Why need to shred files?

After deleting the file, if we do not read or write to the partition, the file data information is still "retained" in the hard disk. Therefore, it is easy to recover the files through some hard disk management tools or data recovery software. Therefore, it is best to delete these private and sensitive files completely to avoid data leakage.

File shredding is to completely erase the file, such as rewriting the area where the source file is located with the number 0 or 1 so that the source file is completely deleted and no one will know your privacy.

The purpose of file shredding:

1.     Erase important/top secret/private files to prevent them from being recovered.

2.     Delete virus files to prevent infection.

3.     Forcibly shred files that cannot be deleted.

How to shred files step by step

1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click the "Wipe" main tab and select "Shred Files" tool.

2. In the pop-up window, click "Add Files" to add the files you want to shred or "Add Folders" to add the folders you want to shred. Or you can drag files or folders to the window directly.

If you choose the wrong file or folder, you can click "Remove" to delete it. (Clicking the "Remove" button will remove all added files/folders for once.)

4. Select a shredding method.

There are 4 methods available:

Write Zero: Overwrite all sectors with zeros. It is safe and fast.

Random data (1 pass): Overwrite the hard drive with random data. It is more secure than the first one.

DoD 5220.22-M (7 passes): DoD Standard is first published in the Department of Defense of the U.S. It is much more secure than "zero-filling" and "random data filling" and faster than Guttman. Thus it is often adopted by companies and organizations.

Gutmann (35 passes): It overwrites a hard drive with 35 passes. It is the safest way here, but it also takes the longest time.

4. Click "Shred" to start the process.

5. There will be a confirmation window pop-up if you are trying to move some system program files. Click "Yes" to continue.

6. Then, the shredding process will start and you can check the shredding process. After it is finished, the process will be 100% and the added files/folders will be erased from your computer.

Notes:

• If you need to shred all data on a partition, we suggest that you can try the "Wipe Partition" feature.

• System directories and critical directories of C: drive can't be added to shred directly under Windows. You can create WinPE bootable media of AOMEI Partition Assistant, and then boot from WinPE media to shred.

• After files are shredded, some data recovery tools might recover some items. But these recovered files are renamed randomly and show 0 bytes, can't be opened.