It's no secret that the most valuable thing today is information. Yes, with its help you can either make a fortune in a matter of hours or lose everything to the last penny. Although we do not have such data, unfortunately, everyone has important information.

This can be anything, from documents to personal correspondence. Therefore, it is very important to be able to transfer, hide, copy and delete information.
This is the main reason why we decided to consider permanent file deletion.

In this article we will reveal in detail the most popular methods that will help destroy information. You know that completely destroy information simple method deleting and formatting the disk is unrealistic. As a result, these files and folders are easily restored using special utilities and also using special applications.

Destroying data on your hard drive using the Eraser HDD program.

You don't need to be a computer science monster to learn how to permanently delete files from your computer, especially if you have a tool like Eraser HDD. The main advantage of this program is that it does not require installation on the machine. Moreover, this program is absolutely free.

2. Next, click the “Start” button. A list of available ones will instantly appear in front of you. hard drives. Please note that the first column contains the hard drive number. You need to select the disk where you want to permanently destroy the information and remember the number that is assigned to it.

3. After this, enter the physical disk number and confirm your desire to destroy the data by clicking the “Apply” button.

4. Eraser HDD will ask you to confirm the action. And pay attention again!!! This is the last moment you have the opportunity to change your mind. If you confirm the deletion, wait for the following message to appear:

Congratulations, destruction of information on the hard drive was successful.

Auslogics BoostSpeed ​​or how to permanently delete files from your computer

If you need to remove separate files without formatting HDD, use the Auslogics BoostSpeed ​​program. Deleting information with its help will be as quickly as possible, see for yourself.

1. The first thing you need to do is download the program and install it on your computer. Launch it and in the main menu select “View”, where we click on “Tools”.

2. After that, in the “Confidentiality” group on the “Tools” tab, select the “Destroy files” link.

3. A new window opens in front of you, where in the “Auslogics File Shredder” menu we follow “Settings->Program Settings”.

4. The program will prompt you to specify “Options”. To do this, in the “Erase Settings” tab, if necessary: ​​– set the “Perform additional erase” checkbox. This guarantees you a more reliable level of data removal. In the drop-down list called “Erase Method”, indicate the appropriate method for destroying information (at the bottom of the list you will find all necessary information about each method separately). Confirm your actions by clicking “OK”.

5. Click “Add” and from the drop-down list select what you want to add for later deletion: files (specify “Add files…”) or folders (“Add folder…”). We chose to delete the entire folder. Note that you can also choose to delete files .



6. In the “Browse for Folders” window, specify the drive and folder you want to delete. Confirm your decision by clicking “OK”.

7. The selected folder is already in the list to be deleted. If you want to add several more files or folders, repeat steps 5 and 6. When the list is ready, click the “Erase” button.

After this, the deletion of the specified folders and files starts. The time for this procedure depends on the amount of information being deleted and the speed of the computer.

As soon as the data from the computer is completely deleted, a dialog box will appear in front of you, where it will be written - “Erasing complete”. Here you can see information about how many files or folders were deleted. Here you can also find a link to a detailed report on the process. To close the window you need to click on the cross.

As a result simple actions you were able to easily delete files from your computer using a simple and accessible tool– Auslogics BoostSpeed.

As you can see, deleting data is a simple process if you have the necessary software packages at hand. With their help, it is possible to delete not only individual folders and files, but also format the entire disk. Finally, we note that there are a lot of similar programs today, and their principle of operation is practically no different from those described.

Take care of the information and you will always be on top of your game.

Deleting files is a common procedure when working with a computer, which is used several times a day. However, simply by sending files to the Recycle Bin and emptying it, you leave traces of data on the system, which can then be used to recover deleted information. If you are not happy with this situation, then it will be useful for you to learn how to delete files without the possibility of recovery.

Normal deletion

Any user sent files to the trash: to do this, click on it right click and select “Delete”. After this, the recycle bin is emptied, and unnecessary information seems to disappear from the computer.

Another way to get rid of unnecessary file– erase it immediately, without first sending it to the trash. To do this, you need to select it with the left button, and then press the key combination Shift+Delete.

A warning will appear asking you to confirm the action by clicking “Yes.”

You can configure deletion so that files are not sent to the trash in principle, even without pressing a certain key combination.

Now information will be immediately erased from the hard drive, bypassing temporary storage for deleted data.

Permanent deletion

If you deleted files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, then know that this information can be restored if desired. Fortunately, there are a lot of programs for performing such an operation, both paid and free.

The only way to completely erase information is to overwrite other data in its place. It is advisable to do this several times to completely destroy all traces of the deleted file.

You can't do this manually; but, with the support of special software, you will quickly perform the desired operation.

SDelete

To permanently delete data, you can use a utility from Microsoft called SDelete. This program operates through the command line, overwriting deleted file random numbers.

  1. Download the utility onto your computer.
  2. Launch Command Prompt (press Win+R to open the Run menu and enter the command “cmd.exe”).
  3. Specify the path to the folder in which the downloaded SDelete utility is stored using a command like “cd C:\downloads” and press Enter.
  4. Use a command like “delete file path” to delete data you don’t need.

IN command line A message should appear indicating that the destruction of information was successful. After this you can close all windows.

Recuva

Recuva is commonly used to recover deleted files from a flash drive or hard drive. However, her functionality are often not used full power, because with the help of this utility you can also erase information, leaving no chance of its recovery.

The first thing to do is erase the files in the usual way, sending them to the trash and then emptying it.

To delete data completely, you must first start the recovery procedure:

So, you have received a list of files that can be recovered. Now you need to destroy them, permanently erasing them from your hard drive.

Remember: the more rewrite cycles you specify, the higher the likelihood that the information will be completely and irrevocably deleted. Therefore, select 35 cycles at once and click “OK”.

Select the files you want to destroy, and then right-click in the main program window. Select "Securely remove marked ones."

A warning will appear on the screen in which you need to click “Yes” to start the process of permanently deleting the information.

After the procedure is completed, run Recuva to search and restore files again. Check that the data that you have securely deleted no longer appears in the list. If they are, try the steps described above again.

Far Manager

With the help of this file manager You can not only manage the data stored on your computer, but also permanently delete it from your hard drive.

  1. Select the item you want to remove from your computer forever.
  2. Press the Alt+Delete key combination or select “Destruction” from the “File” menu.
  3. In the window that appears, confirm your intentions by clicking on the “Destroy” button.

If you delete one file, it will be destroyed immediately. When deleting a folder, another warning will appear, again asking you to confirm your intention.

Why erase data using a utility Far Manager can be considered reliable? Because the file will first be erased with zeros, then renamed randomly, and only then will it be sent into oblivion.

Eraser HDD

Another convenient and functional utility that allows you to permanently get rid of unnecessary information, called Eraser HDD and distributed in the form portable application. The only drawback of this program is that it cannot delete individual files; You can only clean the entire disk.

Important: since the program completely cleans the disk (removing Windows and even itself), you need to run it from the second hard drive.


After confirming the removal of all data from the hard drive, a notification like this will appear:

By the way, in this way you can delete undeletable files without the help of other applications like Unlocker. Finally, another way to destroy data is to use the CCleaner program.

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How to erase data without the possibility of recovery

It is known that information is of great importance. Due to the spread of IT technologies, users store a lot of data on a computer, laptop, removable hard drives and other similar devices. But sometimes important files can be accidentally deleted, in which case you need to restore them. Find out how to recover deleted data from your hard drive here. However, sometimes important information on the contrary, you need to delete it, and you need to make manipulations in such a way that even the most advanced hackers cannot recover the data in the files. Therefore, today we decided to look at ways to erase a file without the possibility of data recovery.

Methods for permanently deleting data

There are three ways to completely delete information from any device. The first of them is mechanical. It lies in the fact that the device from which information needs to be erased suffers mechanical damage, due to which it will not be recoverable. The essence of this method is simple - it is necessary to irreversibly destroy the working surface of the storage medium. Of course, this is the most expensive and rough method.

The second method is called hardware. In this case, the device is exposed to a magnetic field or radiation. This method is also quite expensive, and in order to carry out such a manipulation, you will need special equipment.

The last, quite effective method, which, moreover, can be done at home, is software. In other words, a special software. We will consider this method of data deletion in more detail, since it is the most gentle with respect to the storage medium.

Problems deleting files

Before we talk about how to permanently delete data files, we should say a little about what exactly happens during the process of erasing information. Sometimes it happens that a file cannot be deleted; what to do in this case, read this article. Once you delete a file, the operating system does not physically remove it from the disk. It only marks it as deleted, performing the corresponding operations, including freeing the clusters that belonged to it and file records.

A cluster is a group of adjacent sectors with which the system conducts operations as a whole. A file record describes file attributes and the placement of clusters on disk.

So, after you delete the file, the clusters become free again, which is why they are used by others, again created files, which over time overwrite their predecessors. However, this may not happen soon. In addition, small pieces of information may remain intact, but in some cases it is important not to leave absolutely any data.

Recovery with Recuva

Let's turn to the Recuva program, which makes it possible to restore and delete data. There is both free and paid version this utility. Download this program only from reliable sources, as when downloading the program you may “catch” a virus. Therefore, it is important to install an antivirus program before downloading. Which antivirus programs you can find out here. So, first we just need to remove unnecessary information. To do this, files are selected, and then the Shift+Del button combination is used. In this situation, Shift is designed to ensure that information is not temporarily placed in the trash.

After the manipulations we open Recuva program and search for deleted files. In the window that appears, click the “Go to advanced mode” link, from where we go to Settings.

Here we need a button Reliable removal. You need to select as many rewrite cycles as possible. The higher this number, the greater the likelihood that data will not be recovered. Although, of course, the procedure can take a long time.

You can check how securely the information was deleted if you use the same program, but restore the files. If the utility reports that this is impossible, you have done everything correctly.

Eraser HDD program

Another application that is used for data recovery is Eraser HDD. This program distributed free of charge. In addition, the advantage of the utility is that it is not required to be installed on your computer. This program is easy to use and quite effective.

How exactly to delete information is up to you to decide, and we have suggested ways to do such manipulations. Programs that are designed for complete removal There is quite a lot of information available on the Internet. They are commercial and freely available. At the same time, they will not harm the device while performing all the specified actions, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of your computer or laptop.

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Deleting files permanently

The topic of today's article is somewhat unusual. Today we will talk about how to permanently destroy data. Destroy them so that they cannot be restored even with the help special programs or research hardware systems.


Deleting a file is not enough

Regular readers of our site already know that simply deleting a file is completely insufficient from the point of view information security. Deleted files (with rare exceptions in the form of SSD drives) can be restored within just a few minutes. This is due to the fact that when deleting Windows file does not destroy its contents, but simply makes a note in the file system that the file has been deleted and the disk space it occupies is free. Accordingly, the deleted file can be recovered using easy-to-use tools - for example, Hetman Uneraser.

Disk formatting

The very fact that tools like Hetman exist Partition Recovery, is a good indicator that formatted partitions are far from a guarantee of data security. In fact, with the exception of all the same SSD drives, formatting a partition in “fast” mode (and in old Windows versions– and formatting in “full” mode) does not erase data, but only resets the file system. Accordingly, data after such formatting can be restored.

However, it should be noted that completely formatting a disk using Windows Vista and Windows 7 will still overwrite the contents of the disk with zeros, and formatting an SSD disk in any way will most likely (but not one hundred percent) also lead to the destruction of data.

Data destruction programs

There is a whole class of programs designed for reliable and safe destruction of information. Such programs use arrays random numbers to physically overwrite the disk space occupied by the file being destroyed. Some security standards (such as those used by the US Army) require multiple rewrite cycles and insist on the use of cryptographically strong random number generators. In practice, it's more like shooting sparrows from a cannon. For private users and most commercial organizations, a single rewrite cycle will be enough.

Finding such a program is easy - just run a search by keywords"secure file deletion" Free disk space is erased in a similar way - even the same programs are often used.

It should be noted that these methods only work with traditional magnetic drives, in which unambiguous addressing of the physical space on the disk is possible. In case of SSD drives this is not the case, and the destruction of information on them is a separate and rather little-researched topic.

Destroying data on CDs and DVDs

Getting rid of old ones backup copies, do not forget to destroy the data. The most in a simple way destroying information on a CD or DVD means physically destroying the media. Do not give in to the temptation to break the “blank” with your hands - you will most likely cut yourself with fragments, and small fragments of plastic and aluminum substrate will be found in the most unexpected places for a long time.

The easiest way to destroy disks is to use an office shredder equipped with a CD and DVD receiver. In addition to them, there are also specialized devices - by the way, they are not at all as expensive as one might think. For most purposes, it is normal to cut the disc into four strips.

There are also devices that render disks unusable by drilling several holes in them (by the way, you can make holes in the disk yourself using a regular drill). Experts consider this method less reliable compared to using a shredder.

Separately, it is worth mentioning device manufacturers safe storage information. DataTraveler and Silicon Power offer USB or hard disks, which store information in encrypted form. To destroy access to the data of such devices, it is enough to delete the decryption key. Hard drive data recovery software will not be able to decrypt the contents and will be absolutely useless.

We can also mention the heating of the disks, leading to the destruction of the translucent information layer. Like other methods, this method should only be used in specialized devices - overheated “blanks” can quickly melt.

HetmanRecovery.com

How to permanently delete files

If you read my article “How to Recover Deleted Files,” then you already know that physically deleting data from your computer is not that easy. They are quite easy to restore later. Today I will teach you how to delete files without the possibility of their subsequent recovery.

Some readers may wonder why this might be needed at all. The reasons can be very different. But the most popular option is selling an old computer (or simply digital media, such as a flash drive or hard drive). After all, few people want personal documents, photographs or videos to fall into the hands of strangers.

And some users also store files with passwords from various Internet resources on their computers. Imagine for a second that someone had the data to access your account on the Yandex.Money project or something similar.

Meanwhile, it is quite possible to delete data so that it cannot be restored. For this we need special software. The principle of its operation, as a rule, is that it clogs clusters with fragments of a file that needs to be deleted, with arbitrary information. That is, it physically overwrites it. As a result, even if the file is detected by the recovery program, it will not be able to restore it.

Since our priority is free programs, we will turn to the already familiar Recuva program, which has free version and can not only restore deleted files, but also reliably delete them.

So, to securely erase data, first we simply delete it. To do this, it is best to select the files to be deleted and press the Shift+Del button combination. Usage Shift keys allows you to delete a file without placing it in the trash.

Now we launch the Recuva program and look for the files we deleted. How to do this is described in detail in the article “How to Recover Deleted Files.” But we won’t restore them.

Perform the procedure for searching for deleted files, as described in this article (it is better to search not in a specific folder, but across the entire disk, since the file may have previously been moved). You should get a list of deleted files. Click the "Go to advanced mode" button.

The window will change appearance. As you can see, the “Settings” button has appeared. Click it.

In the settings we are interested in the “Secure removal” item. We must select the number of cycles to overwrite deleted files. The more of these cycles, the greater the guarantee that the deleted file cannot be restored, but it will take longer. In my opinion, it is better to play it safe and choose the maximum number of cycles. After all, we need positive result, otherwise why would we even take on this, right? We select the parameters that suit us and click “Ok”.

We mark the files that we need to securely delete, right-click and in the appeared context menu select the item “Securely delete marked ones”.

When asked whether we really want to destroy these files, we answer positively. And we wait for the procedure for securely deleting files to complete, after which we click “Ok”.

That's all. To check how everything went, you can try to recover your data using the article “How to recover deleted files”. Moreover, if you have used a small number of rewrite cycles, I highly recommend doing this to ensure that your files are truly securely deleted.

If the recovery process fails, then you did everything right. If some files were nevertheless recovered, repeat the procedure again, not skimping on the number of rewrite cycles.

If my article was useful to you, please recommend it to your friends using the buttons social networks or simply by sharing the link.

You can send your questions for the section “ Free help» to the address: In the subject of the letter write “Free help”.

Greetings!

It is well known that even from a formatted flash drive you can read files that were there before the formatting procedure. This is due to the peculiarity of flash technology, due to which a whole class of programs was born - data recovery from Flash disks and drives.

If you need to completely erase (destroy) the files and data on the flash drive, so as not to expose them to the risk of being “read” in the right hands, then you should use the solution described below.

A utility that will help us clean media (USB-Flash, MicroSD, etc.) is called Disk Wipe. This program is free and works without installation.

The principle of its operation (and similar ones) is quite simple: randomly generated information is recorded onto the media, this procedure is performed in several passes (depending on the selected mode).

After the “processing” of the drive is completed, no data recovery program will be able to restore the data previously available on the flash drive.

Instructions for completely destroying files and folders on a flash drive

  1. Launch the utility. In the window that opens, select your flash drive from the list, and then top menu click on the button Wipe Disk.
  2. The Disk Cleanup Wizard will open. In this step select the type file system your flash drive.
  3. In the next step, you will need to select the type of erasure; the optimal option is One Pass Random (quick).
  4. Finally, in the last step, a warning will be displayed stating that all data from the drive being erased will be completely and irrevocably deleted.

    And to confirm the start of the drive cleanup process, you need to enter the text “ ERASE ALL" (without quotes), and then press the key Finish.

  5. After the cleansing process is complete, your drive will be completely empty. You can transfer it or give it away without fear that the data that was once on it can be restored.

That's all. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.

There are many ways (depending on the device you use) to permanently delete data. This article describes methods for deleting data in mobile devices, laptops and computers running various operating systems(Windows, iOS, Android and Linux). Using special programs and commands, you can very easily and quickly delete data and free up space on your computer’s hard drive or in the memory of your mobile device.

Steps

iPhone/iPad – Using iPhone Data Eraser

    Download iPhone program Data Eraser for your computer or laptop. Use a computer or laptop to which you can connect (using a USB cable) your iPhone. The iPhone Data Eraser program can be downloaded from http://www.recover-iphone-ios-8.com/iphone-data-eraser.html. Under "Supported OS:" select "Mac". Then either purchase the program or click "Free Trial".

    • iPhone Data Eraser is supported by iPhone (versions 6/5s/5c/5/4s/4/3GS), iPad (1/2/Mini/New iPad) and iPod (Classic/Touch/Nano/Shuffle).
  1. Install iPhone Data Eraser. Click the downloaded file to open it, and then drag the Wondershare SafeEraser icon into the Applications folder that appears next to the icon in the installation window. In the Applications folder, the program will appear under the name Wondershare SafeEraser (unless you move the program to another folder).

    Launch iPhone Data Eraser. Click the program's icon in your Applications folder (or wherever you placed the program).

    Connect your iPhone (or iOS device) to your computer or laptop. Do this using a USB cable. Once your device is connected, iPhone Data Eraser will detect it and display information about used and free memory on the screen.

    Choose how you want to delete your data. The Welcome screen will display four options, each corresponding to a specific method for deleting data.

    Select the "Express Cleanup" option. This method will remove unnecessary files. After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to allow the program to find unnecessary data. Once the scan is complete, a list of unnecessary files will be displayed on the screen; from this list, select the files you want to delete. To view detailed information about files, click on the blue icon located to the right of each category. Once you've reviewed the files, check the boxes next to the files you want to delete and click the blue "Erase now" button.

    Select the "Erase Private Data" option. This method will delete your search history, cookies and other private files. After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to allow the program to find private data. After scanning is completed, a list of private files will be displayed on the screen; from this list, select the files you want to delete. To view detailed information about files, click on the blue icon located to the right of each category. Once you've reviewed the files, check the boxes next to the files you want to delete and click the blue "Erase now" button. You will be prompted to enter the word "delete" to confirm your decision.

    Select the "Erase Deleted Files" option. This method will delete files that are in the Recycle Bin. After selecting this option, click “Start Scan” to allow the program to find the deleted data. Once the scan is complete, a list of deleted files will be displayed on the screen; from this list, select the files you want to delete. To view detailed information about files, click on the blue icon located to the right of each category. By default, all found files are selected for erasing, so uncheck the files you want to keep, and then click the blue "Erase now" button. You will be prompted to enter the word "delete" to confirm your decision.

    Select the "Delete all data" option. In this case, all personal files will be erased and the device settings will be reset to factory settings. You will be asked to select one of three security levels, each of which corresponds to a specific removal procedure; To select the optimal level, read Additional information, displayed on the screen. You will be prompted to enter the word "delete" to confirm your decision.

    Run Secure Delete. After installing the application, you will find it in the list of applications installed on your device (if necessary, move the application icon to another location). Click the Secure Delete application icon to open it.

    Select the type of files you want to delete. At the top of the screen, open the drop-down menu and select one of the following options: “Photo”, “App folder”, “SDCard”, “Download files”. The program will display a list of files according to the selected option.

    Mark the files to be deleted. To the right of each file you will find a label box. Click on the box next to each file that you want to permanently delete.

    Permanently delete the selected files. Once you've selected the files to delete, click the green "Secure delete" button located at the bottom of the screen. To confirm your decision, enter "Yes" and click "OK". The deletion process will take some time, but it will permanently delete your files.

Windows - Using the Recycle Bin

    Delete the unnecessary file. Find the file (folder) you want to erase. Right-click on the file/folder and click “Delete” in the menu, or left-click on the file/folder once and then press Del on your keyboard.

    • To permanently delete a file (without sending it to the Trash), select it and press on your keyboard ⇧ Shift + Del.
  1. Open the Trash. To do this, double-click on its icon on your desktop.

    Select the file and click Del . In the Recycle Bin window, find the deleted file (folder), left-click on it once and press Del on your keyboard.

    Or click "Empty Trash". To delete all files and folders in the Recycle Bin at once, click “Empty Recycle Bin” on the toolbar.

    • If you want to empty the Trash without opening it, right-click on the Trash icon and click “Empty Trash” in the menu.
    • Please note that the described method does not permanently delete files and folders. When you delete a file from the Recycle Bin, the system link to it is deleted, that is, access to this file is blocked, and some space is freed up on your hard drive, but the file itself is not completely deleted.
    • To permanently delete files and folders, learn the methods described below. These methods involve the use of special software.

Windows - Using Eraser

  1. Download the Eraser program. This is popular free program to permanently delete data. Unlike deleting data from the Recycle Bin (where deleted files and folders can be recovered), Eraser will allow you to delete information without the ability to recover it. The Eraser program can be downloaded from http://download.cnet.com/Eraser/3000-2092_4-10231814.html?

    • Eraser overwrites deleted information with random data until the original file becomes an unrecoverable set of data.
  2. Find the file (or folder) you want to erase and right-click on it. This will open a pop-up menu.

    • Review the options in the menu that opens. Along with the usual options in this menu, you will find the “Eraser” submenu (if, of course, you have already installed the Eraser program); Look for the indicated submenu above the "Open with" option.
  3. Open the Eraser submenu and click Erase. In the open context menu, hover over the “Eraser” submenu, which should open. From the menu that opens, click Erase to permanently delete the file or folder.

    • The file (or folder) will be deleted without delay. Once the deletion process is complete, information will be displayed that the selected data has been permanently deleted.
    • Instead of the “Erase” option, select “Erase on Restart” to delete the data not immediately, but the next time you restart the computer.

Windows - Using SDelete

  1. Install SDelete. SDelete is a utility created by by Microsoft and allows you to permanently delete data from the command line. This utility can be downloaded from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897443.aspx

    • Likewise Eraser program, the Sdelete utility allows you to permanently delete data through cyclic overwriting to a state where it cannot be recovered. As a result of this utility, file names are not erased, but their contents are deleted forever.
  2. Open a command prompt. To do this, click “Start” - “Run” and in the “Run” window enter cmd. Then click "OK" or key ↵Enter.

    Go to the SDelete utility directory. Use the cd command to navigate to the folder where SDelete is stored.

    • Let's assume that the utility is stored in the C:\cmdtools folder. In this case, at the command prompt, enter cd C:\cmdtools. Or, if the utility is located in the C:\downloads folder, enter cd C:\downloads.
    • After entering the command, press the key ↵Enter to go to the specified directory.
  3. Specify the file or folder to delete. To do this, enter the command sdelete<путь к файлу или каталогу>.

    • Where<путь к файлу или каталогу>is the exact location of the file (or folder) you want to delete.
    • For example, if you want to delete the securedata.txt file stored in some subfolder of "Public Documents", enter the following path: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\securedata.txt.
  4. Press the key ↵Enter . Pressing this key will permanently delete specified file(or folders).

    • Once the file is deleted, the command prompt will display a message indicating that the data has been completely deleted. The command prompt can now be closed.

Mac OS - Using the Recycle Bin

  1. Remove unnecessary files. Locate the file(s) you want to permanently delete. Left-click the file once and press the Del key or drag the file to the Trash icon (located on the taskbar).

    Click and hold the Trash icon. The Trash menu will open with various options. In most cases, the menu will show "Open" and "Empty Trash" options.

    • Selecting the “Empty Recycle Bin” option will block access to the file, remove the system link to it, and free up some space on your hard drive. That is, this option does not guarantee permanent deletion of data - you can restore it if desired.
  2. Hold down the key ⌘Command . Press the key ⌘Command when the Trash menu is open. Please note that the "Empty Trash" option will change to "Permanently empty Trash".

    Select the “Permanently empty the Trash” option. Click (once) on this option to permanently delete files and folders that are in the Recycle Bin.

    • Please note that selecting this option will permanently delete all files from the Recycle Bin at once. That is, using this option you will not be able to select and delete some files and leave others in the Trash.
    • This option is available in Mac OS 10.3 and later versions.
  3. Troubleshoot problems when deleting data from the Recycle Bin. Some users encounter problems when emptying the Recycle Bin, as evidenced by the following message: “The operation cannot be completed because the item<имя элемента>blocked." First, try pressing the key ⌥ Option and select “Empty Trash” from the Finder menu. If this doesn't work, the reason you can't empty your Trash is something else.

    • It is possible that some files in the Recycle Bin are blocked. On Mac OS X 10.1 (and later), try clicking ⇧ Shift + ⌥ Option and select "Empty Trash". In Mac OS X 10.0-10.0.4, right-click the file and select Information from the menu. In the window that opens, uncheck the “Block” option. If this doesn't work, read the information at https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/HT201583.
    • You may not have permission to empty your Trash. In this case, a message will appear on the screen indicating that your privileges or permissions are insufficient. In Mac OS X 10.2 (and later versions of this system), click “Applications” - “Utilities” - “Disk Utility” - “Repair Disk Permissions”. If this didn't work, or you have an older one installed Mac version OS, read the information (on English language) on the website https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/HT2963.

Mac OS - Using Permanent Eraser

  1. Download Permanent Eraser. This is a free program for permanently deleting data on Mac OS. It leads to complete and irrevocable deletion of files, folders and other data; This program is also used to delete all or certain files from Cart. The Permanent Eraser program can be downloaded from http://download.cnet.com/Permanent-Eraser/3000-2092_4-10668789.html

    • Compared to the “Permanently empty the Trash” option, this program erases information more reliably. The “Permanently empty the Recycle Bin” option performs a seven-fold cycle of overwriting data, and the Permanent Eraser program does this 35 times; Moreover, this program changes the original file name and, before deleting, truncates the file so that its size is practically zero.
  2. Drag the files you want to delete onto the Permanent Eraser icon. Find this icon in the Permanent Eraser program folder or in the Dock or Finder sidebar, and then navigate to the file (folder) you want to delete. Drag the file (folder) onto the Permanent Eraser icon.

    • Once you drag a file onto the program icon, it will immediately delete the file.
    • To display the Permanent Eraser icon in the Dock, open the program's folder and drag the icon to the Dock.
    • To display the Permanent Eraser icon in the Finder sidebar, drag the icon to an empty space in the sidebar.
  3. Launch Permanent Eraser and empty the Trash. To launch a program, click on its icon (in the program folder, in the Dock, or in the Finder). To permanently delete the entire contents of the Recycle Bin (and not individual files or folders), confirm your decision in the window that opens.

Deleting files is a common procedure when working with a computer, which is used several times a day. However, simply by sending files to the Recycle Bin and emptying it, you leave traces of data on the system, which can then be used to recover deleted information. If you are not happy with this situation, then it will be useful for you to learn how to delete files without the possibility of recovery.

Normal deletion

Any user has sent files to the trash: to do this, right-click on it and select “Delete”. After this, the recycle bin is emptied, and unnecessary information seems to disappear from the computer.

Another way to get rid of an unnecessary file is to erase it immediately, without first sending it to the trash. To do this, you need to select it with the left button, and then press the key combination Shift+Delete.

A warning will appear asking you to confirm the action by clicking “Yes.”

You can configure deletion so that files are not sent to the trash in principle, even without pressing a certain key combination.

Now information will be immediately erased from the hard drive, bypassing temporary storage for deleted data.

If you deleted files and then emptied the Recycle Bin, then know that this information can be restored if desired. Fortunately, there are a lot of programs for performing such an operation, both paid and free.

The only way to completely erase information is to overwrite other data in its place. It is advisable to do this several times to completely destroy all traces of the deleted file.

You can't do this manually; but, with the support of special software, you will quickly perform the desired operation.

SDelete

To permanently delete data, you can use a utility from Microsoft called SDelete. This program operates through the command line, overwriting a remote file with random numbers.


A message should appear on the command line indicating that the destruction of information was successful. After this you can close all windows.

Recuva

Recuva is commonly used to recover deleted files from a flash drive or hard drive. However, its functionality is often not used to its full potential, because with the help of this utility you can also erase information, leaving no chance of its recovery.

The first thing to do is to erase the files in the usual way, by sending them to the trash and then emptying it.

To delete data completely, you must first start the recovery procedure:


So, you have received a list of files that can be recovered. Now you need to destroy them, permanently erasing them from your hard drive.


Remember: the more rewrite cycles you specify, the higher the likelihood that the information will be completely and irrevocably deleted. Therefore, select 35 cycles at once and click “OK”.

Select the files you want to destroy, and then right-click in the main program window. Select "Securely remove marked ones."

A warning will appear on the screen in which you need to click “Yes” to start the process of permanently deleting the information.

After the procedure is completed, run Recuva to search and restore files again. Check that the data that you have securely deleted no longer appears in the list. If they are, try the steps described above again.

Using this file manager, you can not only manage data stored on your computer, but also permanently delete it from your hard drive.

If you delete one file, it will be destroyed immediately. When deleting a folder, another warning will appear, again asking you to confirm your intention.

Why can erasing data using the Far Manager utility be considered reliable? Because the file will first be erased with zeros, then renamed randomly, and only then will it be sent into oblivion.

Eraser HDD

Another convenient and functional utility that allows you to permanently get rid of unnecessary information is called Eraser HDD and is distributed as a portable application. The only drawback of this program is that it cannot delete individual files; You can only clean the entire disk.

Important: since the program completely cleans the disk (removing Windows and even itself), you need to run it from the second hard drive.


After confirming the removal of all data from the hard drive, a notification like this will appear:

By the way, in this way you can delete undeletable files without the help of other applications like Unlocker. Finally, another way to destroy data is to use the CCleaner program.