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How to find and delete duplicate files on Android

To find duplicate files on Android, use a tool that compares files and groups the copies, then keep one of each. This guide covers Files by Google, Samsung My Files and Applore's Duplicate Files.

Updated 15 September 20263 min read

Printed photos scattered across a wooden table next to a small plant

Short answer

Before you start

  • A phone with Android 8.0 or later.
  • All files access for Applore. Android asks for it the first time. Applore needs it to compare files in every folder. Learn more about all files access.

Without Applore

Files by Google

  1. Open Files by Google and tap Clean.
  2. On the Duplicate files card, tap Select files.
  3. Choose the copies you want to delete. The file marked Original is the one Google suggests keeping.
  4. Tap the button to move the selected files to Trash.1

The card appears only when Files by Google finds duplicates.

Samsung My Files

Open My Files, then the storage analysis option from the menu (called Analyse storage or Manage storage on many versions). Look for Duplicate files, review them and delete the copies you do not need. Names and menus vary by One UI version.

Steps with Applore

  1. Open Applore. On the Home tab, go to Storage Tools › Duplicate Files.
  2. Allow All files access if Android asks, then come back to Applore.
  3. Wait while Applore compares your files. When it is done, it shows groups of identical files.
  4. In each group, Applore leaves the first file unselected and selects the other copies. Tap a file to preview it, and change the selection so you keep the copy in the folder you want.
  5. Tap Remove duplicate File. The button shows how much space you will get back. The selected files are deleted straight away.

Why some duplicates do not show

Applore groups files that have exactly the same contents:

  • Renamed copies do match. “IMG_2041.jpg” in Downloads and “holiday.jpg” in Pictures are grouped if the contents are identical.
  • Edited copies do not match. A cropped photo, a filtered version, or a picture sent through a messaging app that shrinks images is a different file.
  • Some files are skipped. Very small files, files larger than 100 MB, hidden files and files inside other apps’ private folders are not compared.
  • SD cards are not scanned. Applore compares files in your phone’s main storage.

Common problems

Applore says I can remove only one group today

Applore Free lets you delete copies from one duplicate group per day. Pick your biggest group first, or come back tomorrow. Applore Pro removes the limit; see pricing in the app on Google Play or compare Free and Pro.

Files on my SD card are not listed

Duplicate Files checks your phone’s main storage only. Use a file manager to review the SD card.

Messaging-app media shows up as duplicates

Messaging apps often keep their own copy of photos you send or save. Deleting a copy from phone storage removes it from this phone, and the chat may no longer open that photo. Keep the copy you want to see in your gallery.

What stays private

Applore compares your files on your phone. File names, contents and the duplicate list are not sent to Applore’s servers. For more about the feature and its limits, see Duplicate Files in Applore, and for more ways to get space back, read how to free up storage without a cleaner app.

Questions

Why does Files by Google not show all duplicates?

Files by Google shows a Duplicate files card in its Clean tab only when it finds copies it can group, and Google does not document exactly which files it compares. Edited, resized or re-saved copies are different files, so no exact-match tool groups them. If you expect copies that do not show, a tool that compares file contents across all folders may find them.

Does Applore find similar photos?

No. Applore's Duplicate Files finds exact copies: files with the same contents, even if their names or folders differ. Photos that only look alike, such as burst shots, edited versions or the same picture at a different size, are different files and are not grouped. Review similar photos yourself in your gallery app.

Can I recover a deleted duplicate?

Not from Applore. Duplicate Files deletes the selected copies straight away, without a recycle bin, and there is no undo. You can get a file back only if another copy exists, for example the one you kept in the same group, a Google Photos backup, or a copy on your computer. Back up before you delete.

Sources

  1. Delete duplicate files, Files by Google Help. Checked 2026-09-15.

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