There are several ways to delete files without the possibility of recovery. This guide discusses the best methods for erasing data in laptops, smartphones and computers running different operating systems (Windows, Linux, iOS, Android). Thanks to specialized software and user-friendly procedures, you can easily quickly remove confidential information and free up much-needed data storage space.
iPhone Data Eraser for iOS
First of all, the program for deleting files without the possibility of recovery should be downloaded to your PC or laptop, which should have a USB port for connecting iPad and iPhone. The application can be found at recover-iphone-ios-8.com/iphone-data-eraser.html. At the same time, select Mac as the supported OS and click on the âFree Trialâ option or purchase a product.
You can install the application by simply opening the downloaded file and dragging the Wondershare SafeEraser shortcut to the "Programs" directory. It will start if you click on its shortcut.
Then you should connect an iPhone (or other device on the iOS platform) to a computer or laptop. This can be done using a USB cable. After that, the application will detect the device and display information about the memory space it uses.
Next, you must select your preferred data deletion option. The user will see 4 options listed next to the Hello iPhone screen. Each of them offers its own way to erase files.
The âExpress Cleanupâ option deletes unnecessary data from the iOS device. After selecting it, you need to run the "Start Scan" command so that the program detects erased data in the memory. After the procedure is completed, the display will show a list of files in which the user can mark those that are to be deleted. You can view additional information about them by clicking on the blue label located to the right of each category. After viewing, check the boxes on the files that are subject to final elimination, and then click the "Delete Now" button.
Selecting the âDelete personal dataâ option clears the search history, cookies and other personal information. After that, you need to run the âStart Scanâ command so that the program can find confidential files. After the procedure is completed, various personal data will be displayed, from which the user can select which data to delete. Additional information about them can be viewed by clicking on the blue label to the right of each folder. After that, next to the objects to be disposed of, you can check the boxes, and then click the "Erase Now" button. Before deleting files without the possibility of recovery, the confirmation program will prompt you to enter the word delete.
The option "Erase deleted files" is intended for objects that have already been moved to the "Recycle Bin". For the application to find the required data, you must click the scan start button. After the procedure is completed, a list of deleted objects will be displayed on the screen, from which you can select those that you want to permanently erase. The user can view additional information by clicking on the blue label to the right of each folder. The entire list of files is marked for deletion by default, so you need to uncheck the ones that need to be saved, and then click the "Erase now" button. To confirm his actions, the user will need to enter âdeleteâ.
The option âErase all dataâ destroys all confidential information and recreates the factory settings of the device. Before deleting files without the possibility of recovery, the user will be asked to choose the security level that corresponds to the various methods of deletion, so you should familiarize yourself with the explanations and choose the one that is most suitable. To confirm the request, enter delete.
Secure Delete for Android
The program for deleting files without the possibility of recovery for devices on the Android platform is Secure Delete. This free application works with the Android 2.3.3 operating system and later. You can find the program on Google Play.
After installing Secure Delete, the user can find the application shortcut and move it to any convenient place. Touching the program icon, you can start its execution.
Next, select the type of files to delete. At the top of the screen is a drop-down menu with the items âPhotosâ, âApplicationsâ, âMemory cardâ and âDownloaded filesâ. After the user selects one of them, the program displays a list of the found.
To indicate specific objects that are to be erased, you need to put a mark in the rectangles opposite each of them.
Deleting deleted files without the possibility of recovery is done by pressing the green button located at the bottom of the screen. The user will be asked to confirm the operation by entering the word Yes. After clicking the âOKâ button, file deletion without recovery will begin.
Using Windows Recycle Bin
You can delete files and folders in the Microsoft operating system as follows. First of all, you need to find them, right-click on them and select the âDeleteâ option in the context menu. Or you can press the left and the Delete button. You can delete a file from the disk without recovery without sending it to the Recycle Bin by selecting it and typing the key combination Shift + Delete.
The "Trash" opens by double-clicking on the corresponding shortcut on the desktop. Going to the deleted folders and files, select them by clicking on them with the left mouse button and press the Delete key on the keyboard. If necessary, erase the entire contents of the "Recycle Bin" instead of doing this one object at a time, you can run the "Empty Recycle Bin" toolbar command.
It is also possible to delete the contents of the Recycle Bin without opening its window. To do this, right-click on its shortcut and execute the "Empty Trash" command in the context menu. However, when using this method, deleting deleted files without the possibility of recovery will fail. Clearing the Recycle Bin Windows erases only data links, blocking access to them and freeing up some disk space. But the data from the computer is not completely deleted.
To learn how to delete files without recovery on your computer, you need to use one of the methods described below. They require the use of specialized software.
Eraser for Windows
This is one of the most popular free utilities that allow you to delete files without recovery. Unlike the âpermanentâ removal option available in the Windows Recycle Bin, the application erases them permanently. Eraser works by writing random data over the file until it can no longer be restored.
First of all, you need to find the object that you want to delete, and right-click on it. A pop-up menu will appear, similar to the one before the installation of the utility. But now it contains the Eraser line, located above the "Open with" item.
Next, open the submenu and select the Erase option. To do this, hover over Eraser in the context menu and hold it there until another menu appears. In it, select the Erase item to delete files without the possibility of recovery. The program will immediately do what is required, after which a pop-up window will appear informing about the completion of the task.
Instead of the Erase command, the user has the option âErase on rebootâ. In this case, the file will not be deleted immediately, but the next time the computer starts.
SDelete for Windows
SDelete is an unrecoverable file removal program created by Microsoft. It allows you to do this from the command line of the Windows operating system. This utility, like Eraser, cyclically writes zeros and ones on top of files on disk until the original data turns into a set of random values. She does not delete their names, but completely and permanently erases the contents.
The program is launched from the command line. In the "Start" menu, select "Run", enter the cmd command in the "Open" text box and press the "OK" button or the enter key on the keyboard.
Then you need to go to the folder with the SDelete utility. To do this, use the command to change the current CD directory.
For example, if the program is located in the C: \ tools directory, then at the command prompt you should enter CD C: \ tools. After that, you need to press the enter button, and the specified folder will become current.
You can sdelete [] < > what exactly needs to be deleted by typing sdelete [] < > at the command line. The following values ââcan be used as parameters:
- -p [N] - allows you to overwrite the file N times. For example, if you need to do this 30 times, enter -p 30;
- -a - removes the read-only attribute;
- -s - cleans free space;
- -q - suppresses the output of information about errors in the execution of a command;
- -s or âr - sets recursive access to subdirectories;
- -z - instructs the command to fill the file with zeros after it has been overwritten with zeros and ones. It is used to optimize virtual disks.
The file name should include the path to it. For example, to erase the text file passwords.txt, which is located in the folder C: \ Public Documents \, you would enter C: \ Public Documents \ passwords.txt and press the enter key. After that, the utility will start and erase the specified object.
Upon completion, a confirmation line appears on the command line that the data has been permanently deleted. At this point, the cmd window can be closed. Mission accomplished.
Trash on Mac OS
To delete a directory or file, go to the object you want to get rid of, left-click on its shortcut and press the Delete key or drag it to the "Recycle Bin" icon located on the taskbar.
By clicking on the âRecycle Binâ label and holding the button down, you can open the options menu. Two options are usually available: âOpenâ and âEmpty Trash.â
When you select the last value, links or paths to objects in the "Trash" are deleted. This allows you to get more free space on your hard drive, but the data does not completely disappear. They can be restored later if only the standard cleaning method was used.
When you hold down the Command key while the Recycle Bin menu is open, the name of the option to clear it should change. Now this is the inscription âIrrevocably empty the Recycle Binâ.
Selecting this option allows you to delete deleted files without the possibility of recovery. In this case, the entire contents of the Recycle Bin on the computerâs hard drive will be erased. But in this way, you cannot delete 1-2 specific files and leave the rest untouched.
The function is available only on MacOS operating systems starting with version 10.3.
Some users may experience problems during this procedure, and a message will appear on the screen stating that the action cannot be completed because a certain object has been blocked. In this case, you can try to press Option and select the "Trash" item from the Finder menu. If this does not help, you should look for another reason.
You need to check if there are one or more locked files in the Recycle Bin. Users must hold down the Option and Shift keys and select the Recycle Bin option. Owners of MacOS X 10.0â10.0.4 can try right-clicking on an object and, having activated the âInformationâ option, make sure that there is no flag opposite the âBlockâ option. If this does not help, then you should look for the answer on the Apple tech support site.
You can also check if the user has permission to modify the file. If not, then most likely a warning will be displayed that the owner does not have enough permissions and privileges. Starting with MacOS X 10.2, users can run the command âRestore access rights to disksâ in the menu âPrograms - Utilities - Disk Utilitiesâ. If this does not help or a different version of the operating system is installed, then you should read the explanations on the Apple support site.
Utility for Mac
Permanent Eraser is a free program for MacOS devices that reliably erases information from a user's computer, and also allows you to delete deleted files without recovery.
The application is more reliable than the "Safe Cleaning" option. If the latter overwrites the file data 7-fold, the former repeats the procedure 35 times, changes the file name and truncates its size to almost zero.
First of all, drag and drop files onto the application shortcut, which is located in the source directory of the program, Finder or Dock. To do this, moving to the object that you want to delete, you need to hold it with the left mouse button and move it to the Permanent Eraser shortcut. Then the utility will start working and immediately erase the object from memory.
In order for the link to the application to appear in the "Dock", you should go to its folder and move the shortcut there.
In order for the shortcut to be in the Finder panel, you need to move it there.
To clear the "Recycle Bin", you need to start the application from its folder, Dock or from the side panel by clicking on its shortcut. Before deleting files without the possibility of recovery, the utility will ask you to confirm your decision. After that, the contents of the "Recycle Bin" will be erased forever. In this case, everything that was in it will be permanently deleted, and not just one file or folder.
Linux Recycle Bin
You can delete a folder or file in the Linux operating system by first selecting them. To do this, go to them and left-click on their shortcut. This feature is available on y Gnome and other Linux-based platforms, but it may not be available for some versions of the operating system.
Then you should press either the key combination Ctrl + Delete or Shift + Delete. In the first case, the file will be temporarily deleted and moved to the "Trash", where it can be viewed before final erasure. This is usually the most preferred option.
The second option is used when you need to do without the "Recycle Bin". If you press and hold the Shift key, and then Del, then before permanently deleting files without the possibility of recovery, the system will ask for confirmation of user actions. After that, the marked objects without intermediate stages will be permanently erased from the computer's memory.
To clear the âRecycle Binâ, right-click on its shortcut in the sidebar and select the âRecycle Binâ option in the pop-up menu. Depending on the version of the operating system, this may or may not permanently and permanently erase from the computer's memory. In the latter case, only the path or link will be deleted. This blocks access to data, but the information remains intact.
Shred on Linux Platforms
How to delete files without the possibility of recovery in OC "Linux"? For this, the shred command is provided. To execute it, you must open the terminal by pressing Alt + Ctrl + T on the keyboard. In addition, you can select the menu item "Applications - Accessories - Terminal".
It should be noted that the shred tool can be used in Ubuntu and in most other Linux distributions, but it may not be available on some other platforms.
Then you need to execute the command itself. To do this, in the terminal window, enter it in the form shred [parameters] <file name>. The following values ââcan be used as parameters:
- -n [M] - allows you to overwrite the file M times. For example, if you need to do this 30 times, enter -n 30;
- -z - instructs the command to fill the file with zeros after overwriting it with ones and zeros. As a result, it will look as if it had not undergone a rewriting process;
- -u - option to delete after overwriting.
For example, to delete a file called passwords.txt 30 times, you would enter the command shred -z -u -n 30 passwords.txt
After entering the utility will be launched. At the end of its work in its Linux terminal, the user will receive confirmation that the action has been completed and the file has been deleted.
Secure-Delete in Linux
How to permanently delete files without the possibility of recovery on the Linux platform? To do this, open the terminal by typing Alt + Ctrl + T on the keyboard. In addition, this can be done by executing the menu command "Applications - Accessories - Terminal".
The Secure-Delete toolkit is available in Ubuntu and some other Linux distributions, but may not be available on certain platforms.
To install the package, you need to enter apt-get install secure-delete and press enter. It includes 4 teams.
You can use the srm command to permanently delete data from the computer. There is also a command to clean PC smem memory, safely erase information from sfill free disk space and from the sswap swap partition.
In order to permanently delete files without recovery, in the terminal you must enter the srm <file name> command. For example, srm passwords.txt.
For the folder, run the command srm -r <directory name>. This will erase the entire directory, not the specific files. The package includes several other options:
- smem;
- sfill mount /;
- cat / proc / swaps.
After typing the command, you must press the enter key. The utility should start working and permanently delete the directory or file specified in the parameters.
At the end of the operation, the user will receive a confirmation in the terminal. On Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, the message âCould not find the file name for dirâ may be displayed, but even then the process will complete and the folder will be deleted.