How to Find Similar Videos and Audio on Windows

A phone export, a handbrake copy, and the original can all be the same video with different names and sizes. The same recording can sit in Downloads as an mp3 and in Music as a flac.

A similar-video finder groups those copies so you can keep one file and remove the rest. The same scan can group similar audio.

Direct answer: Windows does not include a similar-video or similar-audio finder. File Explorer can sort and search by name or size. It does not tell you that a re-encoded video, or the same song in two formats, is one recording. When the copies are videos and audio on the PC, Similar Video Finder Deep Scan groups them, lets you keep one, and can send the extras to the Recycle Bin.

Key takeaways

• There is no Windows setting that finds similar videos or similar songs.
• The same name or the same size is a clue. A re-encode usually has a different size.
• File Explorer Delete sends a file to the Recycle Bin. You still have to spot the copy yourself.
• Deep Scan looks for identical files and for similar copies. Quick Scan looks for identical files only.
• The app keeps the largest file in each group unless you choose another rule.
• Similar photos, and PDFs or zips, are different jobs.

Why the same recording shows up twice

Copies rarely share a filename. Common sources:

• A video is exported again from a phone, an editor, or a converter, so the new file has a new name and a new size.
• The same clip is saved as mp4 and as mkv.
• A song is kept as mp3 and as flac, or downloaded twice into different folders.
• A backup folder sits beside the folder you actually play.
• A short edit sits next to the longer original. A very short clip of a much longer video may not be grouped.

Compare methods

Use Explorer when you can already see the copy. Use Deep Scan when the same video or song has a new name, a new format, or a new size.

Method 1: Spot obvious copies in File Explorer

This is the built-in path. It does not detect similar videos or similar audio.

1. Open File Explorer and go to Downloads, Videos, or Music.
2. Switch to Details.
3. Sort by Name, then by Size.
4. Look for Copy, (1), or two files with the same size and a near-identical name.
5. Play both if you are unsure. Keep one. Press Delete so the extra goes to the Recycle Bin.

Limits

• A re-encode hides behind a new filename and a new size.
• The search only shows the folder you are in.
• Matching size is a hint. Two different videos can share a size.

Method 2: Scan with Similar Video Finder

Similar Video Finder is Sorcim’s Windows app for exact and similar videos and audio. It runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. The scan stays on the PC. The files are not uploaded.

Deep Scan is the mode for this job. It groups files that are identical and files that are the same recording after a re-encode, a resize, or a trim. Quick Scan stops at identical files. Leave the mode on Deep Scan when you want the similar copies.

The similarity slider runs from 10% to 100%. It starts at 75%. A lower number groups more loosely. A crop, a rotation, or a reversed clip can remain its own file.

How to find similar videos and audio on Windows with Similar Video Finder

1. Choose the folders

1. Install Similar Video Finder and open Scan.
2. Leave the mode on Deep Scan. Video and audio are both included unless you turn one off.
3. Add the folders you want under Search. Downloads, Videos, or Music is a good first folder.
4. Put a folder on Exclude when you do not want it scanned. Put a folder on Protect when those files may be compared but must never be removed.
5. Leave the minimum size at 0 unless you want to skip small files. The chips are 1 MB, 10 MB, and 100 MB.

2. Start the scan

1. Click Start.
2. Wait for the scan to finish.
3. If nothing similar is found, the app tells you and stays on Scan.
4. Open Results when groups are ready.

3. Keep one file in each group

1. Use Videos or Audios when you only want one kind of group. All shows both.
2. Each group starts with the largest file kept. If two files share that size, the older one is kept. Files in a protected folder stay unchecked.
3. Open Smart Select when you want a different keeper: Best quality, Keep newest, Keep oldest, Keep largest, or Keep smallest. Best quality prefers the higher resolution, then the larger file.
4. Use Compare to see two copies side by side: thumbnails, details, and the matched parts. Use Play when you need to hear or watch that file. Play opens it in the app.
5. Read the checks before you continue. Select All can mark every visible file. Use a keep rule, then spot-check.

4. Send the extras to the Recycle Bin

1. Recycle Bin moves the checked files to the Windows Recycle Bin. It does not ask first. You can restore them from the Recycle Bin until you empty it.
2. Move puts the checked files in a folder you pick. Open that folder before you delete anything.
3. Delete permanently always asks. It cannot be undone.
4. The free scan can remove files from 5 duplicate groups in total on that PC, counting Recycle Bin, Move, and permanent delete. Cleaning more groups needs a license. The price is on the live pricing page.
5. Export writes a CSV of the groups you are looking at. Clear removes the result list. It does not delete files.

What this scan is, and what it leaves alone

A folder that is actually on the PC can be scanned. The app does not sign in to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.

Safety checklist before you remove anything

• Start with one folder, such as Downloads or Music.
• Leave Deep Scan on when the copies were re-encoded.
• Open the file that stayed unchecked, or use Compare, before you recycle the others.
• Protect the folder that holds the originals you will not risk.
• Recycle Bin can be undone until you empty it. Permanent delete cannot.
• The free allowance is 5 groups in total. Uninstalling the app does not reset that count.

FAQ

Does Windows 11 have a similar video finder?

No. File Explorer sorts and searches. It does not group a re-encoded video or the same song saved in two formats. The same is true on Windows 10.

Can File Explorer find duplicate videos?

It can show Copy and (1) when you sort or search. It cannot tell you that two videos with different names are the same picture and sound.

How do I find the same song saved as mp3 and flac?

Scan the music folder with Deep Scan and leave audio included. Open the group and play the copy you plan to keep. Recycle Bin is the safer way to remove the extra.

Will a short clip match the full video?

Sometimes. A trim can land in the same group. A very short clip of a much longer video may not be compared at all. Watch both before you remove either one.

Does this find similar photos?

No. The scan is videos and audio. Bursts and lookalike photos belong in the duplicate photos guide.

Is this the same as Clone Files Checker?

No. Clone Files Checker finds identical files, including a video that was copied byte for byte. It does not look for a re-encode. Use it for PDFs, zips, and mixed folders. Use Similar Video Finder when the recording matches and the file does not.

Does Similar Video Finder use the Recycle Bin?

Yes, when you choose Recycle Bin. That action does not ask for a second confirm. Delete permanently does ask, and it removes the file from disk.

Is the scan free?

The scan, Compare, and Play are free. Recycle Bin, Move, and permanent delete stop after 5 duplicate groups in total until you register. Check the live pricing page for the current price.

Clean the folder you actually play

Explorer is enough for a few files named Copy. For a folder of re-encoded videos, or the same songs in two formats, run Deep Scan, keep one file in each group, and send the extras to the Recycle Bin.

Use the button below to go to similarvideofinder.com.