It's estimated that every year globally, we generate 40 million tons of electronic waste. That's like throwing away 800 laptops every second. Unless you securely clean your free space or wipe your hard drive, there's potentially a lot of recoverable personal data floating around.
- Erase Free Space Mac Ssd Software
- Free Space On A Mac
- Erase Free Space Windows
- Erase Free Space Mac Ssd Software
How to use Terminal to securely erase free space on a Mac’s drive MMS If you’re selling an old Mac, a spare hard drive, or you’re just quite paranoid about your deleted data, you’re either familiar with—or should be familiar with—the Erase Free Space button on the Erase tab in Disk Utility (found in your Applications - Utilities. (Using the Security Options to sanitize a volume may be a thing of the past.) The second change that directly affects the Mac community, at least in the way free space can be securely erased, is the release of the APFS file system, and how it makes use of shared space between multiple volumes.
Are you looking to erase the free space on your Mac? You've come to the right place. Data privacy has never been more important, but surprisingly, not everyone realizes that your Mac is not entirely erasing that data when you delete a file.
Did you know? Deleted files are identified as free space, available to be written over with new data. Meaning, they can be fully or partially reconstructed if your Mac ends up in the wrong hands. Unless, of course, you erase your Mac's free space.
What do we mean by erase
On macOS, secure erase means your data is replaced with a random set of zeroes and ones. In this way files are “shredded” digitally. Which app should you use? There is a free Shredder tool that is a part of CleanMyMac X — you may use this simple eraser to do the job.
Let’s take a look at how to erase free space and securely erase the hard drive on your Mac.
Why erase free space on your Mac hard drive?
Here’s a quick look at some top reasons to erase your Mac’s free space:
You’re selling an old Mac or a used hard drive.
You work with top-secret non-disclosure agreements.
Your Mac has become too expensive to repair, and it’s time to recycle.
You want to be sure your deleted data is really gone.
Sometimes emptying your trash just isn’t enough; We need to remove files securely.
If your Mac has an SSD, Apple claims that erasing free space on your Mac’s hard drive is unnecessary because a standard erase makes the recovery of data difficult.
Not everyone wants to take Apple’s word for it. Standard erase doesn’t make me entirely comfortable that my data can’t be recovered. Luckily there are some options if you’d prefer to take your Mac’s deleted data fate into your own hands.
You can both easily and safely wipe the free space on your Mac to prevent future recovery of deleted files and data.
How to find out if you have an HDD or SSD disk:
Click the Apple icon top left and select About This Mac.
Select System Report and scroll down to Storage.
Now, select the drive from the list at the top and look for Medium Type.
Here you'll discover if you have an HDD or SSD.
No matter which drive your Mac has, let’s look at how to erase your Mac’s free space.
Erase your free space
One way to securely erase free space on your Mac hard drive is to use theCleanMyMac X Shredder module. Though the main app is paid, this particular tool is 100% free to use.
As we’ve said this feature can be used free of charge and it erases files along with their digital footprints, making them irretrievable. Removal of this nature takes a little longer than a quick empty of your trash, but it does ensure that all data gets rewritten, leaving no chance of recovery at a later date.
Tip: Be sure to select files carefully for secure removal. This action is irreversible.
How to erase free space on your Mac with CleanMyMac X:
Download the free version of CleanMyMac X - It’s also notarized by Apple.
Launch the app, and select Shredder from the sidebar.
Click on the Select Files button.
Now, browse which files you want to remove and press Open.
Or you can just drag and drop the file to feed it into the Shredder.
I found it helpful that once the process finishes, you get an update on remaining free space, and you can also view a log of the removed items. I also love the fact this is really simple to use, for quick peace of mind.
Erase a drive using Disk Utility
If you’re planning on transferring ownership or your Mac, Apple recommends erasing the entire disk; this protects you from any standard erased files or data being rebuilt or recovered.
Disk Utility can feel like a scary place to be clicking around. This powerful and notoriously tricky to locate feature can securely erase your Mac hard drive, ultimately preparing your Mac for new ownership.
Tip: Don’t forget to backup any important files you want to keep before erasing a disk.
If you’re trying to erase your Mac’s startup disk, you will need to start up from macOS Recovery first. On your computer, the Startup disk is the main hard drive, and your Mac is using it to run macOS, so it would be unlikely you would be able to erase it without following the next steps.
Startup from macOS Recovery
- Turn your Mac on and quickly press down Command (⌘) and R. When you see an Apple logo or spinning globe, release the buttons.
- If prompted to enter a password, this will be the primary admin account password. The macOS utilities screen will appear, select Disk Utility.
- Once open, select View in the top menu and choose Show All Devices. The disk your Mac started up from will be top of the list. In my example, you can see Apple SSD is the startup disk.
- Select the disk that you want to erase, and click Erase at the top.
- Give your device a new name,select a format. (Disk Utility shows a compatible format by default.) and finally, choose GUID Partition Map and click Erase.
- When it's finished, quit Disk Utility.
If you're not erasing your Mac's main hard drive, then follow these steps:
- Select the Finder icon from the Dock on your Mac and select Applications.
- Now, scroll down to Utilities and then select Disk Utility. You can now follow the same steps as above from point 5.
Final option: If you only need to free up space
There is a difference between “erase” and “free up” when we talk about disk space. If you only need to free up a few gigabytes removing the junk on your drive, that’s much easier to do.
You have 2 options:
1) Use the Optimized Storage feature (a default macOS feature)
This feature is found under Apple menu > About this Mac > Storage > Manage...
2) Use a dedicated junk “destroyer”
The one we’ve told you about is CleanMyMac X. But the same app has another cool feature, called System Junk, that removes clutter in almost astronomical amounts.
It looks like shown below; note how many categories of junk it identifies:
It's up to you to select which option suits your needs. Whether you want to erase free space on your Mac, by selecting which files to remove with a handy tool like CleanMyMac X or opt for the complete drive erasure treatment, it's always good to know your options.
Erase Free Space Mac Ssd Software
Thanks for reading. Come back soon for more useful Mac tips.
Securely Erase Data on the Mac permanently.
The #1 Data Eraser App for macOS.
Free Space On A Mac
iShredder™ is the most popular data eraser for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Windows Server. Since 2010, this secure deletion software has won numerous awards and is used by more than 4,000,000 users, in over 100 countries worldwide.
iShredder™ uses data shredding techniques that go beyond international standards. Its data deletion is so secure that government agencies and defense ministries trust, and use this robust process.
The new generation iShredder™ Mac® is a professional app that allows for secure deletion of data from hard drives and external data storage devices on macOS®.
The software meets and exceeds government, military, and industry standards for the permanent erasure of digital information.
It erases all existing data up to top-secret security level data. And it enables users to efficiently delete their data in such a way as to preclude reconstruction, even by government agencies.
Depending on the edition, iShredder™ Mac® comes with secure deletion algorithms such as DoD 5220.22-ME, US Air Force (AFSSI-5020), US Army AR380-19, DoD 5220.22-M ECE, BSI/VS-ITR TL-03423, BSI-2011-VS, CSEC ITSG-06, NATO Standard, Gutmann, HMG InfoSec No.5, DoD 5220.22 SSD and others.
Each algorithm has been analyzed by authorities and independent organizations to make sure it does what it says on the tin – data destruction beyond redemption.
In a sector where trust and security are primary concerns, Protectstar™ provides his customers with only modern and first-class products. iShredder™ Mac® offers more than twenty secure deletion methods certified by the government and military organizations.
Erasure Algorithm:
- Choose method- 50 Cycles: Protectstar SDA (2007)
- 35 Cycles: Gutmann method
- 8 Cycles: German BSI TL-03423
- 7 Cycles: NATO Standard
- 7 Cycles: DoD 5220.22-M ECE
- 7 Cycles: CANADIAN RCMP TSSIT OPS-II
- 5 Cycles: BSI-2011-VS
- 4 Cycles: Protectstar ASDA (2017)
- 4 Cycles: DoD 5220.22-M E for SSD
- 3 Cycles: Canadian CSEC ITSG-06
- 3 Cycles: HMG Nr. 5 extended
- 3 Cycles: AFSSI-5020
- 3 Cycles: NAVO P-5239-26 (MFM)
- 3 Cycles: NAVO P-5239-26 (RLL)
- 3 Cycles: US Army AR380-19
- 3 Cycles: DoD 5220.22-M E
- 3 Cycles: NCSC-TG-025
- 3 Cycles: NIST SP 800-88
- 2 Cycles: RUSSIAN GOST R 50739-95
- 1 Cycle: Australian ISM 6.2.92
- 1 Cycle: 0XFF for SSD
- 1 Cycle: Random Values
- 1 Cycle: NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 (2014)
Specifically developed by Protectstar™ Inc. in 2007 it runs through fifty erasure routines.
Data will be overwritten for two times with a random value, afterwards with their complements. It includes and the DoD 5220.22-M (E) standard and Peter Gutmann method and random algorithms.
Erase Free Space Windows
The algorithm from Peter Gutmann was found in 1996 and makes 35 overwrite passes in total.
This algorithm is one of the state-of-the-art methods for data destruction.
In March 2010 the German Federal office for IT Security (BSI) published a new technical BSI Guideline for 'Requirements to overwrite memory media'.
The method is similar to VSITR standard for magnetic storage media.
In total the new algorithm has 8 cycles, which has to be worked through in chronological order. Includes one cycle of verification.
The NATO method is the deletion standard of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
It will overwrite the target data area 7 times.
The first six overwrites are with the fixed values (0x00) and (0xff), alternating between passes.
The 7th overwrite is with a random value i.e. 0x00,0xFF,0x00,0xFF,0x00,0xFF and 7th pass with a random value.
The method for high security is based on the January 1995 'National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual'by the Department of Defense (DoD).
In this seven cycle variation (DoD 5220.22-M ECE), data is first overwritten three times with DoD 5220.22-M (E) Standards, then with a specific random value, and finally once again with DoD 5220.22-M (E).
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Standard RCMP TSSIT OPS-II overwrites data securely with alternating sequences with a total of seven cycles.
The German Federal office for IT Security (BSI) describes in the technical BSI guideline for 'Requirements to overwrite memory media' from July 2010 the modern method BSI-2011.
This clause includes 5 steps, which is implemented in sequential order.
The Advanced Secure Deletion Algorithm developed by Protectstar™ in 2017 includes a pass that encrypts the blocks completely using the 256-bit AES doing a complete verification of written data.
The last pass wipes all data through a random pattern, while high-quality random numbers are generated based on Federal information processing standards (FIPS).
This method is specially developed for SSD (Solid State Drive) and flash memory, based on the U.S.
Department of Defense's standard DoD 5220.22-M E. It will overwrite data four times.
The Canadian CSEC ITSG-06 sanitization method has three cycles and was published in 2006 by Communication Security Establishment Canada (CSEC).
The HMG Infosec Standard No 5 - enhanced level is approved to wipe UK Government Top Secret data and has also been approved by NATO.
The algorithm is a three pass overwriting algorithm: first pass - with zeros (0), second and third passes with its compliment and random values(with last pass verification).
The AFSSI-5020 sanitization method was originally defined in the Air Force System Security Instruction 5020 by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1996 and may still be today.
This is the US Navy standard NAVSO P-5239-26 for MFM encoded drives.
This deletion method first writes the fixed value (0xffffffff) to the target data area, then the fixed value (0xbfffffff) and then random values.
Finally, the target data area is read to verify the overwrites.
This is the US Navy standard NAVSO P-5239-26 for RLL encoded drives.
This deletion method first writes the fixed value (0xffffffff) to the target data area, then the fixed value (0x27ffffff) and then random values.
Finally, the target data area is read to verify the overwrites.
AR380-19 is the data shredding algorithm specified and published by the U.S. Army.
The algorithm is a three pass overwriting algorithm: first pass - with random bytes, second and third passes with certain bytes and with its compliment (with last pass verification).
The method for low security but for high execution speed is based on the January 1995 'National Industry Security Program Operating Manual' from the DoD (US DoD 5220.22-M).
The variation (DoD 5220.22-M E) offers 3 cycles in which the data are overwritten with first a set value, then its compliment, and then a random value.
The American NCSC-TG-025 standard of the National Computer Security Center (NCSC) securely overwrites existing information on a data medium three times.
The in 2006 released standard is the Special Publication 800-88 from NIST, which is the go-to data erasure standard for organizations in the United States. Its principles can apply to magnetic, flash-based, and other storage technologies, from USB drives to servers.
The Russian data deletion standard GOST R 50739-95 for secure data erasure overwrites the target data are two tome. In the first pass with a zero, and in the second pass with random characters.
ISM 6.2.92 is the Australian government's data sanitization standard.
The method was originally defined in the Information Security Manual (ISM) issued by the Australian Department of Defense: Intelligence & Security.
The ISM 6.2.92 sanitization can not be used to sanitize classified information.
This method is specially developed for SSD (Solid State Drive) and flash memory.
It offers one cycle which data are overwritten by the pattern '0xFF'.
This method for lowest security but for very high execution on speed. It offers only one cycle which data are overwritten with random values.
In December 2014, the guidelines were revised, making the current version “NIST Special Publication 800-88 Rev. 1”.
Erase Free Space Mac Ssd Software
See here the description of the method you have selected.
iShredder™ Mac® offering a high level of user-friendliness.
With the intuitive drag & drop navigation, users can completely delete data from their hard drives or external data storage devices.
Drag & Drop files, folders, hard drives, or even external devices to the drag & drop area and securely erase it with just a push of the shred button.
Securely wipe the free space using patented security standards, making it impossible to recover any deleted data.
When you delete a file or a photo, the operation system removes the reference to that data but doesn’t eliminate the actual data on your memory. It just only marked as free so that another file can come and use those blocks.
With the award-winning free space erase option in iShredder™ Mac® you can wipe the unused disk space securely so that deleted data cannot be recovered.
iShredder™ Mac’s heart has an innovative search algorithm to detect and effectively clean up useless temporary junk data, caches, log files, and macOS snapshots.
With just a push of a button, iShredder™ Mac not only brings back valuable storage space to your Macbook, Mac mini or iMac, but it also ensures a performance tuning. It ensures that the files that contain fragments of your data are erased.
International Security Standards
iShredder™ surpasses international standards used by state and military organizations in secure file deletion with a wide selection of tried-and-trusted state-of-the-art deletion algorithms. Each algorithm has been analyzed by authorities and independent organizations to make sure it really does what it says on the tin – data destruction beyond redemption.
iShredder™ comes with deletion algorithms such as DoD 5220.22-M E, US Air Force (AFSSI-5020), US Army AR380-19, BSI-2011-VS, DoD 5220.22-M ECE, BSI/VS-ITR TL-03423, CSEC ITSG-06, NATO Standard, Gutmann, HMG InfoSec No.5, DoD 5220.22 SSD and others.
GDPR-compliant data erasure
With the latest European General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), new requirements for the secure deletion of data have arrived, which applies to all companies.
If sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, this can result in a serious loss of revenue, penalties, or damage to reputation. In addition to the GDPR Art.17 'Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’)', please see article: https://gdpr-info.eu/art-17-gdpr/ - data protection laws prescribe a thoroughly documented destruction of data. Personal data is no longer required, for which there is no legal basis for long-term storage, and must be permanently and securely removed from the IT systems.
iShredder™ offers all possibilities for complete protection of sensitive information, and GDPR-compliant data deletion, including detailed erasure reports.
Supported Operating Systems for Software
- Mac OS 10.11 or higher (OS X El Capitan, macOS Sierra, macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave, macOS Catalina, macOS Big Sur)
Minimal Hardware Requirements
- Minimal system requirements of the operation system
- 50 MB free hard drive space
- Internet connection for updates and activation
Languages
- English, German
Professional
- Compatible with all models of MacBook, MacBook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro and Mac Pro
- Secure data deletion up to the top secret security standard level
- Deletion algorithms like DoD 5220.22-M ECE, Peter Gutmann, DoD 5220.22-M, HMG Infosec No.5, German BSI-2011-VS, US Army AR380-19 and more
- Detailed erasure report provides evidence of deletion
- Compatible with Solid State Drives (SSD) and Flash memory
- Full Drag & Drop support
- Erasing methods in total (11)
- incl. 1 year technical support and free upgrades
- 24/7 Support by e-Mail
Military
- Compatible with all models of MacBook, MacBook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro and Mac Pro
- Secure data deletion up to the top secret security standard level
- Deletion algorithms like DoD 5220.22-M ECE, Peter Gutmann, DoD 5220.22-M, HMG Infosec No.5, German BSI-2011-VS, US Army AR380-19 and more
- Detailed erasure report provides evidence of deletion
- Compatible with Solid State Drives (SSD) and Flash memory
- Full Drag & Drop support
- Advanced deletion reports
- Enhanced military deletion methods like NATO standard, US Navy NAVSO P-5239-26 (MFM & RLL), USAF AFSSI-5020, BSI TL-03423 and CSEC ITSG-06
- Erasing methods in total (21)
- incl. 1 year technical support and free upgrades
- 24/7 Support by e-Mail
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