Never scan C:\Windows for duplicates. The Windows component store uses hard links and side-by-side assemblies. Deleting "duplicate" DLLs here will brick your OS.
Q: Is Czkawka really free?
Yes – GNU GPL v3 license. No ads, no telemetry, no paid features.
Q: Can it find duplicates across multiple drives?
Yes – just add different drive letters as separate folders.
Q: Does it compare inside ZIP/7z archives?
No – only normal files and folders. windows-czkawka-gui.zip
Q: How is it different from Duplicate Cleaner / CCleaner?
Faster (Rust vs C#/C++), more accurate hashing, and completely free/open source.
Q: Why the weird name?
The author chose “Czkawka” because it’s short, unique, and easy to search for (no generic name like “duplicate finder”).
Tested on an old laptop (Intel i5-7200U, HDD, 200 GB of mixed files): Never scan C:\Windows for duplicates
| Tool | Time to find 10k duplicates | | ------------------ | --------------------------- | | CCleaner (duplicate finder) | 14 minutes | | Duplicate Cleaner Pro | 8 minutes | | Czkawka GUI (Rust) | 42 seconds |
The speed difference is not subtle.
Most system cleaners are either paid, bloated with ads, or send your data to the cloud. Czkawka does none of that. It is: Tested on an old laptop (Intel i5-7200U, HDD,
For duplicates:
.exe;.dll).For Similar Images:
"windows-czkawka-gui.zip" is the compressed archive distribution package for the Graphical User Interface (GUI) version of Czkawka, a popular, open-source multi-functional file cleaner and organizer written in the Rust programming language. The name "Czkawka" (pronounced ch-kav-ka) is Polish for "Hiccup."
This specific file is typically downloaded from the project's official GitHub repository and is designed to run on Microsoft Windows operating systems without requiring a traditional installation process (often referred to as "portable").