To make sure the IT department keeps its mitts of your personal files, run a file-shredding utility to permanently destroy the data.

If you want to securely erase sensitive files, or you’re selling your device to another person, you’ll need to know how to permanently delete files from your computer, tablet, or phone.

How to Erase Data From a Computer Before Selling. When you sell a computer, it is always in your best interest to completely erase all of the data on your hard drive before the computer changes hands.

Protect your data with the handy free tool Eraser. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Protect your privacy online If you want ...

How to remove junk files with Disk Cleanup How to remove downloaded files How to delete duplicate files Don't delete important system files Join Which? Tech Support Too much clutter on a hard drive ...

The contents of your PC’s Recycle Bin or Mac’s Trash Can are only cleared out when you empty them. Kim Komando offers tips to permanently delete data.

Files you no longer use can be archived to an external drive or the cloud, while downloads, duplicates and temporary files can be deleted altogether. Below, we explain how you can remove unnecessary ...