There are a lot of utilities that will allow getting your Mac cleaned up. They can effectively protect Mac and clean hard drive space. The one that I use by myself is MacFly Pro as it has a great amount of in-built functions dealing with system caches, log files, unwanted files, and other short-term files.
Looking to sell an old computer and want to wipe the hard drive clean before you sell it? Whatever your reason may be, there are lots of programs out there that can help you to not only erase the data on a hard drive, but erase it in such a way that it can never be recovered again. If you have a lot of sensitive information, perform a secure wipe of your hard drive is highly recommended.
A secure wipe basically performs a low-level format so that the entire disk is overwritten with 0’s. Other software will write junk data multiple times over the disk so that there is no trace of what was there before. Either way, no one is going to be able to get the original data off the hard drive because it’ll be completely gone.
In this post, I’ll mention five fairly popular programs that you can use to really erase a hard disk properly. There are so many good free programs, that it’s really not necessary to spend any money on doing something like wiping a hard drive. You’ll pretty much get the same results using freeware.
DBan (Darik’s Boot and Nuke)
This is probably the most popular program and is basically a self-contained boot disk. Create a bootable CD using CDBurnerXP or whatever burning program you like and boot to the CD when prompted after restarting your computer.
You can choose from different wipe methods including Gutmann Wipe, Department of Defense Short and Medium and others. I’ve used this program several times and have found that it does an excellent job erasing data on many different types of hard drives. If, for some reason, DBan does not work for you, you can try out the other programs mentioned below.
![Best mac hard drive cleaner Best mac hard drive cleaner](/uploads/1/2/5/7/125739982/190976973.png)
KillDisk
KillDisk comes in two flavors: Free and Professional. The professional version is definitely better than DBan in terms of options, but it’s not worth shelling out $40 or $50. The free version only has one way to delete the data on a hard drive (erasing with one-pass zeroes), but it’s still good enough for a decent hard drive wipe. Definitely DBan is better since you can use the DoD 5220.22-M protocol.
If you do purchase the program, then you have a great set of 17 choices for deleting your data:
You can use the program from within Windows directly, via DOS or use bootable media so you can wipe any disk whether it was running Windows, Linux, OS X, etc. If you need to erase a large number of disks, it might be worth the monetary investment, otherwise you’re good with the free version.
Disk Wipe
Another good freeware app is Disk Wipe. The only downside is that it is a Windows app, so you have to run it from within an already existing operating system, whereas the other two mentioned above can be booted to using a CD or floppy disk. And since it’s a Windows app, it can really only erase hard drives that are Windows formatted (NTFS, FAT32, FAT, etc).
However, if that is not a problem for you, then the program is great! It’s portable and doesn’t require any installation, so you can carry it around on a USB stick or just email it to yourself. It can wipe hard drives, memory sticks, SD cards, etc.
It also supports the advanced algorithms like DoD 5220-22.M, US Army, and Peter Guttman.
Eraser
Another program that is similar to Disk Wipe is Eraser. The software is open-source and is routinely updated. The latest version supports Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. Again, the downside is that it only supports the Windows operating system and can only erase the data on drives that support Windows.
Eraser does not support as many advanced algorithms as the other programs mentioned above and is therefore not the best option if you really need to securely erase your hard drive. It’s a free option and does the job, but there is more risk using this program.
HDD Low Level Format Tool
This program is free, but has a speed cap on it, which is around 180GB per hour. If you spend a whopping $3, you can get the program without any speed cap. It supports SATA, IDE, SCSI, SAS, USB and Firewire drives, which is nice.
Again, like the last two mentioned, it only supports the Windows operating system, so if you have a hard drive from a different operating system, you’ll have to plug it into the Windows PC you are using.
Overall, your best options are DBan and KillDisk for really getting just about any hard drive wiped with the highest level of security. If those don’t work for you or the cost is too much, you can try any of the other three programs mentioned.
Is there a program that you use to wipe data securely? If so, post a comment here and let us know. Enjoy!
Moving to a new Mac?
Learn how to move your files to your new Mac. Do this before you erase the hard drive or follow any other steps.
Create a backup
Be sure you have an up-to-date backup of your important files and data. Learn how to back up your data in macOS. If you have macOS Catalina, skip the sign out of iTunes step.
Sign out of iTunes on macOS Mojave or earlier
Open iTunes. From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer.
When prompted, enter your Apple ID and password. Then click Deauthorize.
Learn more about deauthorizing your computer using iTunes, including how to deauthorize all the computers you've used with your iTunes account.
Sign out of iCloud
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Apple ID. Choose iCloud in the side panel and Turn off Find My Mac. Then select Overview in the side panel and click Sign Out.
If you have macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, and then Sign Out.
A dialog asks whether you want to keep a copy of your iCloud data on the Mac. Because you'll reformat the hard drive in a later step, just click Keep a Copy to proceed.
After you sign out of iCloud, your iCloud data remains in iCloud and on any other devices you've signed in to with your Apple ID.
Sign out of iMessage
If you're using OS X Mountain Lion or later, sign out of iMessage.
In the Messages app, choose Messages > Preferences, click iMessage, then click Sign Out.
If you're keeping paired Bluetooth devices, unpair them (optional)
If you have Bluetooth devices — such as keyboards, mice, or trackpads — paired with your Mac, and you plan to keep these devices, you can unpair them. This optional step prevents accidental input on the Mac if the computer and the Bluetooth devices have separate owners but remain within Bluetooth range of one another.
If you're unpairing an iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro, you must have a USB or other wired keyboard and mouse to complete these steps.
To unpair your Bluetooth devices, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Hover the pointer over the device that you want to unpair, then click the remove (x) button next to the device's name. When the dialog asks if you're sure, click Remove.
If you're using an iMac, Mac Pro, or Mac mini, use a USB or other wired keyboard and mouse to complete the next step.
Erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS
The best way to restore your Mac to factory settings is to erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS.
After macOS installation is complete, the Mac restarts to a Welcome screen and asks you to choose a country or region. If you want to leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue with the setup of your system. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, setup assistant will guide them through the setup process.
Learn more
No matter the model or condition, we can turn your device into something good for you and good for the planet. Learn how to trade in or recycle your Mac with Apple Trade In.