3 Ways to Delete Files in Windows PC
Quick Navigation:
- Part 1. Use QILING File Shredder
- Part 2. Try Windows force delete files method
- Part 3. Use Microsoft's SDelete command line utility
- Tips for how to make sure files are permanently deleted
People asked in many forums how they can permanently deleted files in Windows computer. There are so many answers. I classify them basically into 2 ways: erasing data with a professional 3rd-party tool or erasing them with the tools developed from Windows. I'm sorry to say that there is no way you can permanently deleted files in Windows manually, namely without any tool, unless you smash the hard drive of the Windows PC to pieces. Here in the following I introduce you 3 ways to permanently erase data on Windows PC and tips for how to make sure the deleted files are erased as required.
Part 1. Use QILING File Shredder
There are many file delete tools for Windows PC to delete files permanently. You need to find an-easy-to-use and professional one. To be honest, it is a little hard since there are so many, you can't try them one by one. I'd like to recommend you try QILING File Shredder. It is a standalone tool for file deletion in Windows, only for the deletion purpose. And the interface is quite simple and neat. After install it on your computer, you can select files or folders to erase successfully. Here are the simple steps.
Step 1. Download the Qiling File Shredder, the file erase tool, installation package on your computer. Run the .exe file to install it on your Windows PC. It is virus free and fully compatible with almost all versions of Windows operating system.
Step 2. To use QILING File Shredder to permanently delete files and folders, follow these steps:
Step 3. Navigation to the file path or directory on your Windows computer to select files or folder to remove. And the default one is 3 times. Set up how many times you want to the software to erase the files. It's your option to set the times. The directories are folded by default.Click "Proceed" to let the software do the rest for you.
Step 4. Once you have initiated the deletion process with QILING File Shredder, the software will take care of the rest. The deletion process is typically quick, taking only a few seconds to complete.
Part 2. Try Windows force delete files method
If you're comfortable using the Windows command line, you can use the built-in `del` command to force delete files. Here's how:
Step 1. Click the "Start" menu in on the bottom left.
Step 2. In the search box, enter "cmd" and press the "Ente" key.
Step 3. Type in del/f filename of you're the file(s) you want to delete permanently. If you want to delete more than one file a time, then you can use comma to separate each file name. Next, press the "Enter" key to confirm the deletion.
Part 3. Use Microsoft's SDelete command line utility
SDelete is a free command line utility Microsoft developed for Windows users to remove files permanently from Windows PC. Before using it, users need to download and save the tool on computer and then follow the steps below to use it.
Step 1. Click the "Start" menu, and type in "cmd" in the search box and press the ENTER key.
Step 2. Type in the file path of SDelete. For example, the tool is saved in C:\filedeletiontool, type C:\filedeletiontool, and press Enter.
Step 3. Type SDelete and the file name you want to delete. For example, to delete C:\mysecuredata.txt, you would type SDelete c:\mysecuredata.txt, and press Enter.
When the deletion is finished, you'll receive a message from the current window.
Tips for how to make sure files are permanently deleted
To ensure that deleted files are permanently erased, you can test the result using data recovery software, such as Deep Data Recovery. Instead of using the recovery feature, use the scanning feature to scan your computer for deleted files. If the software cannot find the permanently deleted files on your computer, it means they have been successfully erased.
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