How do I permanently delete files on mac without recovery

I had the same worry when deleting private files on my Mac — Trash wasn’t secure enough. I used Dr.Wiper with the 7-pass method, and even recovery tools couldn’t bring the files back.

You can try this tutorial:  (worked for me)

https://www.osxmac.com/permanently-delete-files-on-mac-without-recovery

How to  permanently delete files on Mac? Honestly, I started using rm when I needed to wipe out a bunch of old logs or sensitive data quickly. It’s satisfying knowing those files are gone and not lingering around in the Trash. Just be super careful — if you accidentally delete the wrong thing, there's no Undo button. I always double-check my commands before hitting Enter.

When you permanently delete files on Mac with rm, they don’t go to Trash. They’re gone instantly! It’s like slicing through butter — super quick and clean. No waiting for a delete animation or having to empty the Trash later. Once you run that command, it’s pretty much gone for good. If you’ve got sensitive stuff you don’t want anyone to recover, rm is your friend. Files deleted via Trash can sometimes be recovered with data recovery tools, but rm—especially with certain options—makes it much harder. It’s like the files vanish into thin air, especially if you combine it with other secure wiping tools.

Using rm is super fast because it’s just a command-line operation. Plus, you can delete specific files or entire directories with just a few keystrokes, which is way quicker than dragging stuff to Trash and emptying it.

If you want to permanently delete files on Mac, but don't plan to wipe the entire hard drive, there is actually a "clever" way:

1.  Copy files to internal disk -> Erase free space
   Copy the files you want to delete to the internal hard drive of Mac (such as Macintosh HD).
2. Then delete them (empty the Trash).
3. Here comes the key point: you can enter "Disk Utility" through recovery mode and perform "Secure Erase Free Space" on the disk.
   When restarting, hold down Command + R, enter "Utilities", select "Disk Utility", select the disk → click "Erase" → select "Secure Erase Free Space" in Advanced Options.
4. It will repeatedly write the areas that have been deleted but not overwritten several times, which is equivalent to breaking the original data.
5. In this way, even if you just deleted them normally before, those sensitive files are now completely crushed into powder, and the recovery software is useless.

In summary, this method does not require the installation of additional tools, but can also achieve the effect of permanently deleting files on Mac, which is suitable for small-scale and light privacy handling scenarios.

If you are interested in this trick, you can also add a layer of insurance: use the terminal to write some large files to fill up the disk and then delete it, which can also overwrite the old data.

You're thinking about permanently deleting files on Mac, huh? From what I’ve seen and experienced myself, there are a few things to keep in mind, especially if you’re just using the built-in methods like Secure Empty Trash or simple delete.

First off, once you delete files permanently using these methods, it’s pretty much gone for good. If you accidentally delete something important, there's no easy way to get it back unless you have a backup. That can be a real pain if you realize later that you needed that file.

Second, methods like "Secure Empty Trash" (which is only available in older macOS versions) overwrite data with random stuff to make recovery harder, but they’re not foolproof. Tech-savvy folks can sometimes still recover data with special recovery tools, so it’s not 100% foolproof security.

Also, using these methods on a busy drive can sometimes slow things down, especially if you’re deleting huge files or lots of data at once. It might take some extra time to overwrite everything properly, and during that process, your system might feel a bit sluggish.

Lastly, from my own experience, I’ve noticed that overusing secure deletion methods on SSDs isn’t really necessary and can even wear out the drive faster. SSDs handle data differently than traditional HDDs, and overwriting files repeatedly might shorten their lifespan a bit. I hope the above is helpful for you to permanently delete files on Mac.

When you delete a file, it’s initially moved to the Trash. The file still exists on the disk at this stage but is marked as "deleted" and is not accessible through the normal file system. At this point, the file remains intact, and it can be restored easily by dragging it back to its original location.

When you empty the Trash, the operating system removes the pointers to the deleted file, making it inaccessible through Finder and other programs. However, the actual data remains on the disk until it's overwritten by new data. The file is still physically present on the hard drive, but the system no longer knows where to find it. This is why data recovery software can sometimes retrieve deleted files unless new data has overwritten the file's space on the disk.

So how to permanently delete files on mac? Specialized data recovery tools can scan the hard drive and recover files that have been deleted but not overwritten. This is why permanent deletion methods, like secure erasure or using specialized apps, are important if you if you want to make sure the file cannot be recovered.

You can use the Dr.Wiper app for permanently deleting files from macOS. It supports the old and new macOS versions, including Apple Silicon Mac M1, M2, M3 and M4.

Here are two free methods to permanently delete files on a Mac in a simple manner.

Method 1: Emptying the Trash Securely

Move the files you want to delete to the Trash.

Right-click on the Trash icon in the dock and select "Empty Trash".

If you want to make sure it's deleted securely, hold down the Option key while selecting "Empty Trash". This ensures a more secure deletion.

Note: While this method deletes files, it doesn't fully guarantee that the data is unrecoverable by advanced recovery tools.

Method 2: Using the Built-in "Secure Empty Trash"

Move the files to Trash.

Open Finder and navigate to Finder > Preferences > Advanced.

Make sure "Show all filename extensions" is checked.

For older macOS versions (pre-macOS Sierra), you could use "Secure Empty Trash" by clicking on the Trash icon while holding down the Command key.

This method overwrites files with random data before deletion.

Note: This feature is not available in macOS Sierra or later, but for older versions, it’s a useful tool for securely deleting files.

These are two easy ways to permanently delete files on mac without using any other software. This is quite safe for normal cases.

To permanently delete files on Mac and ensure they cannot be recovered, follow these steps:

1. Move Files to Trash
Drag the files to the Trash bin in the Dock, or right-click (Control + click) the files and select Move to Trash.

2. Empty the Trash Securely
Starting with macOS Sierra (10.12), Apple removed the built-in "Secure Empty Trash" option. However, you can still securely delete files using the Terminal:
Using Terminal to Securely Delete Files:
srm -v /path/to/your/file

• Replace /path/to/your/file with the actual file path.
• The -v flag provides verbose output.
  Note: The srm command is deprecated in some macOS versions, but it still works on many.
• 3. To delete multiple files:
  srm -v /path/to/file1 /path/to/file2

3. Encrypt and Overwrite Free Space (Optional)
Use disk utility tools or specialized software to overwrite free space with random data.
Be cautious: this process can be time-consuming.

To permanently delete files on Mac, if you just deleted files in Trash are only removed from the directory listing; data might still be recoverable unless securely erased. For maximum security, consider encrypting your disk with FileVault (System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault).