6 Programs to Delete Files Completely

There are several ways to overwrite deleted files. If you sell or give your drive to someone else, you should wipe it completely so that nothing is left that can be recovered by the new owner.

You can also erase deleted data from a current drive by wiping all its free space. Then there is the method we are talking about here, which is to completely overwrite and delete the file or folder as you go.

This method is the fastest and safest, as the files are deleted immediately and are not left in a recoverable state until the next time you decide to wipe free space on the drive.

Here are 6 free tools that can securely erase or “shred” your files making them unrecoverable. All tools were tested on Windows 10 and 7 64-bit. Today we show you 6 programs to completely delete files.

You may be interested in: How to Add or Remove Password from PDF Files

In Windows, if you delete an important file, even from the Recycle Bin, it is still entirely possible to recover that file as long as it is not overwritten between its deletion and your recovery attempt.

This is because the file is never actually deleted and Windows is simply told that the space the file occupies is available to be written over when needed.  In this case, all you need is a free tool that you can use to recover data.

But obviously this is not good if you want to permanently delete a personal or private file because anyone could try to recover it. Once a deleted file has been overwritten, it is very difficult to recover and more professional methods would be needed to recover the readable data.

How we test permanent file drafts

Before testing each file shredder, we created an empty folder on our test computer. Then, we placed many different files inside it.  In total, the folder contained 2,66 GB of data in 123 files, with various file formats: bmp, cur, docx, jpg, mkv, mp3, pdf, png, txt y xLSX .

 Next, we use all the file shredding apps from our roundup to wipe everything inside this folder.  For each of the shredding programs, we used the most complex erasure method it offered. 

We also note how many erasing algorithms each app offers and how easy it is to use.  Then, when all our test files were safely deleted and overwritten, we ran Recuva to check if any of the deleted files could still be recovered.

We repeated all of these steps for every file shredding app we tested.  We chose the apps you see below because they are free and also popular.  We didn't want to include commercial software, as not many home users are willing to spend money on such programs.

Important Note: Deleting files permanently is something that should be used with caution, as once the file is deleted and overwritten, you will not be able to recover it, even with recovery software.

6 programs to completely delete files

1. Eraser

Eraser is a small application that can securely delete files, folders, unused disk space or even entire drives.  To use Eraser, you need to download and install it. When you're done, it automatically adds secure delete options to the Windows context menu.

Removal Applications, Windows

In addition to the context menu options, Eraser's interface also allows you to create scheduled erase tasks.  This feature is useful if you work with data that you want to delete regularly.

Although it supports 13 different erase methods, the one it uses by default is the standard one. Gutman This method overwrites deleted files 35 times, which means that depending on the number of files you delete, the process may take a while.

Now it was time to check how well Eraser performed. So we ran Recuva on the deleted folder. The result was that none of the deleted files could be recovered.

Download: Eraser

2. WipeFile

WipeFile is a portable-only program, so it's also useful for your toolkit. USB. Supports 14 different erasure methods ranging from a quick single-pass zero fill to a full 35-pass Gutmann erase. 

A single random pass should be sufficient in most cases. Individual files or entire folders can be added to the program.  Something that is very useful is an editable file mask for folders so you can filter what is deleted by file name or extension.

The default option of * will delete all files in the folder, while an option of *.doc will destroy documents in the folder. Become and will ignore all other files. 

Double-click the folder entry to change the option. In the settings, you can create a context menu or a menu entry "Send to" and send files to the program via right-click, create a user-defined wipe string (used with WipeFile wipe methods), and enable logging. .NET Framework 4 is required for Windows 7 users.

Download WipeFile 

3. HardWipe

HardWipe has several different types of data erasure, such as erasing the contents of the Recycle Bin on selected drives. Wipe free space on a drive, erase a drive or volume entirely, or shred files and folders.

Unfortunately, the portable version is no longer free, so you need to install the software. One annoyance is the inclusion of ads within the main window, although it is not too intrusive. Click on "file data" on the left and find the files and folders to securely delete.

Shift or Ctrl support multiple selections. There are 6 cleaning algorithms ranging from a single random pass or zero to 35 passes and an option to rename files up to 9 times to decrease the chance of recovering the filename (default is 3). 

Speed ​​mode can help the system responsiveness during extended operations and the system can automatically shut off after a long cleaning operation has been completed.

Download HardWipe 

4. Permanent delete

Permadelete has a nice user interface and is fairly basic, but most users don't need many options anyway.  Files and folders can be deleted by dropping them into the window or by using the two browse buttons provided. 

After you select the files to be deleted, a box appears asking how many passes the shredding process will run.  The default value for a random data pass can be changed in the options.

It is worth noting that Permadelete does not shred files in SSD and is based on TRIM and garbage collection.  This has the effect of erasing data after a period of time anyway while decreasing wear and tear on your drive.

If you need to shred a file on an SSD immediately, use something else from this article. Permadelete has versions portable and installation, is open source and requires .NET Framework 4.5+ for Windows 7 users.

Download Permanente 

5. Alternate File Shredder

Alternate File Shredder is another program that can permanently delete files and also wipe free disk space if you need it. The number of times you can overwrite a file can go up to a massive 100 passes, though only the most paranoid users will find this useful.

Overwriting can be done with random data (recommended), zeros, or a predefined pattern of your choice. Changing the pattern is done from the window "Options". You can add files and folders (including the Recycle Bin) by dragging and dropping or by using the buttons on the toolbar.

Additional security options are available, such as shredding file names and original file sizes.  A nice feature is a binary viewer where you can view and edit files directly with the ability to add, delete, insert or even replace specific bytes in the file.

Download Alternate File Shredder

6. File Shredder

File Shredder is more of a permanent erase solution because it requires installation and there is no portable version, but it has some useful features that might make it worth your while.  Erasure algorithms include the simple 1- or 2-pass method, 3-pass DoD, 7-pass secure, or the 35-pass Gutmann method. 

There is also an Explorer integration that can directly delete the file/folder immediately or add it to a queue to be shredded later. Files and folders are added to the list using drag and drop or the add buttons on the left. 

The default shredding method is DOD 5220.22-M, which consists of three passes consisting of zeros, ones, and then random data. 

Go to Shredder Settings > Algorithms to change it to something else. A free space shredding option is also available if you want to completely remove previously deleted files from the drive.

Download File Shredder 

The best free file eraser for Windows is:

Of all the free apps we tested in this roundup, Eraser is the best file shredder. Compared to other apps, Eraser offers one of the most extensive selections of erasing algorithms and the best user interface, as well as more configuration options. 

All other programs are lagging compared to Eraser. The only one that offers even more algorithms is WipeFile, but it doesn't match Eraser regarding the user interface.  The others don't even come close to the number of erasure methods included, although some of them offer the best in this line of work: algorithms Gutman y DoD .

Others work well enough but lack context menu options (including WipeFile), which make the whole wiping process much faster and more convenient.

You may also be interested in: SRF files – What they refer to, most common uses, how they are compressed

Conclusion

We hope our roundup of file shredders has been helpful. Even if you don't use such a program regularly, it doesn't hurt to have one ready on your Windows device.

You never know when you might need to make sure that some files are permanently deleted, with no chance of recovery. Even more so, if you are working on a computer that you share with others.