Unique byte sizes are impossible duplicates and are eliminated immediately. A small head/tail fingerprint removes more false candidates.
Same bytes.
Prove it.
Names lie and equal sizes collide. DUP narrows the work cheaply, then streams every surviving candidate through full SHA-256 before it calls two files duplicates or estimates reclaimable space.
Same bytes.
Not same names.
Choose a folder once. DUP narrows candidates by size and sample fingerprint, then streams every remaining candidate through full SHA-256 before calling anything a duplicate.
Every surviving candidate is streamed through the same incremental SHA-256 implementation used elsewhere in 2XBR before grouping.
DUP recommends one keeper per exact group, favoring the newest file and then the simpler path, but never deletes local data automatically.
Export review paths with group hashes and keep/remove suggestions so the user can act deliberately in the real filesystem.