The primary reason you should wipe your computer hard drive is personal data safety. If you
decide to sell, donate, or recycle your computer, it is not enough to delete your files because
third parties can recover them using specialized software. If you wipe your computer’s hard
drive, it becomes very hard to access the wiped data.


Another reason to wipe your computer is to eliminate pesky malware or viruses. If your computer
gets infected, it is sometimes easier to wipe the hard drive than to locate and delete every
infected file. By resetting a PC to its factory settings, you can also improve your device’s
performance if it’s gotten sluggish over time.


If you want to let go of your old device or simply rejuvenate your current one, use a reputable
tool to do a thorough overwrite. You can find the most trusted hard drive maintenance software
on its manufacturer’s website. Besides, you can find some third-party tools to help you carry
out the wipe, but you must look carefully to find a trustworthy software. A reset will help you
protect yourself from data breaches, identity theft, financial losses, or even damage to your
reputation.

Wiping your computer hardware doesn’t require too much technical knowledge. But if you need some
guidance, follow the instructions below to wipe your hard drive on Windows and macOS computers.
And don’t forget to back up your important data before cleaning your hard drive.

Here’s how to wipe your Windows 11 hard drive: Go to “Settings.” Choose “System” on the left side menu. Click “Recovery.” Click “Reset PC.” Choose “Keep my files” (removes apps and settings but keeps your personal files) or “Remove
everything” (removes apps, settings, and your personal files). Select “Local reinstall” or “Cloud download.” Under “Additional settings,” select “Change settings.” Under “Clean data?” click the switch button and set it to “Yes.” Then click “Next,” click the “Reset” button, and it’s done. You’ve wiped your hard drive.

Wiping your Windows 10 hard drive is very similar to wiping your Windows 11 but with a few
tweaks:
Open the “Settings” menu. Click “Update and security.” Choose “Recovery” on the left side menu. Then select “Get started” under “Reset this PC.” Choose “Keep my files” (removes apps and settings but keeps your personal files) or “Remove
everything” (removes apps, settings, and your personal files). Under “Additional settings,” select “Change settings.” Under “Clean data?” click the switch button and set it to “Yes.” Click “Next,” then click “Reset.” Done, you’ve reset your Windows 10 PC.

Here’s how to wipe Mac computers with an Intel processor: Turn off your Mac. Press the power button and immediately hold “Command” and “R” until the Apple logo appears. Select “Disk utility” from the menu and click “Continue.” Select “Macintosh HD.” Click “Erase.” You’ll be asked to name the disk and choose a format. Name the disk “Macintosh HD” and choose
an APFS format. Click “Erase volume group.” If such an option doesn’t appear, click “Erase.”

Here’s how to wipe a Mac with Apple silicon: Turn off your Mac. Press and hold the power button until startup options show up. Then select “Options” and click
“Continue.” Select “Disk utility” from the utilities menu and click “Continue.” Choose your main hard drive in the Disk utility sidebar, “Macintosh HD.” Click the “Erase” button at the top. You’ll be asked to name the disk and choose a format. Name the disk “Macintosh HD” and choose
an APFS format. Click the “Erase Volume Group” button. If such an option doesn’t appear, click “Erase.”

There are a few other foolproof ways to wipe the data from your hard drive and ensure no one
will ever see it.

You should use data destruction or disk wipe software to wipe your hard drive entirely and
securely. This is the best way to prepare your computer for recycling and ensure the next user
has a clean hard drive.


Warning: This method will also erase any recovery partition imaged on the drive
by the manufacturer.

Because your hard disk drive (not SSD) is coated with magnetic material, one radical way to
scrub your hard drive thoroughly is to disrupt the magnetic domains on the drive.


While many options are available for degaussing, the NSA-approved ones run into tens of
thousands of dollars. A relatively cheap wand degausser can set you back about $500.


Although this method is even more effective than data destruction software, it’s not very
practical for the average user.


Warning: If you want to wipe a hard drive and choose to go this route, remember
that you are completely interfering with the data storage of your hard drive. This means all the firmware will be erased, making
the hard drive permanently damaged.

{SHORTCODES.blogRelatedArticles}

The most effective and 100% foolproof method for deleting your drive is physically destroying
it. The utter destruction of your hard drive includes, but is not limited to: disintegrating,
grinding, smashing, drilling, melting, pulverizing, and shredding.

Of course, you should take extra precautions to protect yourself from injury.

Warning: The utter destruction of your hard drive means that neither you nor
anyone else can use the hard drive ever again. If you, however, want to use your hard drive
again, please refer to the first method.

Follow this step-by-step guide to wipe your hard drive from BIOS: Restart your computer and press the key that enters BIOS, which depends on the manufacturer.
The most common keys are F2, F10, Delete, and ESC. Change the boot order by inserting a CD/DVD, USB drive, or a bootable hard drive that contains
the wiping software. Save changes and exit BIOS. Your PC will restart and launch the wiping software automatically. Follow the wiping software instructions to erase the hard drive.

If you want to wipe your external hard disk, these are the steps to follow: Connect your HDD/SSD to your Windows computer. Open CMD as administrator. Type “diskpart” and hit “Enter.” Then, type “list disk” to display a list of connected drives. Find your HDD/SSD on the list and note its number. Type “select disk X” (change X to the number of the targeted disk) and hit “Enter.” Type “clean” to remove all your HDD/SSD data. Optional: Create and format a new partition on the HDD/SSD if you’re going to reuse it.
These are at least six ways to completely wipe your hard drive and keep anyone from accessing
your old data. It’s for you to decide which course of action to take to ensure ultimate
protection.


If you are looking for ways to wipe your phone, read our blog post on{‘ ‘} how to wipe your smartphone.

Learning how to reset your computer to factory default settings is essential, especially when
computers are an integral part of our daily lives. Whether you pass on your computer to a new
owner or want a fresh start, these instructions will guide you through data cleansing. Taking
care of your sensitive information now is better than regretting it later.