About FileDupes
What it is
FileDupes is a free tool that finds repeated files inside a folder on your computer — photos, videos, audio and documents — by comparing the contents of each file rather than its name. It runs entirely inside the browser: there is no program to install and your files are never uploaded to any server.
Why it exists
Every duplicate finder on the market is a desktop program you have to download and install, and many charge for the part that actually moves or deletes anything. That leaves out anyone who cannot or will not install software: a work computer, a borrowed machine, or simply someone who does not trust an unknown installer.
For a few years now browsers have been able to read and write inside a folder the user explicitly authorises. That makes something possible that was not before: desktop-class capability with nothing installed and without a single byte of your files leaving your machine. FileDupes is exactly that.
How it is funded
Advertising. There is no paid tier, no sign-up, no locked features and no data being sold — not least because there is no data to sell: your files never reach the server. The full detail is in the privacy policy.
What it does not do
We would rather say this before you find it out by using it:
- It never deletes files. It moves the copies you select into a subfolder called
_duplicates, with aREADME.txtrecording where each one came from. You review, and you delete. - Visual comparison is images only. For video, audio and documents it detects exact, byte-for-byte copies only. The reasoning is in this article.
- Crops are not grouped. A crop is not a duplicate, and grouping it would be inviting you to lose the full photo.
- On iPhone and iPad it scans but does not move, because the system will not let a web page write into your folders.
Who is behind it
FileDupes is built and maintained by Julián Riveros, a telecommunications engineer specialising in information security, from Bogotá, Colombia. It is an independent project with no company and no investors behind it.
That background explains several product decisions: that nothing is uploaded, that nothing is deleted, that the security headers are actually configured, and that there is a vulnerability disclosure policy.
Contact
General questions, suggestions and bug reports: hola@filedupes.com
Security reports: security@filedupes.com
If you find a case where the tool groups things it should not, or misses something obvious, write to us with the detail. That kind of report is what has fixed the most important bugs so far.
Site owner details are in the legal notice.