🧠 I Built a Python Script That Finds Duplicate Files So I Can Stop Wasting Storage

#programming #beginners #productivity #python

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Let me paint you a picture:

You're doing a little digital spring cleaning, and you realize you've got triplets of the same file:

invoice_final.pdf
invoice_final_v2.pdf
invoice_final_2_REAL_FINAL.pdf

Or worse… you downloaded the same meme 17 times in 2 years.
You don't want to be a hoarder, but your files say otherwise.

So here’s what I did:
I built a simple, powerful Python script that finds and removes duplicate files — even if they have different names.

And yes, I now sleep better at night.

🚨 The Pain: You Don’t Know What You Have Anymore

You back up your stuff. You organize things (well, once).
But then: cloud syncs, Slack downloads, renamed copies, and panicked backups all pile up.

Suddenly:

Your storage is full
You can't find things
You're afraid to delete anything in case it's "the important version"

✅ The Cure: Check Files by Content, Not Name

Forget filenames.
The secret is to check each file’s hash — its digital fingerprint.

If two files have the same hash, they’re identical.
Even if one is called resume.pdf and the other is copy-of-resume-2022-old.pdf.

Let’s do it.

🧪 Step-by-Step: The Python Script That Sniffs Out Duplicates

Step 1: Calculate a file's hash

import hashlib

def file_hash(filepath, chunk_size=8192):
    hasher = hashlib.md5()
    with open(filepath, 'rb') as f:
        while chunk := f.read(chunk_size):
            hasher.update(chunk)
    return hasher.hexdigest()

This reads a file in chunks and builds its hash. MD5 works fine here — we’re not encrypting nuclear secrets.

Step 2: Scan a directory for duplicates

import os

def find_duplicates(folder):
    hashes = {}
    duplicates = []

    for root, _, files in os.walk(folder):
        for file in files:
            path = os.path.join(root, file)
            try:
                filehash = file_hash(path)
                if filehash in hashes:
                    duplicates.append((path, hashes[filehash]))
                else:
                    hashes[filehash] = path
            except Exception as e:
                print(f"Skipped {path}: {e}")

    return duplicates

Step 3: Use it and print results

if __name__ == "__main__":
    folder_to_scan = os.path.expanduser("~/Documents")
    dupes = find_duplicates(folder_to_scan)

    if dupes:
        print("Found duplicates:")
        for dup, original in dupes:
            print(f"{dup} == {original}")
    else:
        print("No duplicates found!")

💥 What You Just Got Back

This script:

Works on any folder
Finds real duplicate files
Ignores names, cares about content
Shows you which files are taking up double space

You can even tweak it to:

Auto-delete duplicates
Log everything to a file
Sort duplicates into a ~/Duplicates folder

I found tons of smart ways to extend this script on python.0x3d.site. Especially under:

Worth bookmarking — I keep it open like a daily command center.

💡 Final Thought: Clean File Life = Clear Mind

You don’t need a rocket launcher app.
You need small scripts that fix annoying things. That actually give you back time and brain space.

Start small. Keep it weird.
Python can do a lot more than fetch weather data — it can declutter your life one hash at a time.

Want a version that runs automatically every week? I’ve got a version that does just that — happy to share it.

And if you're the kind of dev who likes collecting quirky little problem-solvers, python.0x3d.site is where I usually find ideas, tools, and inspiration that don’t make me snore.

Stay tidy, my friend. 🧹🐍

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