8 Best Hard Drive Eraser Software Delete Data Completely

A hard drive eraser software can permanently delete data on your hard drive, hard disk, and SSD and make it impossible to recover. These software are also called Disk Eraser, Data Eraser, Hard Drive Wiper, and Data Destruction Software. 

Such software work on some advanced data erasure techniques to overwrite the blocks and sectors of a hard drive with 0 and 1. Once the data is overwritten effectively it becomes almost impossible to recover.

Top 8 Hard Drive Eraser Software

1. Stellar BitRaser Drive Eraser
2. Disk Wipe
3. CCleaner Drive Wiper
4. Blancco Drive Eraser
5. Eraser
6. Windows 10 built-in hard drive wiper
7. HDShredder 6
8. CBL Data Shredder

 

1. Stellar BitRaser Drive Eraser

Compatible OS: Windows, macOS

Price: $20 to erase 1 drive

The price varies according to the number of drives you want to erase. 

Ratings:

• FileHorse: 7.8/10
• Amazon: 2.7/5
• SpiceWorks: 4.3/5

First on the list of the best disk erasers is Stellar BitRaser Drive Eraser. BitRaser can erase almost every type of device. According to the official website the software is tested and approved by NIST (National Institute Of Standards And Technology).

Along with this BitRaser has obtained some other prestigious certifications. 

The developer provides 4 types of software-

• Secure Drive Wiping Software
• Mobile Wiping and Diagnostic Software
• Bulk Drive Erasure Over Network
• File Erasure Software

Here we are discussing Secure Drive Wiping Software.

Key Features:

• Certificates for data protection regulations.
• It has obtained 24 international erasure standards.
• Can erase data from SSD and HDDs on Windows, Mac, and server.
• The software can perform S.M.A.R.T diagnostic tests on your drive.

 

2. Disk Wipe

Compatible OS: Windows

Price: Free

Ratings:

• Spiceworks: 4.5/5

Disk Wipe is a free hard drive eraser software for Windows PC. I did not find enough reviews of this software on the internet but I like the user interface of this software. Also, this data eraser software is available for free.

Key Features:

• Permanently delete partition data.
• Erase disk volumes.
• The drive eraser software is portable.
• It uses a robust algorithm to shred data.
• The software is ad-free

If you want to use a completely free disk eraser app then this is a nice choice.

3. CCleaner Drive Wiper

Compatible OS: Windows

Free Version: Yes

Price: $29.95/year

Ratings:

• PCMag: 3.5/5
• TechAdvisor: 4.5/5
• G2: 4.5/5
• TechRadar: 4.5/5

Ccleaner is a well-known PC cleaning and optimization suite. It has plenty of useful functions i.e. duplicate finder, driver updater, data recovery, data shredder, etc.

Driver Wiper is another tool in the suite which performs the task very effectively. You just need to know how to use it.

How to use Ccleaner disk eraser software:

Step 1: Go to tools and find the drive wiper.

Step 2: Here you will find some fields with dropdowns.

Step 3: in the wipe field you can choose “Free Space Only” and “Entire Drive“

If you choose “Free space only” then it will erase the files which are already deleted.

And if you choose “Entire Drive” then it will erase the content on that drive.

Key Features:

• It has many other uses along with erasing hard drives.
• The free version is available for this software.
• The software is very easy to use.
• Ccleaner has a huge community.
• The customer support is very nice.

Although, the software has some limitations in wiping the Free Space, but the hard drive eraser function is very efficient.

4. Blancco Drive Eraser

Compatible OS: Windows

Free Trail: Yes

Price: $25

Ratings:

• Not Found

Blancco Drive Eraser is a very nice software to erase hard drive data. It has all the features that a disk eraser software should contain. You can use this software for personal and enterprise levels.

Key Features:

• Permanent data erasure.
• It complies with 22-plus erasure standards.
• The software will also give you digitally signed certificates.
• The data erasure software will provide you with global technical support.
• You will get regular software updates for free.

Blancco Drive Eraser has great features that a professional data destruction software should have. The software also provides a free trial version.

5. Eraser

Compatible OS: Windows

Price: No, completely Free

Ratings:

• SourceForge: 3.6/5
• CNet: 3.5/5
• PCWorld: 4/5
• Spiceworks: 4.2/5

Eraser is one of the best free eraser software for Windows PC. Currently, it is available for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and Windows 10. The software also works for Windows servers.

Key Features:

• Works with Windows servers.
• It is open-source software.
• Overwrite data several times to make it unrecoverable.

6. Windows 10 Built-In Hard Drive Wiper

Microsoft Windows has its own inbuilt hard drive wiper tool. This tool will completely erase everything from the hard drive.

The inbuilt hard drive eraser software will wipe out the drives installed on your computer.

How to use Windows 10 Hard Drive Wiper:

Using this tool is very easy. You just need to follow some simple steps and it will erase your complete hard drive.

Step 1: Go to the start menu and search “Settings“.

Step 2: Now go to the update and security option.

Step 3: Here you will see Reset this PC, below this click on the “Get Started” button.

Step 4: Now select “Remove Everything” and follow the next steps.

That’s all you, the built-in tool will erase your hard drive completely. So, if you don’t want to download any software then you can try this tool.

7. HDShredder 6

Compatible OS: Windows

Price: Free

Ratings:

• Softpedia: 4.5/5
• Cnet: 3/5

HDShredder 6 is a lesser-known but powerful hard drive eraser software for Windows computers. Developed by Miray Software it can completely delete entire hard disks, partitions, or other storage media. 

It has specific features which make it my favorite tool for erasing data on a hard disk.

Key Features:

• You can apply this eraser software on specific partitions.
• With this software, you can choose to erase the hard drive according to international standards of security. 
• The software is updated for faster speed and more efficiency.

I did not find enough ratings for this software but I found the software is very easy to use and has just the features.

8. CBL Data Shredder

Compatible OS: Windows

Price: Free

Ratings:

• Softpedia: 3.6/5

CBL Data Shredder is another free software to completely erase hard drives on your computer. The method of erasing data is similar to other products, it overwrites data multiple times and makes it unlikely to recover. 

By default it overwrites data with “0” but you can choose some different pattern. 

Key Features:

• You can select the bit pattern to overwrite.
• Effective purging and sensitization.
• It works fine on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP

There are not so many reviews and ratings of this data shredder software on the internet but it can securely erase data on your hard drive.

These were the best hard drive eraser software for Windows PCs. Most of these eraser programs are available for free. If you don’t want to download any software then you can use the Windows Built-In Drive Wiper tool as a disk eraser program for PC.

FAQs:

Can you fully erase a hard drive?

Answer: Yes, you can completely erase the hard drive but you will need some advanced methods. General deleting will only reassign the space to write new data.

Does Eraser permanently delete files?

Answer: Yes, Eraser is a data wiping software that is available for free and it can permanently delete files, folders, and even entire hard drives.

How do I clean the hard drive before selling it?

Answer: You can use the Windows Built-In Hard Drive Wiper tool or any other disk eraser software explained in the list.

How do I permanently delete files from my hard drive?

Answer: Normally people choose shift+delete to permanently delete data from the hard drive but there are methods available that can recover data deleted by normal methods. Using a data eraser software makes files very unlikely to recover.