If you want to use the device again (or sell it), you’ll probably want to use the former method.įormat: Depending on your operating system (OS), you’ll probably have a few options available. As with erasing, you can use data destruction software - or just break out a hammer. Wipe: Wiping refers to erasing everything on a given storage device or hard drive. The more recently the files were deleted, the more likely it is that you can recover them.Įrase: Erasing or scrubbing a file gets rid of it for good.
Before they get overwritten, though, you can still recover the files using data recovery software. That means when your device needs to save new data, it can (and will) use the space occupied by the deleted files. If you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash, the files can then be overwritten by new data. While still in that folder, the files can be recovered easily. But people often use other terms like delete and format interchangeably, while they’re actually quite different.ĭelete: Deleting data actually just moves it into a folder, out of sight, like the Recycle Bin in Windows or the Trash on Mac. First, hard disk and hard drive have the same meaning. Before jumping in, there’s a bit of terminology you should know.
