In Mac, unlike Windows, you don’t delete but erase files. However, file erasure in Mac is similar to file deletion in Windows. In other words, when you erase a file on a Mac, only the pointer location to the file is deleted from the file system journal. The actual file and data remain on the Mac hard drive until they are overwritten.
Thus, to permanently delete and securely erase data from a Mac hard drive, you need to overwrite it deliberately with the help of a secure data erasure standard, such as DoD 5220.22-M, NATO, etc. In this blog, we will discuss the same and help you securely delete the data stored on your Mac’s hard drive, making it irrecoverable.
Why Is It Important to Wipe Data on Your Mac?
Data privacy is a crucial aspect nowadays and permanently erasing your sensitive data safeguards you against various types of data breaches. When you dispose of or sell your Mac without securely wiping out data, you are in grave danger of exposing your personal information, browsing habits, financial details, etc., to those who might use it to cause financial harm or identity theft.
Some other reasons to wipe your data are:
Clearing unnecessary files: Deleting unnecessary files is important to utilize the disk space on your Mac better.
Infected partition/disk: If your disk is infected with viruses or malware, you need to permanently erase the contents of the disk to get rid of them.
This is the reason why a permanent erasure is the best shield to protect you against such mishaps.
What is Permanent Erasure?
A permanent erasure operation erases the data beyond the scope of recovery. When you delete files in your Mac, the data is not actually erased. It simply vanishes from your view, allowing you to store new files in its place. The deleted files are still there; any data recovery software can recover these files and render your deletion effort worthless.
Let us take one scenario for instance. Suppose you are exchanging your Mac with a new system and you have formatted the device before the exchange. The new user can anytime use a data recovery software to retrieve all the data which you thought you had erased.
How to Permanently Delete Files on Mac?
Now that you understand why you need to permanently erase files beyond recovery, below, we’ll outline some methods to help you achieve the same on your Mac.
Note: Terminal is a powerful command-line tool, but a minor typo in the command can lead to chaos and may turn your Mac into an expensive paperweight. Not recommended for beginners.
Method 1: Permanently Delete Drives with Disk Utility
With the first two methods—Disk Utility and Terminal Command—you can’t permanently delete individual files from Mac hard drive. These two methods can help you wipe a Mac hard drive volume (other than the system volume) or physical external hard drive with DoD 5220.22-M standard.
Thus, if you want to permanently delete or secure erase individual or only a few selected files from Mac drives, skip to the last steps to permanently delete files on Mac with secure file erasure software.
On your Mac system,
Step 1: Click on Launchpad and open ‘Disk Utility’ under Utilities.
Step 2: Choose the hard drive volume that contains files that you want to remove.
Step 3: Click on Erase button at the top.
Step 4: Enter a volume Name, choose a Format, and click Security Options…
Step 5: Move slider to Most Secure and click OK.
The ‘Most Secure’ security option is slowest. It implements U.S. DOD 5220.22M (7-pass) secure data erasure standard to erase every bit of information from your Mac hard drive.
Step 6: Click Erase.
If Disk Utility fails to wipe the disk, use diskutil Terminal command discussed in the next method to secure-erase files from a Mac hard drive.
Also Read: What to do when Disk Utility can’t Erase Mac Hard Drive?
Method 2: Permanently Delete Drives Using Terminal
With the secure-erase terminal command, you can’t secure erase a particular hard drive volume. It securely wipes the entire disk. But you can use the Terminal to securely wipe empty storage space on a Mac hard drive volume. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Go to Application > Utilities and open the Terminal app.
Step 2: Type diskutil list. This command lists all the connected hard disks and volumes. Note down the disk number of Mac hard drive volume that you want to erase.
Step 3: Type diskutil secureErase 2 disk# (replace # with the hard disk letter). The command will erase the selected Mac hard drive with US DoD 5220.22M (7-pass) erasure standard.
Step 4: If you wish to wipe only free space on the Mac hard drive, enter the following command in Terminal window and press the Return key: diskutil secureErase freespace 2 disk#s# (replace # values with the hard disk volume number).
Method 3: Permanently Delete Files Using the rm Command
MacOS also allows you the option to permanently erase files using the rm command. To do this, you just need to add the –P or –U flag, which would bypass the Trash and securely delete your files (with a multi-pass overwrite), making them irrecoverable.
Here’s the rundown:
Step 1: Go to Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal.
Step 2: Type cd ~/Desktop to navigate to the desktop directory.
Step 3: To delete a file, execute the following command: sudo rm -P <filename>
Note: Terminal is a powerful command line tool on Mac and a minor typo in the command can lead to chaos, and turn your Mac into an expensive paperweight. It’s not recommended for beginners.
Method 4: The Ultimate Data Eraser Software for Mac
If you’re looking for complete peace of mind, use a file eraser software for Mac to permanently erase your data beyond the scope of recovery. This tool runs multiple passes using different erasure algorithms to completely wipe your data. Stellar File Eraser for Mac can securely erase a wide range of file types while ensuring its non-recovery. Few types of files which you can erase using this tool are as follows:
- Documents: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .xls, .ppt, etc.
- Media Files: .jpg, .png, .gif, .mp4, .mov, .mp3, .avi, etc.
- System & Temporary Files: cache files, log files, app leftovers, temp files
- Browsers & Internet Traces: history, cookies, saved passwords
- Trash Files: securely empty and erase files in Trash
- Custom File Types: you can manually select and erase any file or folder
You can use it to not only clear out files, but also free up valuable space by erasing whole drives, partitions, or folders. With convenient features like scheduled automatic erasures and the ability to select specific files for wiping, it simplifies erasure process and makes it efficient.
Here’s the process to erase any type of file on Windows by using the Stellar File Eraser:
Step 1: Launch Stellar File Eraser.
Step 2: From Select Option (on the left pane of the software window), choose the Erase Files & Folders option.
Step 3: The software provides the following three options to erase the files and folders:
- Manual Drag & Drop – Select the file to be erased, drag and drop it into the right-hand section of the software window.
- Search & Erase – If you know the file’s name, insert it in the Search & Erase dialog box. Browse for the file location and click Search.
- Add Items – Click the Add Items button at the bottom-right and choose the files by navigating through the locations displayed.
Step 4: Once the selected file is displayed in the software window, click Erase Now.
Step 5: In the Confirm Erasure dialog box, click Proceed.
Step 6: Once the erasure is complete, you will see the Erasure Complete window. Click OK.
You can also schedule the above process using the Scheduler option to complete it at a specified time and date. Similarly, traces and deleted files data can be permanently erased using Stellar File Eraser.
Summing Up
If you want to permanently erase files or an entire drive, use macOS’ proprietary tools, such as Disk Utility and Terminal to securely wipe your data. It is critical to do so when you need to sell, donate, or dispose of your Mac hard drive.
But neither Disk Utility nor Terminal allows you to secure-erase individual or a bunch of selected files from Mac hard drive. In such cases, you can use a secure file eraser software, such as Stellar File Eraser for Mac. It lets you select and erase individual/selected files and automate event-based file erasure tasks.
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