Erasing your Windows laptop? This is the simplest way to delete all personal data

When you replace your old but still functioning Windows PC with a shiny new model, you have several options for that gently used device. You can gift it to a friend or family member. You can donate it to a charity like Goodwill (in partnership with Reconnect Dell). You can even exchange it for credit or sell it on third-party sites like exchange or Back market.

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However, no matter what action you take, your most important task is to permanently delete all of your personal files from that PC before transferring it. With desktop computers, it can be as easy as swapping out the system drive for a new one. But that’s often not an option with laptops, where replacing memory can be impossible or prohibitively expensive.

The simplest way

For laptops and desktops where you didn’t replace the system drive, the simplest way is to reset the PC, select the option to delete personal files, and reinstall Windows. On your Windows 10 PC, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

On Windows 11 devices, Reset PC options are located in Settings > System > Recovery. Make sure you select the Erase everything option, as shown here.

It takes a few prompts before you get to the actual reset option (after all, you don’t want to do this by accident), and if you dig into the settings you can find the Clean Disk option set to designed to delete all data in addition to deleting your data. file. As an alternative, you can boot from the Windows installation media, erase all existing disk partitions, then perform a clean install.

A word of warning

Both options delete existing personal files, but Microsoft’s documentation warns that “the data deletion functionality is aimed at consumers and does not meet government and industry data deletion standards.” Therefore, it is possible that someone with advanced technical skills could use forensic tools or data recovery software to access some of the deleted information.

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On modern systems with solid-state drives, you can often find a management utility that includes a Secure Erase command. For Samsung SSD, use Magician Samsung programme. For Intel SSD, download and install Intel Memory and Storage Engine. SSD used by Crucial Important storage operating utilities. Microsoft Surface devices support a customization tool called Microsoft Surface Data Eraser; check the download links in that article to determine whether you need the newer IT Kit or the Legacy version for older Surface devices.

Some third-party partition management tools include the option to completely wipe the disk. My favorite for this assignment is MiniTool Partition Wizardincludes Wipe Disk option in free and paid versions.

How to ensure your data is unrecoverable

You can also use Windows’ built-in encryption tools to ensure that the entire system drive, including unused drive space, is encrypted before performing a clean install. That extra step takes more time, but it ensures that any data recovered from anywhere on the drive will be unreadable. And you don’t need any third-party software to get the job done.

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Your system drive is fully encrypted by default if you’re signed in to Windows with a Microsoft account on a modern device that supports BitLocker Device Encryption (BDE). To confirm that your device supports BDE, run the System Information utility (Msinfo32.exe) as administrator and check the Device Encryption Support entry at the bottom of the System Summary page.

On systems running Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro, you can use the BitLocker Management utility (enter BitLocker in the search box to find it) to encrypt the system drive and any data drives. Make sure to select the option to encrypt the entire drive, not just the space that currently contains data.

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If Device Encryption is not available, open a command prompt using the Run as administrator option and enter this command:

Password /W:C:\

That command “clears” unused disk space, overwriting it so it cannot be recovered. This process can take a long time, so consider leaving it running overnight while you focus on more important tasks.

This article was originally published on May 12, 2022 and last updated on October 22, 2024.