---
id: duplicates.how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-are-duplicate-sets-sorted
category: "Duplicate files"
subcategory: "Choosing which copy to keep"
question: "How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?"
alt_questions:
  - "Which duplicates are shown first?"
  - "Why is this duplicate at the top of the list?"
  - "Order of duplicate sets"
  - "Biggest duplicates first?"
short_answer: "Sets are listed largest space-saving first, so the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space. Sets that would free nothing, such as clones and linked files, are kept in a separate section."
tags: ["duplicates", "sorting", "results"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/what-do-the-numbers-in-the-duplicates-status-line-mean"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How are duplicate sets sorted in the list?

Largest space-saving first. Each set shows how many copies there are, the size of each, and how much removing the extras would free, and the list is ordered so the sets that free the most space come first.

That way the first few clicks usually reclaim most of the space — a single duplicated video can be worth more than hundreds of small documents. Sets that would free no space at all (see [identical files that free nothing](https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-are-some-identical-files-shown-as-freeing-no-space)) are kept in a separate section at the bottom.