Selling an old PC or throwing out a drive, and worried a recovery tool could bring your deleted files back? Eraser, a free open-source tool, overwrites files, folders and free disk space so the data cannot be recovered, now or on a schedule.
Choose files or a whole drive to erase
Eraser targets stored file data by overwriting it before removal. Pick individual files or folders, the Recycle Bin, or the unused space of a drive, where traces of files deleted earlier still live.
The Windows Explorer context-menu option provides a direct route to erase files while browsing. Scheduled tasks are available for operations you want to run at a set time.
Select an overwrite pattern
Methods range from a quick single pass of random data to the US DoD 5220.22-M standard and the 35-pass Gutmann method, and you can define your own.
Overwriting takes longer than ordinary file deletion, especially when a task covers a large amount of data. On SSDs, overwriting is less reliable because the drive moves data internally; use the SSD maker's secure-erase tool for a full wipe there.
Run erase tasks on demand or by schedule
Eraser supports both immediate tasks and scheduled operations. This lets you handle a particular file as soon as you find it, or arrange recurring erasure without starting each task from the Explorer context menu.
For a one-time job, select the target and erase method, then run the task. For planned cleanup, set up the task in Eraser’s scheduler.
Pros
- Erase selected files or entire drives
- Choose an erase pattern or configure one manually
- Schedule erase tasks for later
Cons
- Overwriting is less reliable on SSDs
- Multi-pass methods are slow on large drives
- Erased data cannot be recovered by mistake
System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11
Can Eraser erase a whole drive or just individual files?
It supports both: choose specific files or select an entire drive.
Can I choose how Eraser overwrites data?
Yes. Pick an available erase pattern or configure a method manually.
Can Eraser wipe files I already deleted normally?
Yes, the unused-space option overwrites what deleted files left behind without touching files you keep.