If you have an older copy of Windows or if you like to get into the weeds with different file-deletion methods, a third-party tool like Dban is your best option. The following directions for wiping a computer will work with any system running Windows 10, as well as most Macs. The entry typically says “solid state” or “flash storage” for a solid-state drive (SSD), whereas for a mechanical hard drive it says “hard disk drive.” On a Mac, click the Apple logo and then About this Mac, and select the Storage tab. After selecting the method, then select the drive you wish to wipe. The stronger the method you use, the longer it will take for the software to complete the wipe. ![]() ![]() From here you can choose the type of wipe to perform. On Windows, this information is harder to find than it should be, but the easiest way is to open the Defragment and Optimize Drives tool (type “defragment” into the search menu in the taskbar). If we buy computers for resale, we usually wipe the hard drives instead of destroying them in the hard drive shredder. When the boot screen loads up, press Enter and choose M to get to the method screen. Next, figure out which type of storage your computer has. ![]() For Macs, Apple recommends logging out of any iCloud services, including iTunes and iMessages. Wiping a computer hard drive with Command-line Command Prompt and Diskpart are the commonly used command-line interpreter applications in most Windows operating systems. How you do this depends on which operating system you have and what type of storage drive your device has.īefore you wipe a computer, make sure that you have a backup of any files you need and deactivate any software that requires doing so. On most devices, wiping your data securely is pretty straightforward, and doing so can prevent your data from being recovered by someone you would rather not have it. Your computer, phone, or tablet holds all kinds of personal information about you, and before you sell, return, recycle, or donate it, you should make sure to delete all of that information correctly.
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