How to Permanently Delete Files from SSD

SSDs are quickly becoming the gold standard for storage as they are becoming larger in capacity while getting cheaper by the day. If you want to securely erase files on SSD, you need to be cautious about how you do it. If you delete files from SSD in a conventional manner, the results may not be what you want to hear. There is no such thing as permanent deletion, at least when you are talking about the built-in methods to erase data on the computer. Everything is retrievable and if you want to know how to permanently delete files from SSD, you will need to read what we have to say here.

Conventional Data Deletion Methods

In layman terms, data that you have deleted using conventional methods only remove them from your sight. Here is what happens when any of the following three deletion methods:

• Send to recycle bin: Whenever you right-click on a file or folder and choose the "send to recycle bin" option, your operating system stores the files in a dedicated space on the SSD until you decide to reuse them. It is not even removed from your computer and can easily be restored using a single click.
• Delete button: the delete button on your keyboard simply connects to the recycle bin as mention in the above point. The prompt you get is also the same as you get when you choose the recycle bin option in the right-click menu.
• Shift + Delete: This option is a more permanent solution as compared to the other two, or at least it is for anyone who does not know about recovery software. Even after your file is no longer accessible after you use this option, it is still present on the SSD until something else comes on that specific memory block which could take forever.

The thing you need to realize is that none of these methods can permanently delete files from SSD. Anyone with a bit of knowledge or a data recovery software can recover all the data you have deleted.

Data Deletion – SSD vs HDD

When it comes to deleting data, HDDs and SSDs take a completely different approach, and they should. Their build is completely different and therefore, the way they write and delete data is also different. In HDDs, data is stored in sectors, but the HDD can write over used areas of the disk whenever it wants. When you delete a file, the HDD removes that file from its tables and that is it. Anyone could retrieve that data by using recovery software.

In contrast, SSDs work in a completely different style. SSD storage consists of blocks and these blocks carry data in the form of digital signals. Whenever you delete data, the SSD removes the data from its tables but if a certain block contains both deleted data and something that you want to retain, the deleted data will remain accessible. This means that you do not have the ability to remove it until the whole block is empty.

How to TRIM Command to Delete Files on SSD

To make sure that deleted data is no longer present on the SSD, the controllers of the SSD have a special function called the TRIM command. This is a feature that is responsible for managing all the data present on the SSD and organizing it. TRIM helps with making sure that deleted data on an SSD is deleted permanently. However, this function only works when the whole block is erased. If data from multiple files and folders are present on the block and you do not want to delete all of them, the TRIM command will not be able to ensure permanent deletion. It will only mark the data for the SSD to delete if such a requirement comes up in the future. This can lead to a lot of ambiguity on whether you were able to permanently remove files on SSD.

How to Securely Erase Files on SSD

The most effective method of removing data is to use a file shredder, a software that literally shreds files on the SSD to make sure they cannot be recovered. It makes it impossible to piece the data back together. One of the best options for doing that is iBeesoft File Shredder. It comes with the following features:

Using the best file eraser tool is extremely easy and you can securely delete files on SSD with it permanently in just three steps.

1. Open the software and click the large "+" button in the middle to permanently delete files from hard drive.
2. You will see a file explorer option. Select the specific folder/partition/drive that you want to delete. Click the "Shred Now" button on the bottom right to start the deleting process.
3. Progress will show on the screen as the data is being shredded and deleted. Close the program when done, or start over again if you want to delete more data.

It seems it’s very easy to delete files on SSD hard drives. However, the fact is the ordinary deletion is not useful when it comes to securely erase files on SSD. To do it, you have to depend on professional File Shredder software. Download the software to have a try now!!!