Search Repeated Files

This option allows you to search for repeated files. Repeated files are duplicated files, but are located in different folders.

Suppose you have the following folder structure:

c:\folder1\sub1\file1.txt
c:\folder1\sub1\file2.txt
c:\folder1\sub1\file3.txt

c:\folder2\sub2\file1.txt
c:\folder2\sub2\file2.txt
c:\folder2\sub2\file3.txt

If you compare "c:\folder1\sub1" as Source, and "c:\folder2\sub2" as Target, you'll get 3 duplicate files: file1.txt, file2.txt and file3.txt. Because you are comparing starting from "c:\folder1\sub1" as Source and "c:\folder1\sub2" as Target, file1.txt is a duplicate (comparing from specified subfolders).

But if you compare "c:\folder1" as Source, and "c:\folder2" as Target, the results are no longer duplicate files, because file1.txt is in "sub1" subfolder on source, and does not exists on Target, and so on. Because you started a comparison using "c:\folder1" as Source, and "c:\folder2" as Target, now the results are different:

(Folder c:\folder2\sub1 does not exists on Target)

sub1\file1.txt does not exist on Target
sub1\file2.txt does not exist on Target
sub1\file3.txt does not exist on Target

(Same way, Folder c:\folder1\sub2 does not exists on Source)

sub2\file1.txt does not exist on Source
sub2\file2.txt does not exist on Source
sub2\file3.txt does not exist on Source

Comparator Fast will only consider a duplicate if they have the same folder structure as starting with Source and Target folders.

This new Repeated Files option helps you to detect any repeated file (duplicate) by file name, size, etc.