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How to Install for Normal Users

A plain-English guide for someone who just wants to find duplicate videos. No technical knowledge required.

What this app does

It scans folders on your computer, finds videos that are duplicates of each other, and lets you delete the ones you don't want — safely, to the Recycle Bin.

What you need

  • A Windows computer (Windows 10 or 11)
  • An internet connection for the first launch (it downloads one thing automatically — see below)
  • That's it. Nothing else to install.

Step 1 — Get the app

The developer will share a zip file with you (e.g. VideoDupeFinder.zip).

  1. Download it and save it somewhere you can find it (e.g. your Desktop)
  2. Right-click the zip file → Extract All
  3. Choose where to extract it (Desktop is fine), then click Extract

Important: Do not try to run it from inside the zip file. Extract it first, then open the extracted folder.

Step 2 — Launch it

Inside the extracted folder, find the file called Start VDF.bat.

Double-click it.

If you see a "Windows protected your PC" warning

This is normal. Windows shows this warning for any app that wasn't downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The app is safe.

  1. Click More info
  2. Click Run anyway

What happens next

A small black terminal window will appear in your taskbar — this is the server running in the background. Do not close it. It's supposed to be there.

The launcher will wait until the server is ready, then open your browser automatically.

Step 3 — First-time setup (automatic)

The very first time you launch, the app needs to download FFmpeg — the tool it uses to read video files. This happens automatically, no action needed from you.

You'll see a blue progress bar on the Scan page while it downloads. It's about 60–80 MB and takes 1–2 minutes on a normal connection.

This only happens once. After the first launch it starts instantly.

Step 4 — Using the app

Once the browser opens and the progress bar is gone, you're ready.

Scanning for duplicates

  1. Go to the Scan tab
  2. Click Browse and navigate to the folder you want to scan
  3. The first folder you add is the "Main" folder — its files will always appear on the left when comparing
  4. Add more folders if you want to compare across multiple locations
  5. Click Start Scan and wait

Reviewing results

  1. Go to the Results tab after the scan completes
  2. Each group of duplicates appears as a card with the files side by side
  3. Matching values are colored blue/purple — different values are red, so you can spot differences at a glance
  4. Click a file column to mark it for deletion (it turns green)
  5. Use Smart Select to automatically flag the lower-quality copy in each group

Deleting duplicates

  • Click Delete Flagged in a group to send that group's marked files to the Recycle Bin
  • Or click Delete Marked in the toolbar to delete everything marked across all groups
  • Files go to the Recycle Bin only — nothing is permanently deleted
  • If you change your mind, open the Recycle Bin and restore the file

Stopping the app

Close the minimised server window in your taskbar. That's it.

Troubleshooting

"Windows protected your PC" — won't let me click Run anyway Right-click the Start VDF.bat file → Properties → at the bottom, check "Unblock" → OK. Then try launching again.

Browser opens but nothing loads / page says "connection refused" The server might still be starting. Wait 10–15 seconds and refresh the page.

Browser never opens at all Check if the server window shows a red error message. If it says "address already in use", another app is using port 5000 — close other apps and try again.

The FFmpeg download failed The app will show a red message explaining what happened. You can download FFmpeg manually:

  1. Go to https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
  2. Download the Windows build
  3. Copy ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe into the bin\ folder next to VDF.Web.exe
  4. Restart the app

The scan finished but no results showed up Either no duplicates were found, or the similarity threshold is set too high. Go to Settings and lower the minimum similarity percentage.

Notes for the person sharing this app

Before sending the zip to someone:

  1. Run publish.bat from the repo root — this builds the release into release\app\
  2. Zip the entire release\app\ folder
  3. Share the zip

The recipient follows this guide from Step 1. No installs, no setup required on their end.