Is ZapMyFiles safe to use?
Yes, and safety is enforced by design, not by warnings. Deleting a duplicate always moves it to your system Trash — the app never permanently deletes anything, so every action can be undone from the Trash. In each duplicate group, the copy marked to keep cannot be selected for deletion, so a group can never lose all of its copies. Nothing is deleted without an explicit confirmation you can review first.
How does ZapMyFiles detect duplicates?
Files are only reported as duplicates after their full contents have been verified byte-for-byte with a cryptographic hash. Matching names, sizes, or dates are never treated as proof — they are only used internally to narrow down candidates before verification. Our automated release benchmark requires exact results on ground-truth test sets: if the detector ever reports a false duplicate, the release fails.
Can it delete the wrong file?
The app never auto-deletes. You choose which copies to remove, the recommended kept copy is locked against selection, and everything you remove goes to the system Trash where you can restore it. If a file cannot be read or verified, it is reported as an error and excluded — errors on one file never invalidate verified results for other files.
Does ZapMyFiles upload my files or collect data?
No. Scanning, verification, and deletion all happen locally on your computer. The desktop app contains no analytics, telemetry, or crash reporting. The only network request the app makes is an hourly check against a static update feed to see whether a new version is available.
Why do I have to pick folders instead of scanning my whole disk?
ZapMyFiles only reads the folders you explicitly select through the system folder picker. That keeps scans focused, fast, and predictable — and it means the app never needs blanket disk access to do its job. You can select multiple folders and scan them together, including folders on external drives.
How much does it cost?
The app you can download today is free, with no ads and no account required. A Pro tier for power-user workflows is planned as a one-time purchase — not a subscription — and everything the free app does today will remain free. Free results are never crippled: scanning, reviewing, and cleanup work fully.
What platforms are supported?
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows x64, and Linux (Debian/Ubuntu packages, plus RPM-based distributions via the install script). The macOS app is signed and notarized, and Windows builds are code-signed, so installs do not require bypassing operating-system protections.
Does it find similar photos, or only exact duplicates?
Exact duplicates only, and that is deliberate. “Similar photo” detection guesses, and guessing is how duplicate finders end up flagging files that are not actually the same. ZapMyFiles only shows results it has proven byte-for-byte, so you never have to second-guess a match before deleting.
Are repeat scans faster?
Yes. Verified full-content hashes are cached locally, and a file only reuses its cached hash if its path, size, and modification time are all unchanged. Repeat scans re-read what changed instead of re-reading every byte on disk.
What about files with multiple hard links?
ZapMyFiles detects hard links and marks them, because trashing a hard-linked copy does not actually free disk space. You see what is really reclaimable, not an inflated number.