicate Finder with care, especially when it comes to deleting files.
Have a read of this (and the link there to the documentation) for some tips on how to use it safely:

 

[Pentazer]

I just downloaded CCleaner yesterday and I'm trying to figure out how to select the files I want deleted and retain the one file I want to keep?  This is saved on a separate HDD and not on my Primary C: dive.  I've run the duplicate finder and got an extensive list of the duplicates.  The reason I have so many is I was upgrading to the latest version of Windows 11 using an ISO file rather than the Windows Media Creation tool.  Big Mistake as it installed over the previous version and I lost very many personal files.  Odd though, I was not able to find or recover my "Downloads" file.  I was able to recover most of them and having learned a lesson I backed up my recovered files several different ways.  Now that I have things a little more under control I need to delete the duplicates while retaining the original.  I can't seem to find the instructions on just how to do this selection of the files I want to remove?  The file groups have as many as 11duplicates and I have several hundred or more file groups so selecting one at a time is not feasible. Need some help getting this set up properly so I don't make another big mistake.  Thanks for any help I can get.

Edited January 18 by Pentazer

[hazelnut]

@Pentazer

This may help a bit.

https://support.ccleaner.com/s/article/how-do-i-use-ccleaner-for-windows-duplicate-file-finder?language=en_US

[Pentazer]

Thank you hazelnut;  Yes this did help but I'm still not clear on how do I select some folders but leaving one directory alone.  Below is a copy of the CCleaner duplicates found.  This is what I'm trying to do - Protect/exclude the directory "E:\Local Disk\Backup Files\Program files and delete the rest.  My complication is the other directories are very close to the one directory I want to keep, just with further directory addresses down the list of directories.  It seems to me that if I Protect/Exclude "E:\Local Disk\Backup Files\Program files" that all these other directories will also be Protected/Excluded because that are all sub-folders of the directory I want to keep?  I'm thinking maybe I should open the entire directory and just delete all the files from all the other directories as shown in the duplicate file list as a reference to all the other directories?  My primary C:\drive is totally separate and shouldn't be effected by this process.

I hope I've explained this adequately to explain what I'm doing??? 

Thanks for the help

Bill

 

[nukecad]

CCleaners Duplicate Finder will only let you select one file at a time to delete and then delete those you have selected.

It's like that so there is less chance that you could delete a whole raft of files that you didn't really mean to.

Yours seems to be a case where you have duplicate directories though.

In that case i would use the duplicate finder to find them, and then being careful (and at your own risk) use Windows File Explorer to delete the unwanted directories.

Other duplicate finders will let you select loads of duplicates with one click, but of course there are dangers with that that you may delete the wrong things.

In the end it comes down to how careful you want to be, and being more careful takes more time.