File Hunter

File Hunter is a self-hosted, web-based file browser and cataloging tool designed to manage files across multiple transient storage locations, including USB drives, network shares, DVD-ROMs, and local directories. It allows users to search, browse, and deduplicate files even when the original storage media are disconnected, maintaining a persistent catalog so that all files remain accessible for review and management. The platform is intended for individuals or organizations needing to track, organize, and consolidate files scattered across various devices and drives, especially those who frequently work with removable or networked storage.

Distinctive features include the ability to remember and catalog disconnected drives, enabling offline browsing, search, and duplicate review. File Hunter employs a three-tier hashing strategy—using file size, xxHash64, and SHA-256—to efficiently and accurately detect duplicate files across all registered locations. sources metadata files. Every operation generates a CSV result log, viewable in the interface, detailing source and destination locations, status, and errors.

The tool offers an interactive storage map with treemap visualizations to help users quickly identify large folders and files, and supports advanced search capabilities by filename, file type, tags, description, size, date, and duplicate count. Inline previews are available for images, videos, audio, text, PDFs, CSVs, and raw file data, all within the browser interface. Users can perform batch operations, merge folders or entire locations, and upload files with automatic deduplication. Scheduled and background scans, incremental rescans, and automatic resumption after server restarts ensure efficient and resilient catalog maintenance. Multi-user authentication with PBKDF2 password hashing is supported, with all users sharing full access.

File Hunter runs as a web app accessible from any browser on any device, and can be deployed on servers, Raspberry Pi devices, NAS units, or laptops. There is no desktop client or Electron wrapper; management is entirely browser-based. The catalog is stored locally in SQLite, ensuring persistent access to indexed data. During July 2026, the Pro version—which adds features such as remote agents, content streaming, and cross-machine deduplication—is available for free to all users.