How to permanently delete files from an External SSD — complete guide

External SSDs can often hold quite a lot of sensitive information. Personal photos, financial documents, confidential business files, — portable drives have become a convenient extension to the lives of many people. But what happens when it’s time to part ways with some of your data and erase it?

You might think that simply hitting “delete” or emptying the Recycle Bin is enough. Unfortunately, that’s far from the truth. Every person who uses SSD should know how they work — and why standard deletion methods can even be considered dangerous.

Understanding SSDs and File Deletion

It is hard to deny that Solid-State Drives (SSDs) have changed the way people store files forever with their speed and durability. Unfortunately, the underlying technology introduces some catches when it comes to file deletion.

How SSDs Store and Delete Data

Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs use ‘NAND flash memory’ to store data. This means that SSDs do not have spinning platters or magnetic heads. Instead, data is stored in so-called “memory cells,” which can be written to, read from, and erased electronically.

When you delete a file on an SSD, something interesting happens. The operating system doesn’t actually erase the file’s contents. Instead, it simply marks the space occupied by the file as ‘available for new data.’ We will not talk too much about the technical details that cause this behavior — to put it briefly, it is to minimize the wear on the SSD and optimize its performance. However, this kind of optimization also happens to be your enemy when it comes to erasing your information from SSDs.

Your Data Is Not Deleted

When you delete a file from your external SSD, you’re not deleting it at all. What really happens is your computer tells your SSD, “You can use this space for something else now if you need to.” But until that space is overwritten with new data, the original information remains intact and easily recoverable.

This quirk of SSDs — which, by the way, in one form or another applies to many other types of storage devices, such as USB flash drives, SD cards, and even old HDDs — means that your sensitive files, personal photos, or work-related materials could fall into the wrong hands if you’re not careful. Even after ‘deleting’ your files, your data can be recovered.

The Risks

Now that we understand how SSDs handle file deletion, let’s consider the risks associated with this process.

Data recovery software has become increasingly sophisticated, accessible, and even free. What this means for you is that anyone can simply download yet another free “file recovery” software and retrieve files you thought were long gone.

Imagine selling your external SSD or giving it to someone, only to have that person recover all your deleted documents, photos, and personal information. It’s a privacy nightmare waiting to happen.

Let’s also consider some common real-life situations:

1. Personal Privacy Concerns: Even for personal use, an improperly erased SSD could expose your private photos, financial documents, or personal correspondence if it falls into the wrong hands. What if you have some kind of ID documents, credit card information, or passwords? A nightmare for sure.
2. Selling or Donating Your Device: You decide to sell your old external SSD or give it away. You format it and think it’s clean. Later on, the buyer uses recovery software and gains access to all your original files.
3. Professional Liability: You’re a lawyer or healthcare professional using an external SSD to store client or patient information. If this drive is lost or stolen, incomplete deletion could lead to a serious breach of confidentiality.
4. Business Secrets at Risk: Your company uses external SSDs for storing or backing up sensitive data. If these drives aren’t properly wiped before disposal, all of the data can be potentially retrieved, including trade secrets or confidential information.

Don’t underestimate the importance of proper data erasure. It’s not just about being paranoid — it’s about protecting your privacy, your reputation, and your identity.

Common Deletion Methods (and Why They Don’t Work)

Now that we understand the risks, let’s look at some common methods people use to delete files from their external SSDs — make sure to read them to see if you have been deleting files the wrong way all this time.

1. The “Delete” Button and Recycle Bin

When you delete a file and empty the Recycle Bin, you might think it’s gone for good. In reality, this method only removes the file’s entry from the file system table. The actual data remains on the drive until it’s overwritten by new data. On an SSD, thanks to wear leveling, this overwriting might not happen for a long time — if ever. Years can pass before your SSD decides that it’s finally time to erase your data.

2. Formatting the Drive

You think that formatting the entire drive would do the trick, right? Bad news: it won’t. Standard formatting only rewrites the ‘journal’ of your files — it doesn’t actually overwrite the data on the drive. Basically, what it does is delete the “journal” that your SSD keeps of all the files it has inside. You can think of it as a book where your SSD writes down all the file names, paths, and creation/modification times. Formatting your SSD is the same as deleting this “journal” — however, it does not erase the actual files from the disk. Formatting does make the data harder to access, but it’s still recoverable.

3. Disk Management Tools

Windows’ built-in Disk Management tools allow you to delete partitions and recreate them. This also makes data recovery more difficult, but it’s not foolproof. It will definitely erase more information than a simple format; however, it is still possible to retrieve your data.

4. File Shredder Software

The most advanced users can use file shredder software, but the problem is that most, if not all, file shredding programs were not made for SSDs. Those kinds of shredders might use techniques that work well for traditional hard drives but aren’t as effective or could even potentially reduce the lifespan of an SSD or harm it.

The Solution: Specialized SSD File Shredding Software

Given the limitations of standard deletion methods, what’s the solution?

To securely, reliably, and completely delete files from your external SSD in a way that no one could recover them, you will need specialized SSD file shredding software. This kind of file shredding software is specifically designed to securely and permanently erase data from SSDs, taking into account the unique characteristics of the underlying technology.

Introducing Offigneum: The Ultimate File Shredding Software

When it comes to permanently deleting files from your external SSD, Offigneum stands out as the top choice. Here’s why:

1. SSD-Optimized Technology: Offigneum uses advanced algorithms specifically designed for SSDs. This ensures your data is securely erased without unnecessarily wearing out your drive. Unlike other file shredders out there, Offigneum also takes special steps to ensure that your SSD is not harmed or damaged by the shredding, maximizing the security of data erasure while minimizing the load and wear on your storage devices.
2. 51 Erasure Methods: With 51 different erasure algorithms, including military-grade and government-used options, Offigneum offers unparalleled flexibility and security. Not a single file shredding software on the market offers this many secure data erasure algorithms.
3. Beautiful, User-Friendly Interface: Despite its powerful features, Offigneum boasts an intuitive, beautiful, elegant, and easy-to-use interface. You don’t need to be a tech expert to ensure your data is securely erased — Offigneum makes file shredding a simple task for users with any level of technical skills.
4. Hyper-Compatible: Whether you’re dealing with a few files or tens of thousands of them, with SSDs, USB flash drives, HDDs, or even SD cards — Offigneum has you covered. Offigneum supports all the devices you might think of, offering you total peace of mind across all hardware, every time.

Data privacy is extremely important — and if you think that it is not, then it simply means you were lucky enough not to experience the overwhelming consequences of identity theft, disclosure of confidential information, or the violation of personal security. When sensitive data is exposed or misused, the effects can be devastating, affecting not only individuals but also entire organizations. From financial loss and reputational damage to emotional distress and legal issues, privacy breaches are a nightmare for everyone.

Simply deleting files or formatting your external SSD isn’t enough to ensure your data is gone for good. The risks of incomplete deletion are too significant to ignore.

Specialized software like Offigneum, designed to offer a complete, secure, and reliable solution, provides a way to permanently erase files from your external SSD. With its powerful features, user-friendly interface, and SSD-optimized technology, Offigneum stands out as the top choice for anyone serious about data security.

Each time you decide to delete a file, make sure it is really gone. Your future self will thank you for taking the extra step to protect yourself. With Offigneum, you can have peace of mind knowing that your deleted files are truly unrecoverable. Don’t leave your data security to luck — take control today with Offigneum.

Learn more about Offigneum and the full list of its features on its official website: www.ambeteco.com/Offigneum/