Why Remove Duplicate Files From Google Drive
Google Drive is a widely used cloud storage service that provides 15 GB of free storage space to each registered user. As the usage time increases, many users who are unwilling to upgrade Google Drive paid services are troubled by the problem of Google Drive storage space being full. In fact, sometimes a large part of Google Drive space is occupied by duplicate files. Generally speaking, as long as duplicate files are deleted, part of the Google Drive storage space can be released.
In addition, deleting duplicate files in Google Drive can also make your files more organized, helping you arrange your files better. Also, with fewer files, the time the Google Drive desktop program takes to synchronize files will decrease.
Next, you can see how to remove duplicate Google Drive files manually or by using a duplicate file finder for Google Drive.
How to Delete Duplicate Files in Google Drive
Way 1. Remove Duplicate Files Manually
Google Drive does not provide any option to search and delete duplicate files directly. Therefore, you need to manually filter, mark, and delete duplicate files. The major steps are as follows:
In Google Drive, click the List layout button to make all files displayed by file list.
Usually, duplicate file copies in Google Drive start with “Copy of…” or have the same name plus a serial number with the duplicate copy.
So, to find the duplicate files, you need to press the Ctrl + F key combination to bring up the search box. Then type “(1)” or “Copy of” in the search window. After that, all duplicate files containing this character will be displayed.
Now, press and hold the Ctrl button, and select duplicate files one by one. Next, click the Move to Trash button.
Finally, go to the Trash folder and delete all unwanted files permanently. You can duplicate these steps until all duplicates are removed.
Way 2. Use Google Drive Duplicate File Remover
If there are too many duplicates in Google Drive, the process of manually deleting duplicate files will be tedious and time-consuming. In this case, you can use a professional duplicate file removal tool to get the job done. Commonly used Google Drive duplicate finders include Filerev for Google Drive, Easy Duplicate Finder, Cloud Duplicate Finder, etc.
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How to Prevent Duplicate Files in Google Drive
To avoid duplicate files in Google Drive, it’s important for you to focus on the following suggestions:
- Try to choose file synchronization instead of manually uploading files.
- Please be careful when uploading files or folders to Google Drive to ensure that they are not uploaded repeatedly. For example, when uploading a file and receiving a duplicate file alert, consider choosing “Replace existing items” instead of choosing “Keep all items”.
- Organize files in Google Drive frequently. Organizing a clear folder structure and storing files strictly according to the structure can effectively prevent file duplication and confusion.
Bottom Line
Reading here, you should know how to remove duplicate files from Google Drive. You can do it manually or by using a Google Drive duplicate file remover.
If you need to recover deleted files, consider using MiniTool Power Data Recovery. If you have any concerns while using this file recovery software, please contact us via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Shirley graduated from English major and is currently an editor of MiniTool Team. She likes browsing and writing IT-related articles, and is committed to becoming a professional IT problem solver. The topic of her articles are generally about data recovery, data backup, and computer disk management, as well as other IT issues. In spare time, she likes watching movies, hiking and fishing.