Mac: Wipe hard drive safely - how to remove data

If you need to pass on a hard drive to another person, you should make sure that all personal content has been deleted from the hardware. For this to be the case, it usually takes more than just moving the files to the recycle bin. A Mac already has a suitable function built in.

How to securely wipe your hard drive on a Mac

If you move your content from a hard drive to the Recycle Bin, it is usually not deleted immediately. Usually, only the memory is freed and it is overwritten only when the space is needed for other files. Since your files are recoverable from the hard drive, it is important to remove them irrevocably with a suitable tool. This is especially necessary if you pass the hard drive to another person. Apple already offers a suitable tool for this case on the Mac.

1. First, tap the "Cmd" key and the spacebar simultaneously to open the Spotlight search.
2. Now type "Disk Utility" in the text box and confirm with the "Enter" key.
3. Open the entry with the same name in the results list.
4. You will now see all the storage media that you can access with your computer. Click on the hard drive that you want to delete safely and confirm this via the "Delete" button.
5. In the next window, click on "Security Options". Then move the slider as far to the right as possible and move "Ok".
6. Now confirm the process again via "Delete".