File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software
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File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software overwrites files, free space and whole non-system drives on Windows 11 and 10. Pick one of 16 erasure methods, from a single fast pass up to Gutmann's 35.

   
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One free run, no sign-upWindows 11 / 1016 erasure methods
File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software Screenshot.
Delete a file and empty the Recycle Bin, and only its entry is removed. The data remains on the disk until something else writes over it, so a free recovery app may still bring it back months later. SoftOrbits file shredder software overwrites that data deliberately. It fills every byte the file used with zeros, random data or a named standard pattern, then removes the entry. On a hard drive, a later recovery scan sees the pattern instead of the file.

Delete, format, reinstall: what happens to the data

Windows' usual deletion tools change the file table. The bytes underneath can remain where they are.

The usual way

Delete and format

  • Delete and an emptied bin drop the entry, the bytes remain
  • A quick format builds a fresh index over the old one
  • Removing partitions from install media leaves old sectors untouched
VS
The overwrite way

Shred and wipe

  • New bytes are written over the old ones
  • The done screen lists passes and failures
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Sell the laptop, not your photo albums.

Sell the laptop, not your photo albums

A used PC can change hands with its previous owner's photo albums still on the drive. Erasing the OS would remove them, but a computer that will not boot is worth less. SoftOrbits File Shredder overwrites your Documents, Pictures and Downloads in place while leaving the OS intact, so the buyer receives a working PC.

   
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No drill, no boot stick, no hex editor

Advice about making deleted files unrecoverable often leads to a Linux live USB, a dd one-liner or, in a particularly direct mood, a hammer. This is a regular desktop app. Pick the targets, choose a method and press the button. Before anything is touched, the confirmation dialog gives the exact item count. There is no undo.

   
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No drill, no boot stick, no hex editor.
Paper proof when someone asks.

Paper proof when someone asks

IT teams may need a paper trail for every drive they wipe, while enterprise erasure suites are priced for much larger jobs. Each shred or wipe run can finish with a PDF Certificate of Data Erasure. Print it or attach it to the ticket.

   
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What it erases, and how

Shred files and folders

Click + Add files or Add folder, or drag items onto the list. Press Shred permanently when the list is ready. In testing, one run handled a folder containing 20,000 files without a crash. Windows, Program Files and ProgramData are refused, so a misplaced click cannot break the system.

Wipe free space

Wipe the empty part of a drive, where deleted files can still sit, while your current files stay where they are. It suits a data disk that has seen years of deletes. The feature works on every non-system drive, including USB ones.

Erase an entire volume

Clear a non-system partition or an entire secondary drive, sector by sector from start to end. Erase entire volume remains grey until you tick "I understand this erases everything on the selected volume". The system drive appears in the list but cannot be selected, because Windows cannot erase the drive it runs from.

Knows an HDD from an SSD

File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software checks the drive type before writing, whether that is a rotating disk, an SSD or removable flash. With a hard drive, it confirms that overwriting destroys the old data. With SSD and flash, it says plainly that overwriting is not reliable and points you to the device's built-in Secure Erase or NVMe Sanitize.

Verify after erasing

For a shred job, tick Verify after erasing and the app reads every byte again through a fresh, uncached handle. It checks whether the new pattern is really there. Any mismatch is counted as not erased.

Clean traces

Clean now removes Temp folders, the Recycle Bin, recent documents and jump lists. It also clears browsing history in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi. Saved passwords and cookies stay. If a browser is open, the report names it instead of quietly skipping it.

Also inside

Certificate on by defaultPRO
Default method in Settings
Unreadable sectors skipped and logged
Locked files reported
Pass-by-pass progress
Send log to support
Cancel a running job
Interface language switch

Remote Wipe for a lost or stolen laptop

Connect the app to a Telegram bot you create. Paste the bot token and your chat ID, press Test connection, then add the folders to protect. From your phone, /status reports whether the PC is online and how many folders are set to wipe. Send /wipe and it erases those folders, replying with the number of items erased.

Remote Wipe stays off until you switch it on. The bot answers only your chat ID, and it checks the sender before reading any message text. You can add a password requirement for /wipe if your Telegram account is compromised. The token is stored encrypted with Windows DPAPI on that PC only. The command reaches the laptop only while it is online.

Remote Wipe screen with protected folders and Telegram connection status.
   
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How to download and use the File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software

Download and install.
1

Download and install

Download the File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software and run the installer on Windows 11 or 10. The home screen asks a straightforward question: what do you want to erase?

Pick what to erase.
2

Pick what to erase

Open Shred files and folders, Wipe free space, Wipe drive / volume or Clean traces. To wipe a hard drive other than the Windows one, choose Wipe drive / volume. Add items with + Add files or drop them onto the list.

Choose a method.
3

Choose a method

Keep the default method, or open Advanced to see 14 more standards. Tick Verify after erasing and Save PDF certificate when you need proof.

Shred and keep the report.
4

Shred and keep the report

Press Shred permanently and confirm. The completion screen shows the passes, elapsed time and any errors. Save PDF puts the certificate wherever you choose.

16 erasure methods, grouped by passes

Every method writes a known pattern over the existing data. Zeroes and Random are available in the free version. The other 14 methods come with the full license.

Zeroes

Writes 0x00 over every byte. It is the fastest option on any drive.

1 pass

Random

Writes random bytes instead of zeros, leaving something that looks like noise rather than a blank drive.

1 pass

GOST R 50739-95

This Russian government data-protection standard dates from 1995. Here, it runs as a single pass.

1 pass

NIST 800-88 Clear

This is the Clear level of NIST SP 800-88, the US guideline quoted by many IT policies today. It uses one pass of a fixed pattern.

1 pass

HMG IS5 Baseline

British government Infosec Standard 5 at its baseline level. It makes one pass with zeros.

1 pass

Which one to pick?

For a modern hard drive, one pass is enough. NIST's 2014 guidance said that a single overwrite with zeros typically defeats even lab recovery. Choose a named standard when a policy or client asks for one. On SSD and flash, stay with one pass.

DoD 5220.22-M

The best-known name here comes from the US Department of Defense operating manual. It writes 0x00, then 0xFF, then random data.

3 passes

DoD 5220.28-STD

This is the longer US Defense preset, for policies that require more than the 3-pass version.

7 passes

US Army AR380-19

This method comes from US Army regulation 380-19. It writes random data, then a fixed byte, 0x55, followed by its complement, 0xAA.

3 passes

US Air Force 5020

The US Air Force 5020 overwrite preset, ready for contracts that name it.

3 passes

German VSITR

German BSI standard from 1999. Its six passes alternate 0x00 and 0xFF, with 0xAA in the final pass.

7 passes

HMG IS5 Enhanced

British Infosec Standard 5 at enhanced level. It writes zeros, then ones, 0xFF, and finishes with random data.

3 passes

NATO standard

The NATO seven-pass overwrite, for policies that list it by name.

7 passes

Bruce Schneier

Cryptographer Bruce Schneier described this method in 1996. It makes two fixed passes, 0xFF and 0x00, followed by five passes of random data.

7 passes

Which one to pick?

For a modern hard drive, one pass is enough. NIST's 2014 guidance said that a single overwrite with zeros typically defeats even lab recovery. Choose a named standard when a policy or client asks for one. On SSD and flash, stay with one pass.

Peter Gutmann

Designed in 1996 for old MFM and RLL drives, this method uses 35 different patterns. Gutmann later wrote that people treat the full 35-pass run like a voodoo incantation.

35 passes

Pfitzner

Choose it when a policy asks for Pfitzner by name. On a modern disk, it mostly adds hours.

33 passes

Custom

Set the pattern yourself, along with the number of passes.

You choose

Which one to pick?

For a modern hard drive, one pass is enough. NIST's 2014 guidance said that a single overwrite with zeros typically defeats even lab recovery. Choose a named standard when a policy or client asks for one. On SSD and flash, stay with one pass.

Turn on Verify after erasing and the shredder adds one zero pass after any method. This lets it check the result even when a standard such as DoD 5220.22-M or Gutmann ends with random data. The certificate records the actual count.

Drives it works with

Internal hard drives (HDD)
SSD and NVMe drives
USB flash drives
SD and memory cards
External USB hard drives
File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software
File Shredder - Disk Wipe SoftwareDownload the File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software and give it one free run on the files nobody should recover.
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Who needs File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software

People selling a used PC
IT technicians refurbishing laptops
Small business owners
Accountants and bookkeepers
Lawyers and paralegals
Photographers with client shoots
PC builders reselling drives
Privacy-minded home users

When people reach for it

Donating an old PC.

Donating an old PC

A PC goes to a school or charity, and you will not see it again, along with every file still on it. Shred those files before it leaves.

Returning a work or leased laptop.

Returning a work or leased laptop

Personal files have a way of collecting on a company machine. Shred them before the work or leased laptop goes back to IT or the leasing firm.

Retiring an old backup disk.

Retiring an old backup disk

The old backup disk in the drawer may still hold tax scans. Clear it completely before sending it to recycling.

Left in a taxi.
Remote Wipe

Left in a taxi

The bag is gone, and the car has driven off. Client files on that PC are now somebody else's to find, unless you set the protection up before the trip. Then you still have a move left.

Free and full version

Try the basic job once before you buy.

FeatureFreeOne run to try itFull versionAll methods, unlimited runs
Shred files and folders✓✓
Clean traces✓✓
Erase runs1Unlimited
Zeroes and Random, 1 pass✓✓
DoD, Gutmann, NIST and 11 other standards✗✓
Wipe free space✗✓
Erase entire volume✗✓
Remote Wipe via Telegram✗✓
PDF erasure certificate✗✓
With a license key, new jobs start on DoD 5220.22-M (3 passes). Settings lets you make any other method the default.
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From $ 19.99
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From $ 19.99
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With a license key, new jobs start on DoD 5220.22-M (3 passes). Settings lets you make any other method the default.

File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software
File Shredder - Disk Wipe Software
Price
from $ 19.99 / month
Version
3.7
File Size
15 Mb
Last updated on
23/08/26
Free version: one erase run with a single-pass method
System Requirements
  • Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit)
  • Intel i3, AMD Ryzen 5 or above
  • 4 GB of RAM or above
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® series 8 and 8M, Intel® HD Graphics 2000, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5600, AMD Radeon™ R600, Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330, Mobility FirePro™ series, Radeon™ R5 M230 or higher graphics card with up-to-date drivers
  • 1280 × 768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
  • 1 GB of free hard disk space or above

Frequently Asked Questions

On a hard drive, yes. Shredding writes new data over the sectors a file used, so recovery software reads the overwrite pattern instead of your document. SSDs are a different story, covered two questions down.

Usually not. Deleting partitions from install media or using a quick reset removes the file table, while most of the written data stays readable. The Windows reset option that also cleans the drive takes longer and goes further. To sell the PC with Windows still installed, shred your own folders and erase any second drive. Wiping the Windows drive itself requires boot media, which this version does not include.

Short answer: not reliably, and the app tells you that before it starts. SSDs spread writes across cells through wear leveling, while TRIM clears deleted blocks on the drive's own schedule. An overwrite may therefore land on different cells from the ones holding your file. For a whole SSD, use the maker's Secure Erase or NVMe Sanitize. That firmware command marks every cell empty and brings back factory write speed.

Yes. The full version includes DoD 5220.22-M (3 passes) and DoD 5220.28-STD (7 passes). Whether you need them is a separate question. Many admins consider the old DoD label outdated, and NIST's 2014 guidance already treated one pass as enough for magnetic disks. Use DoD when a contract or policy names it.

Run Wipe free space on the drive where the files were, then use Clean traces for browser history and temp files. This version has two limits. The drive Windows boots from is not offered for free-space wiping, and shadow copies remain untouched, as do the pagefile and hiberfil.sys.

Secure Erase and NVMe Sanitize run inside the SSD's firmware, so the drive controls the timing, not this app. On many SSDs, the process takes minutes and the drive's fullness barely matters. Software overwriting scales differently. Time increases with the drive size and every pass: a 3-pass DoD run takes about three times as long as one pass of zeros, while Gutmann's 35 passes take about 35 times as long. When shredding files, Verify after erasing roughly doubles the total time. For a large hard drive, one pass is the practical choice.

Yes, with the PDF certificate in the full version. After a job, the app writes a Certificate of Data Erasure showing which method ran on which target, along with the verification result. The software produces this record itself; it is not an audit by a third party. For a small office or private sale, it is usually the paper people ask for.

The feature runs through a Telegram bot you create and obeys only your chat ID. Someone who finds the bot gets no reply. It erases only folders you marked yourself, on your own PC, and it never runs until you turn it on.

You get one full erase run. Shred any number of files and folders, or run Clean traces with the Zeroes or Random single-pass method. After that run, the app asks for a license key. The full version lifts the limit and includes everything marked in the table above.

Short answer: on a hard drive, overwrite files before removing their entries. To delete files permanently, add them to Shred files and folders and press Shred permanently. If you already deleted them the usual way, run Wipe free space on that drive, any drive except the Windows one. On an SSD or flash drive, overwriting cannot promise that the old cells are gone. For a whole SSD, use its Secure Erase instead.

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Author: SoftOrbits (English)
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