{"id":19942,"date":"2018-06-12T05:56:42","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T05:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/?p=19942"},"modified":"2025-06-24T09:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:46:07","slug":"5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery [Free and Paid]"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p>In today&rsquo;s digitally empowered world, safeguarding one&rsquo;s privacy and confidential data is of utmost importance, especially when the data protection laws are not stringent and filled with loopholes in most nations. <\/p><p>Therefore, it is important to encrypt your data or use password protection to avoid any type of data theft or misuse. <\/p><p>The use of antivirus &amp; anti-malware tools is another way of ensuring data privacy. However, it is of important that you use a data erasure software to permanently erase sensitive files on your PC.<\/p><p>But, almost all of these devices (hard drives, SD cards, smartphones, laptops, etc.) are discarded, sold, or donated at the end of their life cycle without proper data sanitization. <\/p><p>Furthermore, deleted data can be easily recovered from any storage media, whether a USB thumb drive, HDD, SSD, SD card, etc., using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data recovery software<\/a> and services.<\/p><p>Therefore, you must permanently erase the files\/folders to protect and safeguard your data against unwarranted data misuse.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"best-tools-for-permanent-data-erasure-beyond-the-scope-of-recovery\">Best tools for permanent data erasure beyond the scope of recovery<\/h2><p>Data erasure software uses different standards for data erasure hosting various algorithms. These algorithms decide the effectiveness of the software. <\/p><p>Some of the popular algorithms used by the best data erasure software are the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD 5220-2 M), Gutmann, etc.<\/p><p>Although there are several tools available to choose from, most of them aren&rsquo;t capable of complete data sanitization. <\/p><p>Therefore, to save you unnecessary efforts, we shortlisted the five best tools available to erase files and folders from your Windows PC beyond the scope of recovery.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Stellar File Eraser<\/h3><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/data-erasure\/file-eraser.php\">Stellar File Eraser<\/a> is one of the most powerful free data erasure tools available online for Windows and Mac.<\/p><p>The tool comes from the house of Stellar &ndash; a globally trusted brand offering data recovery, data migration, and data erasure products and services. <\/p><p>Equipped with three secure data erasure algorithms, the tool thoroughly erases data on any Windows or Mac device. <\/p><p>It allows you to identify your sensitive data and erase it by overwriting random binary data multiple times.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"830\" height=\"623\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bitraser-file-eraser_Image-1-2.png\" alt=\"bitraser-file-eraser\" class=\"wp-image-95535 apply-gradient-on-post-images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bitraser-file-eraser_Image-1-2.png 830w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bitraser-file-eraser_Image-1-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bitraser-file-eraser_Image-1-2-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Image Courtesy:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/data-erasure\/file-eraser.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stellarinfo.com<\/a><\/p><p>Moreover, the Stellar File Eraser uses three international data erasure algorithms, including Zeroes (Single Pass), Pseudo Random (Single Pass), and U.S. Department of Defense DoD 5220-2 M (3 Passes), which ensures that the data is completely erased from the device. <\/p><p>This powerful data erasure tool is capable of the following.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Erasure of system activity traces and installed application traces<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Complete erasure of internet activities and cookies ensuring 100% privacy against online threats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supports erasure of deleted data to secure the system and optimize storage space<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Option to create an erasure list facilitating multiple file erasure in a single step.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search files with file name or extension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Schedule automatic erasing of files at specified intervals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Option to add important files to Ignore list, thus safeguarding them against erasure process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Free for 30 days<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Drawbacks<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Requires more time for recovery with a high-standard algorithm.<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-hard-disk-scrubber\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hard Disk Scrubber<\/h3><p>This is a free disk and file scrubbing tool from Summit Computer Networks Inc. designed to destroy sensitive data from a Windows PC. <\/p><p>The tool overwrites free space on Windows drives and deletes the file permanently beyond recovery.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"698\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hard-disk-scrubber_Image-2.jpg\" alt=\"hard-disk-scrubber\" class=\"wp-image-95536 apply-gradient-on-post-images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hard-disk-scrubber_Image-2.jpg 698w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hard-disk-scrubber_Image-2-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Image Courtesy: <\/strong>summitcn.com<\/p><p>There are two major functionalities in Hard Disk Scrubber viz. Hard Disk Free Space Scrubbing option, and the File Scrubbing option. <\/p><p>The tool offers five scrub types that are a combination of six scrub patterns arranged into passes:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Normal: Uses a Random pattern with a single pass<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heavy: Uses Zeroes, Ones, and Random patterns with three passes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Super: Uses 5 patterns with 5 passes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ultra: Uses DoD prescribed overwriting with verification<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Custom: User can define their own pattern with as many passes as required<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does not wipe\/erase folders and sub-directories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not safe as it can also wipe Windows system and program files<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-eraser\">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eraser<\/h3><p>Eraser is a security tool for Windows that erases data from storage drives by shredding and overwriting it several times with selected patterns. <\/p><p>The tool helps maintain privacy and allows users to remove selected files instead of wiping the whole drive.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"760\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Eraser_Image-3.png\" alt=\"Eraser\" class=\"wp-image-95537 apply-gradient-on-post-images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Eraser_Image-3.png 760w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Eraser_Image-3-300x205.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Image Courtesy: <\/strong>eraser.heidi<\/p><p>The tool also provides an option to schedule erasers of specific files on the system based on date and time. <\/p><p>The software uses the following algorithms to erase data from storage media:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Write Zero<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gutmann<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Random Data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DoD 5220.22-M<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HMG IS5<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GOST R 50739-95<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Doesn&rsquo;t have a user-friendly interface<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Doesn&rsquo;t verify destroyed data<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-hard-wipe\">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hard Wipe<\/h3><p>Hard Wipe erases the entire hard drive or portable storage media and ensures that no one can recover sensitive information. <\/p><p>This tool also comes in a portable edition that runs from a USB drive and lets you wipe the entire disk without installation. <\/p><p>However, the portable version offers more functionality; thus, it requires a professional upgrade.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"545\" height=\"396\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hardwipe_Image-4.jpg\" alt=\"hardwipe\" class=\"wp-image-95538 apply-gradient-on-post-images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hardwipe_Image-4.jpg 545w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hardwipe_Image-4-300x218.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 545px) 100vw, 545px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Image Courtesy: <\/strong>hardwipe.com<\/p><p>The interface is simple and easy to understand, and the tool can wipe:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Physical devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logical volumes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Files and folders (including sub-folders)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Windows Recycle Bins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free Drive Space<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Doesn&rsquo;t verify if data is destroyed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Portable version requires upgrade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not safe and secure to use as it can also erase system files<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-moo-file-shredder\">5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Moo File Shredder<\/h3><p>Moo File Shredder is a free disk cleaning utility capable of erasing recoverable data from your hard disk.<\/p><p>The utility does not erase files currently on the drive but wipes the empty spaces &ndash; that may contain previously deleted data &ndash; on your system or external hard drive, thereby ensuring deleted data is gone beyond recovery. <\/p><p>It has a simple and basic user interface with many language options.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Moo0-File-shredder_Image-5.png\" alt=\"Moo0-File-shredder\" class=\"wp-image-95539 apply-gradient-on-post-images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Moo0-File-shredder_Image-5.png 250w, https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Moo0-File-shredder_Image-5-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Image Courtesy: <\/strong>moo0.com<\/p><p>Moreover, it&rsquo;s a very lightweight program that helps users wipe any sensitive data from the system. <\/p><p>The tool provides the following options to choose what data needs to be deleted from the system.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recycle Bin items<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free space on disk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free space on MFT<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cluster tips (the empty area at the end of every file)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filename traces<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Drawbacks:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No surety of data sanitization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can&rsquo;t erase files and folders stored on the drive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data eraser is not verified<\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2><p>We have discussed the top 5 tools that can help delete files permanently from the system and safeguard sensitive &amp; confidential data from unauthorized access. <\/p><p>Data erasure software use trusted algorithms programmed to securely overwrite your sensitive data and erase it beyond the scope of recovery. <\/p><p>These tools use different techniques and patterns to&nbsp;erase data from the system permanently. In this high-volume data flow era, alertness and awareness towards data security are of utmost priority.<\/p><p>It would help if you&rsquo;re vigilant while disposing your data so that it does not fall into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today&rsquo;s digitally empowered world, safeguarding one&rsquo;s privacy and confidential data is&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery [Free and Paid]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":19950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-file-eraser","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this data driven world, you are under a constant risk of data theft. Here are the 5 best free and paid data eraser software to counter these threats.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this data driven world, you are under a constant risk of data theft. Here are the 5 best free and paid data eraser software to counter these threats.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stellar Data Recovery Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-12T05:56:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T09:46:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/5-Free-Tools-to-Permanently-Erase-Files-and-Prevent-Data-Recovery.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aruna Attri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@arunaattri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aruna Attri\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aruna Attri\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a7ada2c5e2b72f240b63d760e216dce5\"},\"headline\":\"5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery [Free and Paid]\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-12T05:56:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-24T09:46:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\"},\"wordCount\":1139,\"commentCount\":5,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/5-Free-Tools-to-Permanently-Erase-Files-and-Prevent-Data-Recovery.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"File Eraser\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/\",\"name\":\"5 Tools to Permanently Erase Files and Prevent Data Recovery\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/5-free-tools-to-permanently-erase-files-and-prevent-data-recovery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/5-Free-Tools-to-Permanently-Erase-Files-and-Prevent-Data-Recovery.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-12T05:56:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-24T09:46:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a7ada2c5e2b72f240b63d760e216dce5\"},\"description\":\"In this data driven world, you are under a constant risk of data theft. 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