What is an SSD? Everything you should know about solid state drives.What is an external hard drive? One of the best ways to protect your important files, explained.What is a hard drive? Everything you should know about the computer storage device.Click 'Go' in the menu bar and then choose 'Utilities,' before double-clicking 'Disk Utilities.' You can now follow the same steps to wipe any drive connected to your Mac.

If you want to wipe a Mac data drive - not the startup drive - you can open the Disk Utility from the finder without booting into Recovery Mode.

Select 'Erase.' How to wipe a Mac data drive Click 'OK.' Use the Security Options to ensure your hard drive is thoroughly wiped and not recoverable.ĩ. Click 'Security Options' and then drag the slider all the way to the right so Most Secure is the selected option.Ĩ. If you see a Scheme drop-down, select 'GUID Partition Map.'ħ. In the Format drop-down menu, choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled).'Ħ. Click your startup drive and then select 'Erase.'ĥ. Select 'Disk Utility' from the list of recovery options before clicking 'Continue.'Ĥ. You can boot your Mac into Recovery Mode to wipe the hard drive.ģ. After a few moments, the Mac's Recovery Mode menu should appear. With your Mac turned off, power it on while holding the Command + R keys on your keyboard.Ģ. While the data might appear to be gone, anyone with enough dedication and the right set of tools can recover data that’s been erased from a hard drive.ġ. Keep in mind that simply erasing a hard drive isn’t enough. This ensures any personal and private information stored on the computer is completely erased and inaccessible to whomever takes possession of the PC next. Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.īefore you give away, sell, or even recycle an old computer, you should be sure to “wipe” the hard drive.Simply erasing files isn’t enough to prevent someone from recovering them later, so if you are selling or giving away a hard drive or computer with drives installed, wipe them first.It’s also possible to wipe a Mac data drive through the Disk Utility menu and Windows data drives using the free, open-source DBAN utility.You can wipe a hard drive much easier now than before with the help of your Windows 10 Settings menu and the Disk Utility manager in a Mac’s Recovery Mode.Gavin Roberts/PC Plus Magazine via Getty Images You should wipe your hard drive on a Mac computer or Windows PC before you sell it or give it away.

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