Duplicate Files Search & Link (Duplicate Searcher) is an application for searching duplicate files (clones) and NTFS hard links as well symbolic links to the same file. It searches duplicate file contents regardless of file name (byte-by-byte comparison is used). This application allows not only to delete duplicate files or to move them to another location, but to replace duplicates with NTFS hard links or symbolic links as well (unique!).

This application was developed because I haven’t find any similar application which allows to operate NTFS-links.

A NTFS hard link is the file system representation of a file by which more than one path can refer a single file in the same partition. NTFS hard links allow several files to share the same space on the disk (the same file). For example, several applications can use NTFS-links to the same version of the library instead using different copies of the library files. If several hard links point to the one file, deleting of any hard links doesn't cause deleting of the file and freeing disk space until the last hard link to the file will be deleted.

Features:

• Free for non-commercial use.
  Donations to support a further development are welcome! ;)

• Fast search engine can scan multiple independent drives at once or multiple files on the same SSD.

• Identify directory entries that already share a single linked file (hard or symbolic link) on Windows NTFS partitions.
  

  *Starting from version 6 also supports hard or symbolic links on Linux EXT2, EXT3, EXT4 partitions (tested only with EXT-partitions mounted with Ext2Fsd-driver for Windows).

• Identify audio, video and JPG files that contain identical media content but have different metadata information. (Unique and new in version 7!)

• Replace files with hard or symbolic links. (unique!)
  

  Replacing files with hard link means to link multiple directory entries (file names) to a single file on the same logical drive (aka volume/partition).
  Warning! Be very careful by linking system files, back-up files and files which can be altered by the user or OS. Hard or symbolic links aren't independent files anymore, all the links point to single file and, if the file is being overwritten using any of link, all other links will also point to the new content.

• Detailed visualisation of duplicate files, NTFS hard links, symbolic links and junction points.

• Filter and sort files in many ways, including by fragmentation and hard links count.

• Supports long paths (path longer than 260 characters). Many other applications don't support long paths.

System requirements:

OS: Windows XP / Server 2003 / Vista / Server 2008 (only versions up to 5.2.*),
Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 / Windows 11  (32- and 64-bit)

If you use Windows 7 Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2+ must be installed in order to use Duplicate Files Search & Link. Windows 10 version 1803 and later should have already installed Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or newer.

You can also install the new platform .NET Desktop Runtime 7.0 (64 bit, 32 bit) to run the new version for this platform.
The .NET7 version is even faster :).

Windows 7 and Windows 8 (8.1) users must install the Windows update KB2999226 to run .NET 6.0 or .NET 7.0 application.
If the update is missing you will get the error "The program can't start because api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll is missing..."

Languages: English, Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, Italian, Polish, German, French (translated by Colok), Japanese, Spain (Colombia), Chinese (Simplified), .

You like Duplicate Files Search & Link and find it useful? It saved a lot of space on your hard drives?
You can thank author and support future development by donating.
I would be greate if you could appreciate my work by a donation from $5 or €5, but of course any amount is nice as well.
It could support my motivation for the further development and keep the application free.
To donate, click on the Paypal Donate (or Yandex.Money Donate) button below.
Thank you for you cooperation!.

Please note that donations to Duplicate Files Search & Link are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes.