diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a2d59bc..58b7dcb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ go install github.com/datumbrain/dedup@latest
 # Scan current directory
 dedup
 
+# Recursive scan (includes subdirectories)
+dedup -r .
+dedup -r /path/to/folder
+dedup --recursive "C:\Users\Username\Downloads"
+
 # Scan specific directory
 dedup /path/to/folder
 dedup "C:\Users\Username\Downloads"
@@ -25,7 +30,7 @@ dedup "C:\Users\Username\Downloads"
 - **Intelligent Recommendations**: Automatically identifies which files to keep vs delete
 - **Platform-Specific Commands**: Generates deletion commands for your OS (Windows/macOS/Linux)
 - **Safe by Default**: Only scans files, never deletes anything automatically
-- **Non-Recursive**: Only scans the specified folder (doesn't go into subdirectories)
+- **Recursive**: Can scan subdirectories if the -r / --recursive flag is used
 
 ## How It Works
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index b9c0197..e2dca2f 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -232,37 +232,42 @@ func generateDeletionCommands(filesToDelete []*FileInfo) {
 }
 
 // findDuplicates finds all duplicate files in the specified folder
-func findDuplicates(folderPath string) error {
+func findDuplicates(folderPath string, recursive bool) error {
 	// Map to store checksum -> list of files with that checksum
 	checksumMap := make(map[string][]*FileInfo)
 
-	// Read directory contents
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(folderPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error reading directory: %v", err)
+	if recursive {
+		fmt.Printf("Scanning files recursively in: %s\n", folderPath)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Printf("Scanning files in: %s\n", folderPath)
 	}
-
-	fmt.Printf("Scanning files in: %s\n", folderPath)
 	fmt.Println("Calculating checksums...")
 
-	// Process each file (skip directories)
-	for _, entry := range entries {
-		if entry.IsDir() {
-			continue // Skip directories
+	err := filepath.Walk(folderPath, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("Warning: Could not access %s: %v\n", path, err)
+			return nil
+		}
+		if info.IsDir() {
+			if !recursive && path != folderPath {
+				return filepath.SkipDir
+			}
+			return nil
 		}
 
-		filePath := filepath.Join(folderPath, entry.Name())
-
-		fmt.Printf("Processing: %s\n", entry.Name())
+		fmt.Printf("Processing: %s\n", path)
 
-		fileInfo, err := getFileInfo(filePath)
+		fileInfo, err := getFileInfo(path)
 		if err != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("Warning: Could not process %s: %v\n", filePath, err)
-			continue
+			fmt.Printf("Warning: Could not process %s: %v\n", path, err)
+			return nil
 		}
 
-		// Add to checksum map
 		checksumMap[fileInfo.Checksum] = append(checksumMap[fileInfo.Checksum], fileInfo)
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error scanning directory: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	// Find and display duplicates
@@ -335,10 +340,15 @@ func findDuplicates(folderPath string) error {
 }
 
 func main() {
-	// Get folder path from command line argument or use current directory
 	folderPath := "."
-	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
-		folderPath = os.Args[1]
+	recursive := false
+
+	for _, arg := range os.Args[1:] {
+		if arg == "--recursive" || arg == "-r" {
+			recursive = true
+		} else {
+			folderPath = arg
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Verify the path exists and is a directory
@@ -354,7 +364,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	// Find duplicates
-	if err := findDuplicates(folderPath); err != nil {
+	if err := findDuplicates(folderPath, recursive); err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("Error: %v\n", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}