How to Delete Duplicate PDF Files At Once in Windows

Outline: Trying to find your file in the bunch of similar PDF files but not getting it. Don’t worry, we have prepared this article for you to solve “How to delete duplicate PDF files in a folder in Windows 10/11?”

In our daily work scenario, we must have come across several Adobe Acrobat PDF files. Either by downloading, converting, assembling, or any other task. However, while doing so, we often end up cluttering our storage with duplicate files. So, in this regard, we will discuss the different ways to delete identical PDF documents to organize your digital space.

How to Delete Duplicate PDF Files in a Folder – A Preliminary Way

The most basic and foremost method that we generally use to find and remove similar files is by manual searching and identification. Though this method is most used, but it is prone to human error and can lead to data loss. “Not Recommended as the Perfect Solution”. Here are the steps: 

• Open File Explorer: Press Windows Key + E.
• Navigate to Folder: Go to the suspected folder.
• Use Windows Search: Type “.” in the search bar, and press Enter.
• Sort Files: Click “View,” and sort by name or size.
• Identify and Delete Duplicates: Manually find and delete duplicates.

How to Find Duplicate PDF Files at Once Using Command Prompt/ Batch Script

This free process can be a little bit technical for non-tech or novice users. Worry not, just follow this guide to simply remove the unwanted PDF files from your computer. Don’t miss any step, otherwise, you will land in confusion. 

Save the given below script in .bat extension. Then, run this file on a folder where you want to erase the targeted duplicate files. 

@echo off

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

echo Searching for duplicate files…

for /r %%i in (*) do (

    set “file=%%~ni”

    if not defined file (

        set “file=%%~xi”

    ) else (

        set “file=%%~ni%%~xi”

    )

    if not defined files[!file!] (

        set “files[!file!]=1”

    ) else (

        echo Deleting duplicate: %%i

        del “%%i”

    )

)

echo Duplicate files deleted successfully.

endlocal

Trick to use the above code: 

Step 1. Open Notepad or any text editor app.

Step 2. Paste the script into the editor.

Step 3. Save as “DeleteDuplicates.bat” or any other name in the target folder.

Step 4. Double-click the script to run and delete duplicates.

This code will execute in a loop in the directory to identify and delete duplicate Adobe Acrobat PDF documents based on their names.

Note: This solution is highly irreversible in itself. So, ensure that you have a backup of the files before proceeding.

How to Identify and Clean Duplicate PDF Files on Windows 11/10/8/7 through PowerShell?

PowerShell is a powerful and sophisticated medium to scan and delete identical files. In this section, we will go through the PowerShell script to find and eliminate similar PDF files based on their size. The solution deletes the files permanently, so have a backup of the relevant data. Now, with this information, let’s dive in:

Open PowerShell:

Press Win + X, and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” with admin privileges

Navigate to the Folder:

Use cd to go to the target folder.

cd path\to\your\folder

Run the PowerShell Script:

Paste and run the script to find and remove duplicate files.

Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Group-Object Length | Where-Object { $_.Count -gt 1 } | ForEach-Object { $_.Group | Select-Object -Skip 1 | Remove-Item -Force }

Confirmation:

Respond to confirmation prompts with ‘A‘ and Enter to delete duplicate files.

However, if you want to perform the scanning content (hash), name, and modification date.

#. Group files by content (hash), name, and modification date

$groups = Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Group-Object { Get-FileHash $_.FullName | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Hash }, Name, LastWriteTime

#. Filter groups where the count is greater than 1 (i.e., there are duplicates)

$duplicateGroups = $groups | Where-Object { $_.Count -gt 1 }

#. For each duplicate group, skip the first file and remove the rest

foreach ($group in $duplicateGroups) {
    $group.Group | Select-Object -Skip 1 | Remove-Item -Force
}

Challenges in the Manual Solution to Remove Duplicate PDF Files

• Manual comparison of large PDFs is time-consuming, with subtle differences easily overlooked.
• Inconsistent naming conventions hinder the identification of identical content.
• Visual comparison of PDFs with images is impractical for subtle differences.
• Manual deletion risks accidental data loss, demanding careful file selection.
• Manually managing extensive document repositories is time-consuming.
• Duplicates scattered across folders require thorough file system exploration.
• Identifying the latest version of PDFs with unclear filenames or metadata is complex.
• Managing a large number of PDFs manually is impractical for efficiency and accuracy.
• Metadata changes can lead to false negatives in duplicate identification through checksums.

How to Delete Duplicate PDF Files in a Folder – Smart Way (Windows)

Where the manual steps fail to perform the required result, then this duplicate file remover application is the go-to solution. This utility not only scans duplicate PDF files but is also compatible with other files like .png, .accdb, .mp4, and many more. You just name the file type and this software will eliminate it with precision at once. Here are some of the rich features of this tool:

• Deep folder and sub-folder scanning
• Cross-platform support: Mac and Windows
• Recursive scanning capability
• Move and delete functions
• Recognizes document types (DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, XLSB/XLSM, XLTM/XLTX, PPT/PPTX, PDF, CWK, HTML/HTM, INDD, EPS, ODT etc.) 
• Utilizes various scanning methods (MD5 hash, metadata, content hash, etc.)
• Provides preview for duplicate files
• Experience the Trial Version today

Simple Steps to Find and Erase the Duplicate PDF Files

Step 1. Download and run the Duplicate PDF Finder tool.

Step 2. Tap on Add Folder to open the folder that contains similar PDF documents.

Step 3. Choose the PDF file type in the Scan Configuration dialog and click Continue.

Step 4. Select the Delete tab.

Step 5. View the results in the Action section to confirm deletions.

Also Read: How to Remove Duplicate Videos on Mac?

Final Takeaway

In this blog, we have discussed several solutions to answer the question of “How to delete duplicate PDF Files at once in a folder?” In brief, the discussion is mainly held >> manual and automated << techniques. Also, we have put some light on the problems in the manual solutions to remove duplicate PDF documents. As a result, we suggest the absolute solution to address the challenges in manual ways.