Question

Mac: Safely Erase Hard Drive

Answer 1

Securely erase hard drive - this is how it works on a Mac
1st step:
2nd step:
3rd step:
4th step:
5th step:
quick start Guide

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Do you really want to completely erase all data from your Mac hard drive or from a USB stick? We'll show you how it's done..

If you want to pass on or throw away an external hard drive or USB stick, you should permanently remove all data on it. Simply deleting it and moving it to the recycle bin is not enough. Your data could still be read with special programs. However, Apple offers a function with which you can quickly and easily erase your hard drive completely on the Mac.

Securely erase hard drive - this is how it works on a Mac

Follow our step-by-step instructions or take a look at the brief instructions .

1st step:

To securely erase your hard drive or a USB stick, first open the Disk Utility from Spotlight Search. This opens with a click on the small magnifying glass at the top right in the menu bar.

2nd step:

All internal and external storage media are now displayed in the hard disk utility. Select the hard drive or USB stick to be deleted and then click on " Delete " at the top .

3rd step:

A new window will open in which you click on " Security Options ... " at the bottom left .

4th step:

Now you can determine how securely your data should be deleted. If you move the slider all the way to the right , no program can really reconstruct your data - but the deletion process also takes a correspondingly long time because your data is overwritten several times. Confirm your settings with " OK ".

5th step:

Now all you have to do is click on " Delete " and your data will be completely removed from your hard drive or USB stick.

quick start Guide

1. Open Disk Utility from Spotlight Search.
2. On the left, select the hard drive (internal or external) or the USB stick that you want to free from all data.
3. Then click the " Delete " option at the top .
4. A new window is opening up. There you select " Security options ... " at the bottom left .
5. You can now use the controller to determine how securely your storage medium should be deleted. If you move the slider all the way to the right , your data will really be deleted irrevocably - but the deletion process will take a little longer.

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