Summary:In this article, you will look at the best free file and folder erasure software, which are designed to permanently erase files and folders from your PC or Mac. Stellar File Eraser is a highly recommended software, which efficiently gets the job done and erases any type of file or folders. The software is available for free download and you can enjoy all its features, absolutely free of cost for 30 days. Download the software from the button below.
There are many ways to erase files and folders from your PC or Mac. However, there are also many ways to recover those erased files. Data recovery software (even the free ones available online) are specialized software, which can easily recover your deleted data.
Therefore, Permanent data erasure is an important activity to safeguard your data privacy. For e.g., while selling or discarding your old PC or Mac, you need to ensure that the data in the hard drives are completely wiped out. The sensitive information in your hard drive can fall into wrong hands and cause you unnecessary distress.
Only a file erasure software can permanently erase your data, beyond the scope of recovery. A file erasure software works by overwriting on top of your data, once or multiple times. This way, a data recovery software cannot recover the erased data and you can be assured of a permanent erasure.
In this article, we will look at the best free file erasure software available in the market.
1) Stellar File Eraser
Stellar File Eraser is a professional file erasure software, which comprehensively erases files, folders, application traces and Internet histories from your PC and Mac. Stellar File Eraser is a DIY tool, which uses advanced overwriting techniques to erase your data, beyond the scope of recovery. It also allows you to permanently erase unused space. This way, your previously deleted files and folders cannot be recovered.
The software is compliant with 17 global data erasure standards and you also get an option to download a certificate of erasure. This adds verifiability to the erasure operation. Stellar File Eraser is available for free download and you can enjoy all its features, completely free for 30 days.
Image 1: Stellar File Eraser for Mac, displaying the list of files and folders for erasure
Image 1: Stellar File Eraser Home screen for Windows PC
Special features
1) Securely erases sensitive files and folders
2) Permanently wipes Internet histories
3) Provides Email erasure option
4) Securely erases partitions, without disturbing the Operating system
5) Enables high-speed erasure
6) Compliant with International data erasure standards
7) Provides Certificate of Erasure
8) Equipped with Schedule Erasure functionality
Cost
Free to download. The software, with all its features are available free of cost for 30 days.
Download
Click on the below button to download the software.
2) Eraser
Eraser is a data erasure software which can delete files, folders, unused space, drives, etc. from your windows PC. It also allows you to schedule your erasure activities. The default erasure standard followed by Eraser is Gutmann method, which means that the data is overwritten 35 times. This makes the erasure effective yet very slow. Another drawback of Eraser is that it is not available for Mac devices.
Image 3: The scheduling erasure functionality in Eraser software
Special features
- It is a free software whose source code is released under General Public License (GNU).
- Schedule erasure functionality
- Automatically adds Secure Erase option to Windows Right-click drop-down.
- Supports 13 different erasure standards. The default erasure standard is Gutmann method, which overwrites the data 35 times.
Cost
Free
3) Alternate File Shredder
Alternate File Shredder permanently erases files, folders and unused space from your system. It offers multiple erasure options. Like Eraser, Alternate File Shredder is only available for Windows and is not supported on Mac systems. Another drawback of Alternate File Shredder is that it only supports one erasing method.
Image 4: File Erasure operation in Alternate File Shredder tool
Special features
1) A free, open source erasure software
2) Supports multiple languages
3) It only supports one erasing method, which is random data writing. However, users have the option to customize the number of times the data can be overwritten.
Cost
Free
4) File Shredder
File Shredder is another file erasure software. It is a free desktop application which erases files and folders from your hard drive, beyond the scope of recovery. It can also erase unused space. File Shredder supports 5 different erasure algorithms and is a completely free software. Nevertheless, a major disadvantage of the File Shredder is its cluttered user interface.
Image 5: File Shredder software interface
Special features1) An open source free software
2) Supports multiple erasure standards, including the 35 pass Gutmann method
3) After installation, the software appears in the Right-click drop-down.
Cost
Free
5) WipeFile
WipeFile is a free data erasure tool, which securely erases files and folders from your system. It is a portable tool which supports multiple languages. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to drag and drop files & folders for permanent removal.
Special features
1) Easy-to-use Interface
2) Supports 14 different erasure standards
3) Portable and lightweight (just 119KB)
Image 6: WipeFile erasure software interface
Cost
Free
Conclusion
The software demonstrated above can help you with permanently erasing files and folders. These tools are specialized to wipe the data in your drives beyond the scope of recovery. Among the list, Stellar File Eraser is a highly recommended file erasure tool, which permanently erases any type of data on both PC and Mac. It is a DIY product, has a user-friendly interface and is available for free download. In addition, you can enjoy all the benefits of the software, free for 30 days.
