The best way to permanently delete files from a usb flash drive

cipher is a built-in Windows command-line tool primarily used to manage encryption on NTFS drives, but it also includes a useful feature for securely overwriting deleted data so it cannot be recovered.

To permanently delete files from a flash drive so they cannot be recovered even with recovery software, you need to overwrite the data after deletion. Here's how to do that safely and effectively.

The cipher command can overwrite deleted space with random data:

1. Delete your files from the flash drive normally.

2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

3. Run the following command (replace E: with your USB drive letter). This will let you delete files from usb drive permanently in Windows 11 or Windows 10.

cipher /w:E:\

This command will overwrite all free space (including previously deleted files) with zeros, making recovery nearly impossible.