Aug 18, 2010 Here are 5 Best Free Partitioning Software that will enable an individual to easily partition hard drive. Our picks of partition utilities are: EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition, Gnome Partition Editor, Parted Magic OS, Partition Logic and SwissKnife.
Summary :
This post lists top 10 free hard drive data wipe software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. If you want to completely erase all data on hard disk, SSD, external hard drive, USB, etc. on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP PC, so as to prevent private data from leaking, you can check the tutorial below.
Quick Navigation :Brief Introduction of Data Wiping and Deleting
Deleting all the data on your hard drive doesn’t mean the data is no longer existed. They are still located on the hard drive. It just deletes the reference of the data in the allocation table and you can’t find it.
By using some data recovery software, you can recover the deleted data and files. Even if you overwrite some new data to the hard drive, some data may still be able to be recovered if the new data doesn’t occupy the entire cluster space of the old data. Some data may be retrievable from slack space.
If you want to completely wipe hard drive and make the data gone forever and unrecoverable, you can use the hard drive wipe software to remove the data on hard disk permanently.
There are some circumstances you may seek for a piece of free hard drive wipe software. For instance, if you’d like to change a new computer and sell the old one, you may think of completely wiping the whole hard drive of the old computer in case your personal data are wrongly used by other people. Still, before you dispose your old external hard drive or USB flash drive, you may also recur to free hard drive eraser software to erase data on them.
This post lists top 10 hard drive data wiping software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP to let you wipe PC hard disk, SSD, external hard drive, USB, etc. Therefore, you can keep your privacy safe.
Top 10 Hard Drive/Disk Data Wipe/Erase Software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP#1 MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is an all-in-one disk partition manager. It combines many powerful functions into one tool, e.g. wipe disk/partition/volume, create/resize/extend/format drive partition, recover data/partition, clone disk, migrate OS to SSD/HD, convert disk, and more.
It allows you to manage your computer hard disk (basic or dynamic), SSD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, thumb drive, SD card, hardware RAID, etc. from every aspect.
You can utilize this free hard drive wipe software for Windows 10/8/7 to completely erase all data on PC hard drive, external hard drive, USB flash drive, etc. just in a few clicks. Check the 4 simple steps below.
How to completely wipe hard drive/disk data in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP PC
Firstly, download and install this 100% clean and free disk wipe software – MiniTool Partition Wizard – on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.
Step 1. Launch the free disk wipe software
You can double click MiniTool Partition Wizard icon on computer screen to run this program. And this software will auto load all drives in your computer.
Step 2. Choose Wipe Disk option
Click the target disk which needs data wiping, and click Clean Disk – Wipe Disk from the left action panel. Or you can right-click the target disk and choose Wipe Disk.
Step 3. Select hard drive wiping method
In the popup window, this free hard drive wipe software offers 5 kinds of disk erasing methods. You can choose one based on your own need. The longer time it takes, the hard drive data will be cleaned more thoroughly.
Step 4. Start wiping all data from PC drive
You can now preview this disk, it becomes all unallocated now. At last, you should hit Apply button on the top-left of this program to carry out the pending operations.
This hard drive data eraser software will start to wipe all data from Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP hard drive now. And the wiped data cannot be recovered by any data recovery programs any more. Your private data is safe.
Tip: If you want to wipe the computer internal hard disk which contains operating system, it’s suggested that you take out the hard disk and encase it into an external hard drive enclosure, then connect it to another computer and use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free to wipe the PC drive.
How to wipe external hard drive, USB drive permanently in Windows (10)
Step 1. Connect the external hard drive, USB flash drive or SD card to your Windows (10) computer. And launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
If you don’t find the target external drive you want to erase data from, you can click General > Reload Disk to check again. (Related: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Fixed)
Step 2. Select the connected external drive and click Wipe Disk option.
Then follow the same 3, 4 step above to completely erase external hard drives in Windows 10/8/7.
Tip: If you only want it to wipe hard drive, then the free version is enough. The free version also provides some other feasible features. If you have many other demands to manage the drives, then you may try the Pro, Pro Ultimate, Server, Enterprise or Technician versions or MiniTool Partition Wizard (Compare Editions). The Pro version will cost you US$39, and Pro Ultimate version costs US$99, and you will have a lifetime upgrade license and enjoy all powerful functions of this program.
Key features of MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate:
#2 DBAN
Another popular free and open source hard drive data wipe software is DBAN. Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) is designed for completely wiping the entire drive permanently. You can choose different wiping methods to erase data from various kinds of drives in Window 10/8/7. It also supports several advanced algorithms like DoD 5220.22-M, random data.
However, you need to burn the ISO image of this software to a flash drive or DVD/CD with a DVD burning software, and then run it from external hard drive when restarting Windows.
#3 Disk Wipe
Disk Wipe is also a top data removal tool. Unlike MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate or DBAN which allows you to create a bootable CD/DVD, so that you can use them to wipe personal hard drive data without operating system.
Disk Wipe is a windows app, so you can only run this tool in the existing Windows OS. You cannot use it to wipe hard drive which runs the current operating system. But you can use it to erase internal SSD, external hard drives.
#4 KillDisk
It is also a top free disk wipe tool for Window 10/8/7. It has free version and advanced version. Its free version only has one type of hard drive erasing method, namely, erase hard drive with one pass zeros. If you want to try other ways to wipe hard drive, you need to pay for the professional version.
#5 CCleaner
This cool Windows (10) PC wipe tool also allows you to wipe computer or external drives. You can use it to wipe data from free space on hard drive or wipe the entire drive. Advanced version also needs to pay.
#6 PCDiskEraser
This free disk wipe software enables you to permanently erase all data in the hard drive. It also uses some professional data erasing standards like U.S. Department of Defense 5220.22. The downside of this tool is that it is also downloaded as an ISO file, and you need to burn it to a disk or USB drive before you can use it.
#7 CBL Data Shredder
You can either use this disk wipe freeware in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP to wipe external hard drive clean, or boot from it via USB or CD/DVD to erase computer hard drive with OS.
Aside from the provided data sanitation methods, you are also allowed to create custom wiping method.
#8 Eraser
This free hard drive data destruction software provides 10 popular data wiping methods for your choice.
This tool also only runs within Windows, so you can’t use it to wipe computer hard drive which runs the OS. It is compatible with Windows XP-10.
#9 Super File Shredder
This free disk wipe software enables you to drag and drop the hard drive into the program, and then choose one data wiping way to completely destruct the data. It supports traditional hard drives, SSDs, and can work on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.
#10 WipeDisk
This hard drive eraser software offers you several data wipe methods: DoD 5220.22-M, Gutmann, Random Data, Write Zero, etc. You can freely choose to wipe data from free space or all files in the hard drive with this top file eraser. Windows 10 is supported.
Other Free Ways to Wipe Windows 10/8/7 PC Hard Drive
Some of you may think of using Windows own free disk manager Diskpart Utility, Disk Manager to try to erase the entire hard drive.
You can open Windows Disk Manager by pressing Windows and R keys on the keyboard at the same time, and then input diskmgmt.msc. In the Disk Manager window, right-click the disk you’d like to wipe clean and click Format. You can also use Windows Diskpart tool to clean all data on selected hard drive.
However, formatting or cleaning up disk doesn’t mean wiping data for good. You can check below the differences between formatting and wiping a hard drive.
What’s the Difference between Formatting and Wiping a Hard Drive?
The first and most importance difference of formatting and wiping a hard drive is: the data in the formatted hard drive can be recovered with some data recovery software, while data in the erased hard drive can’t be restored.
Disk formatting:
Formatting a hard drive is the process of initializing the hard drive, SSD, USB drive. The formatting process often include: low-level formatting (basic medium preparation), partitioning (make the storage device visible to OS), and high-level formatting (generate a new file system). Formatting a drive generally leaves all data on the disk, and you can use some data recovery tools to get the data back if the drive is not overwritten. If you want to avoid the recovery of your private sensitive data, you can use one of top 10 free hard drive data wipe software to permanently erase the data.
Disk wipe:
Also known as data erasure or data sanitization. It is the real permanent data removal process and it’s impossible to retrieve data from a wiped disk. Data wiping aims to completely destroy all data from the hard drive or other storage devices. It uses zeros and ones to overwrite data to fill into all hard disk sectors. Through this overwriting, the old data on the hard drive is unrecoverable any more. Most of the disk wipe software listed above allows you to select a specific wiping standard based on your own needs, and lets you remove all data from the device.
How to Destroy a Hard Drive
If you think the completely hard drive data wiping is not enough, and you still worry about your privacy, then you may turn to the last draw: destroy the old hard drive permanently with professional hard drive destruction tools before disposing it.
You may try these hard drive destroy solutions: destroy the magnetic platter inside, use screwdriver to remove and destroy most parts of the hard disk, or use a hammer to totally destroy the hard drive.
How to Clean Hard Drive with Best Free Hard Drive Cleaner
If your hard drive is running out of space, and you only want to free up some space, then wiping the hard drive is not your choice.
A professional hard drive space analyzer and cleaner would help. MiniTool Partition Wizard new function – Space Analyzer – helps you easily scan the disk or specific partition to figure out which files occupy most space and allows you to directly delete unneeded large files. You can also use it to easily extend the C drive.
Check the related guides:
How to Recover Data from Hard Disk, External Hard Drive, USB, etc.
Once you wipe the hard drive with professional hard drive data eraser, the hard drive will leave no traces of the old data.
However, if you mistakenly delete some files or format the drive, you can easily recover the deleted or lost data with MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate.
This program equips two hard drive data recovery functions: data recovery, partition recovery. Here we’ll introduce how to recover deleted or lost data from computer hard drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, etc.
Get MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate below and install it on your Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP computer. If you’d like to recover data from external drives, you need to connect it with your computer first.
Step 1. Launch this best data recovery software, and click Data Recovery function in the toolbar.
Step 2. Choose which device you’d like to recover data from. And click Scan. Optionally you can click Settings to choose to scan specific types of files.
Step 3. This software will begin scanning the chosen hard drive or partition, and display the recovered files in the plate.
Step 4. Find the files you need and click Save icon to store them to a new drive.
Conclusion
By browsing the top 10 free hard drive data wipe software, hope you find your desired way to completely erase the entire Windows (10) computer hard drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB/thumb drive, SD card, etc.
Need to mention that the all-in-one disk wipe software for Windows 10/8/7 – MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate – is also an easy-to-use data recovery program. You can also use it recover deleted/lost data or partitions with ease.
If you still have questions about how to completely destroy data in hard drive for protecting privacy, or have other suggestions about MiniTool software, please visit Help or FAQ page or contact [email protected].
Almost all of the new laptops and PCs come with a 1 TB or 2 TB disk. If the Windows suddenly becomes slow or C drive gets full, managing your hard-drive partitions effectively is an important aspect, as that allows people to increase C drive space, and make full use of their disks.
Most modern operating systems contain built-in tools for creating, deleting, or resizing partitions. But many users find that third-party Windows 10 partition manager makes these types of tasks easier. They enable you to create, delete, shrink, expand, format or merge partitions on your HDD, SSD or other storage devices.
Which Windows 10/8/7 Disk Management Tool Is Right for Me
There are numerous partitioning managers that one can obtain from the market nowadays. However, not all of the options one can find in the market are suitable for a person or is easier to use. Here are the top picks you should consider if you want to get your hands on quality partitioning manager software:
These eight free Windows 10 partition managers can satisfy your basic needs: creating, deleting, or resizing partitions. Except for the basic needs, we have analyzed the tools from the versatility, data security and ease of use to help you find the best free Windows 10 disk management tool.
Top 1. EaseUS Free Partition Manager Windows 10
EaseUS Partition Master is the most feature-rich free partition manager for Windows 10/8.1/8/7. It has served 10+ million customers for 10+ years. It promises that you can manage partition without any data loss.
If you are looking for a versatile and secure free Windows disk management tool, EaseUS Partition Master must be your best choice.
Pros
ConsPartition Hard Drive Software Free
Price: Free. ($39.95 for the pro version)
Download Size: 33.2MB
Learn the details to manage your partitions in Windows 10/8/7
Step 1: Install and launch EaseUS Partition Master
Step 2: Partition Hard Drive
Shrink partition:
1. Right-click on a partition that you want to shrink and select 'Resize/Move'.
2. Drag the end of the partition rightward or leftward or adjust the space by clicking the 'Partition size' column. Click 'OK' to continue.
Extend partition:
1. To extend partition, you need to leave unallocated space next to the target partition. If not, shrink a partition as mentioned above to leave enough unallocated space behind the target partition first.
2. Then right-click on the target partition and select 'Resize/Move'.
3. Drag the target partition handle into the unallocated space to extend partition. Click 'OK' to continue.
Create partition:
1. On the main window, right-click on the unallocated space on your hard drive or external storage device and select 'Create'.
2. Set the partition size, partition label, drive letter, file system, etc. for the new partition and click 'OK' to continue.
Delete partition:
1. On the main window, right-click on the hard drive partition which you want to delete and select 'Delete'.
2. Click 'OK' to confirm.
Change partition drive letter:
1. Right-click the partition, and choose 'Change Drive Letter'.
2. Click the down arrow, choose a drive letter for the partition, then click 'OK'.
Step 3: Execute operations
Click the 'Execute Operation' button at the top corner and keep all changes by clicking 'Apply'.
Top 2. Macrorit Disk Partition Expert
Macrorit Disk Partition's unsoiled user interface makes it one of the best disk management software. It is a powerful free partition program that allows you to extend, create and format a partition, fix low disk space problem, manage disk space easily on MBR and GPT (GUID partition table) disk.
If you are looking for a portable version of Windows 10 management tool, Macrorit Disk Partition must take into account.
Free Disk Partition SoftwarePros
Cons
Price: Free. ($39.99 for the pro version)
Download Size: 23.6MB
Top 3. Paragon Partition Manager
Paragon Partition Manager free is another great little utility that supports Windows 10. It is packed with tools that make managing partitions a breeze.
50% of the features are free (Basic partitioning, backup and restore).
It has served millions of people for 25 years with a good reputation.
If you are looking for an old-brand software, Paragon Partition Manager free is your best choice.
Pros
Cons
Price: Free. ($49.95 for the pro version)
Download Size: 41.59 MB
Top 4. Free Disk Management Tool - Gparted
Another partition Manager that can be counted on is Gparted. It is a disk management software that not only supports Windows but also supports Mac. This software is considered as GNOME (desktop environment composed of free and open-source software that runs on Linux and most BSD derivatives) editor.
This software is totally free, but it's the best choice for advanced users.
Pros
Cons
Price: Free.
Download size: Around 300MB
Top 5. Cute Partition Manager
Just like GParted, Cute Partition Manager also needs a bootable device to use it. It enables you to change the file system of a disk, create, manage and delete partitions of the disk. But you need to use a keyboard during the whole operation as it is a text-based application.
Advanced users are suggested. It is not that easy to use, because this software's interface is pretty old and not that secure. But the size of the file is small compared with Gparted.
Pros
Cons
Price: Free.
Download Size: 232KB
Also read:Top 10 SD Card Recovery Software in 2020
Top 6. Windows 10 Disk Management - Active Partition Disk
Active Partition Manager is a free application that enables you to manage storage devices and the logical drives or partitions. This free disk partitioning tool for Windows supports all the partition management features. You can create, delete, format, and name partitions on your computer without shutting down the system.
Pros
Cons
Price: Free (No limitations)
Download Size: 19.46MB
Top 7. Acronis Disk Director for Windows 10 Disk Management
Equipped with the basic partitioning tools, Acronis Disk Director is a suitable partitioning wizard for those who are just beginning to step into the tech world. It offers a range of features as disk cloning, volume recovery, and partition management. It stores different file systems or operating systems on one disk by creating and managing disk partitions.
Pros
Cons
Software For Partitioning Hard Drive
Price: 30-day Free Trial (No limitations)
Download Size: 150MB
Best Hard Drive Partition SoftwareTop 8. Windows Disk Management
In fact, Windows 10/8/7 comes with a built-in disk management program called Disk Management. It can help you manage hard disk partitions without rebooting the system and any interruption. The features of Windows 10 Disk Management are as follows:
You can access Disk Management in these ways:
1. Access Disk Management via Run
Use Windows+R to open Run, type diskmgmt.msc in the empty box, and tap 'OK'.
2. Open Disk Management in Computer Management
Right-click the Start and choose 'Disk Management' on the left.
3. Open it via a direct search
Type disk manage in the search box on the taskbar and choose 'Create and format hard disk partitions' in the result.
Windows 10 Disk Management VS EaseUS Partition Master
You have learned about EaseUS free partition software and Windows 10 Disk Management. Take a look at the differences between the EaseUS Partition Master and Windows 10 Disk Management Tool.
Wrap Up
The partition managers introduced on this page are the top eight Windows 10 disk management tools that allow you to organize your hard drive and optimize disk partitions in an effective and efficient way. Among them, the first one - EaseUS Partition Master is highly recommended. To use this disk management tool, don't worry if you aren't experienced.
Best Free Disk Partition Tools
This tool has a very user-friendly interface and ultimate partition management features. It enables you to enhance your hard drive performance to fix problems like disk running out of space, partition inaccessible, converting disk style/file system, migrating OS to HDD/SSD, or modifying disk partition size, etc. Don't hesitate anymore, download and use the EaseUS Windows 10 partition manager NOW!
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