How to Permanently Delete Files on HP Laptop

If you own an HP laptop, then you are among the countless other people who use it every day to store their data. This can be anything from personal photos, videos, and files to things that belong to your workplace. Regardless of what the files may be, there are times when you need to figure out how to permanently delete files on a hp laptop. The reason for that can be anything from freeing up space to erasing records for security reasons.

Whatever your reason may be, you should know how to delete files permanently if you do not want anyone else getting access to them. We are sharing some of the ways on how to permanently delete files on hp laptop so keep reading.

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Method #1. Common Ways of Deleting Files Permanently from HP Laptop

Method #2. How to Permanently Delete Files on HP Laptop Without Recovery

Method #1. Common Ways of Deleting Files Permanently from HP Laptop

Before we list the different ways of deleting files, we would like to let you know that you should learn each of these methods in your mind. Knowing them all is important because there can be multiple reasons why some methods do not work.

1. Keyboard Shortcut

We will begin by talking about the easiest way that you can find when figuring out how to permanently delete files on hp laptop pc. This one only takes two steps, the first one is selecting the file or folder that you want to delete. Simply scroll to and click the file or folder that you want to delete and then press the "Shift + Delete" keys simultaneously. A popup will appear in front of your screen asking you if you want to permanently delete the selected file or folder. Simply click on the Yes button or press the Y key on your keyboard to delete it.

2. Emptying Recycle Bin

One of the most common ways of deleting files for general users is to right-click on the file or folder they want to delete and select the Delete option. When you do that, your HP laptop moves the file to the Recycle Bin folder. That means the file is still on the system and simply not showing in the drive that it was in initially.

To delete it permanently, you will need to find the Recycle Bin icon on your computer and right-click on it. In the menu that appears, you will see the option "Empty Recycle Bin" which you will need to click on. This will permanently delete all the files present in the Recycle Bin. If you have files in the bin that you want to restore later, we advise not using this method as it will delete all other files.

3. Deleting Files Using Windows PowerShell

Knowing how to permanently delete files on hp laptop pc using PowerShell is also useful as sometimes your PC may malfunction and stop you from deleting files in the conventional methods described above. In that case, you can go to the Start Menu and type PowerShell to search for it. The search will bring up the Windows PowerShell app with some options on the right-side panel. From that panel, select the “Run as Administrator” option to ensure you are authorized to delete files.

To make this work, you will also need to know the path of the file or folder. You can acquire that by going to the folder where the requisite file or folder is placed and then clicking on the address bar above. It will give you the path for that folder which you can copy by tapping the “Ctrl + C” keys simultaneously. Now, you will go back to the Windows PowerShell screen again and type the following command: Remove-Item –path [drive letter]:\[filename]. Instead of a drive letter, you will type the letter assigned to the drive where the folder is placed and, instead of a filename, you will write the name of the folder or file.

For example, you need to delete a folder called Example in drive C: then the command you will write is Remove-Item –path C:\Example. After writing the command, simply press the Enter key and everything in that folder will be deleted permanently. Be sure to write the command exactly as given above to avoid any issues with syntax connectedness. You can simply copy it from here and then paste it to your PowerShell window for convenience.

4. File Explorer Ribbon

If you do not keyboard savvy and want an option that you can point to, then the Windows Explorer ribbon can help you out. Go to the file or folder and click on the file or folder that you want to delete. The ribbon above the file explorer will show you many options, one of them being Delete, indicated by a big red cross. Click underneath the cross where it says Delete with a downward arrow. A popup will appear and in that, one of the options will be "Delete Permanently" which you will need to click on. A confirmation popup will appear on which you will need to click on the Yes button to delete the file permanently.

While each of the methods described above makes the file unavailable on your filesystem, they are still present on the hard drive. That means anyone who knows how to permanently delete files on hp laptop after an update or is an expert can easily recover deleted files on HP laptop. However, that should only be a concern if you want to give your computer to someone else or are planning to sell it off.

Method #2. How to Permanently Delete Files on HP Laptop Without Recovery

While you now know how to permanently delete files from laptop disappeared files can still be recovered unless you delete them using a professional file shredder for windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. These are specialized tools that go to huge lengths to ensure that once deleted, no one can access them ever again. Using them is important if you are deleting sensitive or confidential files of any kind.

There are plenty of tools that you can choose from, but after testing, the one we have found to be the best performing option is the iBeesoft File Shredder. The reason we recommend this tool is due to its performance and compatibility. The software offers deletion and shredding for a wide range of file systems, meaning it can cover anything that your HP laptop can throw. In addition to the laptop’s internal hard drive, you can also use this tool to erase an SD card, USB drive, pen drive, external disk, and more. You also can either choose entire drives for shredding or select specific folders and files for shredding.

If you want to know how to permanently delete files on hp laptop disappeared without a trace, then this is the easiest way to do it. Here are the steps you need to take when using iBeesoft File Shredder to erase files and folders.

1. Download and install iBeesoft File Shredder on your HP laptop and then run it.
2. On the opening screen, you will see a large "+" button. Click on it to begin the shredding process.
3. The next screen will be where you select the folders that you want to delete. Expand the file directories to reach the folder that you want to delete, and checkmark them. Once you have selected all the folders, click on the "Shred Now" button on the bottom right of the window.
4. The next screen will show you the progress in percentage. Once the process reaches 100 percent, your files will be completely shredded.

After following the steps given above, your files will no longer be recoverable, thereby giving you the assurance that no one will ever be able to recover them in any way. Being able to do it in just three easy steps is what makes iBeesoft File Shredder our software of choice for this purpose.