Usually, we will choose to delete files in external hard drives by right-clicking the files and selecting Delete from the right-click menu. Files deleted in this way can be easily recovered by data recovery software. Due to data privacy security or other reasons, this method may not meet your request for data deletion. So, how to permanently delete files from external hard drive without destroying the drive?
You can try to clean the hard drive by using CMD, format the drive, and wipe the drive. For detailed instructions, please keep reading.
How to Permanently Delete Files From External Hard Drive
Way 1. Delete External Hard Drive Files Using CMD
You can permanently delete files by running the CMD tool. Files deleted using the “clean all” command are almost impossible to recover.
Step 1. Press the Windows + R key combination to open Run.
Step 2. In the text box, type diskpart and press Enter. After that, select Yes in the UAC window.
Step 3. Input the following commands, and press Enter after each command:
- list disk
- select disk x (x represents the external hard drive containing the unwanted files)
- clean all
Way 2. Delete External Hard Drive Files by Formatting the Drive
As we all know, formatting a drive deletes all the files on the drive. However, drive data formatted by checking “Quick Format” through File Explorer can still be recovered. To permanently delete hard drive data by formatting, you need to untick the “Quick Format” option.
Step 1. Press the Windows + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer.
Step 2. Move on to This PC section. In the right panel, right-click the target external hard drive to select Format.
Step 3. In the new window, specify the file system and volume label, and uncheck Quick Format. Finally, click the Start button.
Way 3. Delete External Hard Drive Files Permanently by Wiping the Drive
The safest way to permanently delete all data on a storage unit is to wipe the drive. Wiped data can hardly be recovered by any file recovery tool.
How to wipe an external hard drive? You can use free hard drive data wipe software – MiniTool Partition Wizard. It can help to fully erase all data on internal hard drives, external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, etc. for free.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2. On the main interface of this partition manager tool, select the target disk that needs to be wiped, then click Wipe Disk from the left menu bar.
Step 3. Select the desired wiping method and click OK. Theoretically, different erasing methods require different times, and the probability of data being retrieved also decreases as the time consumed increases.
Step 4. Finally, click the Apply button in the lower left corner to apply all the changes.
How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files From External Hard Drive
Files deleted using the “clean all” command, fully formatted files (as opposed to quick format) and erased files are not recoverable.
However, if you accidentally deleted important files using the “clean” command or formatted files using quick format, you still have a chance to recover them through free data recovery software.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is the most recommended free file restore tool. It can help you undo quick format, recover data lost due to the diskpart clean command, recover data after Windows downgrade, and so on.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2. Select the target hard drive where data loss happens and click Scan.
Step 3. After scanning, find the desired files by using the Filter (filter files by file size, file category, file type, and file modification date) or Search (search for a file by using its partial or complete file name) feature.
Besides, you can preview the files to check whether they are needed.
Step 4. Select all desired files and click the Save button to choose a file storage location for the recovered files.
Bottom Line
This article talks about how to permanently delete files from hard drive Windows 10/8/7 and Windows 11. You can use the clean all command line, fully format the drive, or wipe the drive.
Should you have any questions about MiniTool software, feel free to contact us via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Shirley graduated from English major and is currently an editor of MiniTool Team. She likes browsing and writing IT-related articles, and is committed to becoming a professional IT problem solver. The topic of her articles are generally about data recovery, data backup, and computer disk management, as well as other IT issues. In spare time, she likes watching movies, hiking and fishing.