Top 7 Best Drive Eraser Software For Your PC & Mac

What Is Drive Eraser

The Drive eraser is a tool that completely wipes all data on a device, making it impossible to recover. If you want to sell a drive with sensitive data, using a data destruction tool is a good idea to ensure security. Alternatively, if you simply want to refresh a hard drive for reuse or repair a corrupted one, data wipe software is necessary to remove all data.

This article highlights the top 7 best hard drive eraser software, with a focus on Windows-compatible options, but also mentioning reliable software for Mac users. The main part of the article will delve into the details of these software solutions.

• 1. Qiling Partition Master
• 2. CCleaner
• 3. Disk Utility for Mac
• 4. Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac
• 5. Eraser
• 6. Reset Function of Windows
• 7. Disk Wipe

1. Qiling Partition Master

Qiling Partition Master is a free partition manager for Windows that allows users to perform various operations on partitions, including wiping, resizing, merging, formatting, deleting, and checking, and supports the newest Windows 11 computers. Upon launching, users can right-click partitions or disks and select "Wipe data" from the menu.

What Qiling Partition Master can do for you on Windows 11 Computer:

• Convert MBR to GPT, make your Disk Ready for Windows 11.
• To migrate your Windows 11 OS to a new disk in one click, you can use the built-in Windows feature called "Reset this PC" with the "Remove everything" option. This will erase all data on the current drive and replace it with a fresh installation of Windows 11 on the new disk.
• Extend disk or partition space easily.
• Clone the entire disk or partitions

Pros:

• Free to wipe data.
• The program offers various features to manage partitions, including checking, resizing, merging, formatting, and deleting them.
• Clear interface.

Cons:

None

Price:$19.95 for the Qiling Partition Master Pro version.

How to Wipe Data with Qiling Partition Master:

1) Wipe all data in the system. 2) Wipe data for a specific app. Please choose one of the options.

Option 1.  Wipe Partition

• Choose "Wipe Data" in Tools and utilities page.

• In the new window, click the partition you want to erase data from, set the time for which you want to wipe your partition, then click "Proceed".

• Check the message. Then click "OK".

Option 2. Wipe Disk

• Choose "Wipe Data" in Tools and utilities page.
• To erase data from a device, select the hard drive or solid-state drive (HDD/SSD) that contains the data you want to delete. Choose the number of times you want the data to be wiped, which can be set to a maximum of 10. Once you've made these selections, click the "Proceed" button to initiate the data erasure process.
• Check the message. Then click "OK".

2. CCleaner

CCleaner, available at https://www.ccleaner.com/, is a popular tool for optimizing your PC, freeing up space and cleaning online tracks. It also offers a free Drive Wiper feature that allows you to wipe your data immediately.

Pros:

• Free to wipe partitions.
• Easy to find data destruction function.
• Support multiple security methods.

Cons:

The Wipe process does not provide a warning message before proceeding, which can lead to unintended consequences if the wrong partitions are selected. To avoid this, ensure that you have carefully chosen the correct partitions for the Wipe operation. This is crucial to prevent data loss or damage to your system.

Price:$29.95

How to use CCleaner to wipe drive:

Step 1.Install and run CCleaner.

Step 2.To initiate the drive wiping process, navigate to the left panel and select the "Tools" option. From there, choose the "Drive Wiper" feature.

Step 3.Click the Wipe button.

3. Disk Utility for Mac

For Mac users, you can use the built-in Disk Utility tool to completely erase a hard drive, including internal and external drives, without needing to download any additional software.

What you can get from Disk Utility mac?

• If your disk gets corrupted, you can run to First Aid to repair disk errors. This feature is built into macOS and can help fix issues with your disk, such as corrupted files or errors with the disk's formatting.
• Partition hard drive with Resize Controls.
• Mount internal or external devices in one click.
• Copy one volume to another partition with the Restore feature.

Pros:

• Free for mac users.
• One-click to erase a drive.

Cons:

Enjoy more features that may require other advanced software.

Price:Free

How to Use Disk Utility for Mac:

Step 1.To open Disk Utility, go to the Finder, click on the Application folder, locate and click Utilities, and then double-click Disk Utility.

Step 2.Select the target drive under the "Internal" or "External" heading, then click the Erase button at the top of the window.

Step 3.Give your drive a new name and choose the file system like exFAT, FAT, APFS, etc. to format it.

Step 4.Click the Erase button and start to erase a drive.

4. Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac

Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac is a powerful disk manager that offers various features such as resizing partitions, recovering deleted partitions, cloning disks, wiping data, and creating bootable media.

Pros:

• Get many useful functions.
• Securely wipe your disk.

Cons:

• Lack of update.
• Software crashes sometimes happen.
• The backup and recovery media for Macs may not be universally applicable across all Mac versions, and therefore, it's essential to carefully check the limitations before proceeding.

Price:39.95

How to Use Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac:

Step 1.Download and run Paragon Hard Disk Manager.

Step 2.To view the disk and partitions, click the Disk and Partitions button on the top of the window.

Step 3.Right-click the disk or partition you want to wipe, select the "Wipe partition..." from the menu.

Step 4.Apply Operations.

5. Eraser

Eraser is a Windows-based security software that securely removes sensitive data from a hard drive, supporting various Windows versions. It allows scheduling of disk erasing jobs and offers multiple professional data wipe modes, including Gutmann and Schneier.

Pros:

• Totally free.
• Straightforward interface and is easy to use.
• Set Erase Schedule.

Cons:

• Hard to know Erasure methods for beginners.

How to Use Erase to Wipe File or Folder:

Step 1.Download and install Eraser.

Step 2.To delete files or folders, right-click on them and select the "Erase" option.

Step 3.1. Click Erase to go on the next step. 2.

How to Set Erase Schedule:

Run software > Click the drop-To create a new task, click the down icon next to the "Erase Schedule" button, then select "New Task". In the Task Properties window, enter the task name and set the desired settings according to your preferences.

6. Reset Function of Windows

No need to download any third-When using Windows, the Reset option can be used to erase personal data, but it only works on the internal drive. If you need to wipe an external drive or media, you may need to use third-party software instead.

Pros:

• Windows Built-in feature, completely free.

Cons:

• Only work for internal media.

How to Reset Windows:

Step 1.Open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

Step 2.Go to Reset this PC, click the Get Started.

Step 3. To reset your PC, go to the "Reset this PC" window and choose either "Keep my files" to remove the operating system and apps, but keep your personal files, or "Remove everything" to completely start from scratch and remove all files, apps, and settings.

7. Disk Wipe

Disk Wipe is a free and portable Windows application that permanently wipes sensitive data on disks or partitions, making it a useful tool for securely erasing confidential information. Its portable nature allows it to be installed on a USB drive or other portable device.

Pros:

• Portable version.
• Free to Wipe Data.
• Clear tutorial.

Cons:

• Old interface.
• Update slowly.
• Lack of other advanced functions.

How to Use Disk Wipe:

To wipe a disk, download and launch the application, then choose System Local Disks from the available options. From there, click on "Wipe Disk" from the top of the window to initiate the disk wiping process.

Final Words

For Windows users:

If you're looking for a free and secure drive eraser software, consider Qiling Partition Master, CCleaner, or Disk Wipe, which are among the top 3 options on my data wiper list.

For Mac users:

If you need extra disk optimization functions, try Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac. Otherwise, Apple's native disk management tools can meet your needs.

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