How to Find Duplicate Files in Recycle Bin and Delete Only Older Versions and Restore Newer Files

Do you have too many files accumulated in the Recycle Bin over years? Do you find it difficult to differentiate between multiple file versions and find the right file versions for deleting? Not emptying the Recycle Bin periodically could lead to a lot of confusion and disorder. Fortunately, there are ways to tackle this problem. Read on to find them out.

It’s a good idea to de-duplicate System files with the industry’s top duplicate finder, Clone Files Checker. Try it free here. 

Recycle Bin

Recycle Bin is the location where Windows temporarily stores the deleted files. It has been part of the Windows operating system ever since Windows 95. It enables users to restore their deleted files and get back their data in the original location in its original form.

If you don’t wish to delete all items in the Recycle Bin, you can restore them all in one-click. Just open the Recycle Bin using its Desktop icon, and click on the Restore all items option in the Recycle Bin tasks on the left-hand side panel of your screen. It is not possible to directly open or edit files straight from the Recycle Bin.

Recycle Bin is also referred to as Trash in the Mac and Linux operating systems. However, Recycle Bin is more of a symbolic name that reflects the eco-friendly idea of recycling the data on your hard disk and freeing-up precious storage.

Manually Find Duplicate Files in Recycle Bin

It is possible to manually find duplicate files in your Recycle Bin. However, it may take a lot of your time and effort, especially if you’ve hundreds of thousands of deleted files.

1. Open the Recycle Bin using its Desktop icon.
2. Right-click on an empty area.
3. Select Sort by, followed by Name.
4. Look for the files with suffixes in their names. For example, – Copy(2), – Copy(3), etc.
5. Manually determine older file versions using the date specified in the Date Modified column. To compare files by their creation date, just right-click on the grid view column head and select the Date Created option.

Drawbacks:

• One critical drawback is you cannot automatically determine older or file versions. You would need to manually compare each file by its creation date.
• There is a possibility of accidental data loss due to human errors.
• It can be a complex, time consuming job.

Automatically Find Duplicate Files (Quick & Easy Way)

Finding duplicate files in Recycle Bin can be easy and simple using the right tools. Moreover, it’s safe with zero possibility of inaccuracy. Clone Files Checker is a tool popularly used to identify and fix duplicate files on a user’s machine. Let us see how to organize your files using CFC.

Step 1: Download & Set Up Clone Files Checker

1.Download, install and open Clone Files Checker.

2. Click the Settings link on the top right.

3. In the new dialog, click on the File Search tab.

4. Uncheck the Do Not Scan the Recycle Bin option.

5. Go to the Preferences tab.

6. Check Add in File Explorer context menu.

6. Click on OK.

Step 2: Scan the Recycle Bin Folder Contents

1.Right-click your Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop.

2. Select Scan with CloneFilesChecker.

3. CFC will add the Recycle Bin to your scan list.

4. Click on Start Search and wait until the scan is finished.

5. Afterwards, select the Fix Wizard option.

6. Select the file version you want to retain. Here, in this tutorial, we’ll select the Newest Version option to keep all newest copies of the files and delete all the older ones.

7. Click on Delete Permanently when you’re prompted to select an action. You may also select the Move to Folder option to move your files onto a separate directory.

8. Once the files are deleted, you can safely restore newer file versions from the Recycle Bin using the Restore all items option.