How to Securely Delete Your Files and Folders

The fallacy of "nothing to hide" is as alive as ever, yet more and more users are determined to protect their data, or alternatively, delete it entirely. With the possibility of selling or reusing storage units, an advanced purge of information becomes necessary. Today we'll explore a few options to securely delete your files and folders, and highlight their limitations.

One of the most debated processes in computing is data deletion. Our digital lives are broader, and responsibility grows daily. For some companies and government agencies, rewriting sectors is no longer a valid deletion process. Only physical destruction of drives or degaussing are considered "acceptable practices", but the average user has other priorities.

How to securely delete your files and folders with software

Sometimes we just want to delete a couple of files, or return a drive to a "factory state" for sale on the secondhand market. In those cases, the only viable route is a compatible program with advanced rewriting patterns, or the ability to trigger the Secure Erase command. Remember that no method is invincible. If you handle highly sensitive information, you might consider combining secure data deletion with drive encryption using VeraCrypt, BitLocker, or something similar.

Eraser

Eraser is one of the simplest and most convenient options if you work with Windows. The only major requirement of Eraser is the .NET Framework, which should already be installed on your system. Eraser lets you delete individual files, all files within a folder (and delete the folder when empty), the Recycle Bin, free space on any drive, and entire disks. Its techniques range from a one-pass pseudo-random pattern to the classic 35-pass Gutmann method. If you only plan to delete a few files, it should be quick; otherwise, the wait will be long.

DBAN

The so-called "nuclear option" and one of the most valued. Darik's Boot and Nuke works outside the operating system, so you need to burn its ISO image to a USB drive (or an optical disc if necessary). You can explore its advanced deletion methods or simply type "autonuke" and let it do the dirty work. DBAN is very useful for recycling a large number of computers and hard drives. It's been around for over four years and doesn't support SSDs, but it works well.

Official tools

This is often ignored by most, but almost all hard drive and SSD manufacturers offer tools for securely erasing data on their support sections. It's actually the route we recommend for solid-state drives, especially those using the NVMe specification. Samsung Magician is a good example, as well as SanDisk SSD Dashboard, Western Digital SSD Dashboard, and Intel Solid State Drive Toolbox. Admittedly, they aren't the most optimized software pieces in the world, but they do their job.

Complete hard drives, solid-state drives, and individual files. Three different levels to securely delete data. I hope one of them works for you, but remember: you are the first and last line of defense. Good luck!