How to Secure Erase Your Hard Drive on Windows 10/11 Before Donating It

So, you’re about to donate your old Windows 10 PC. That’s awesome — it’ll be super helpful for someone else. But wait — before you give it away, have you really wiped everything off your hard drive?

I’m not talking about just deleting files or formatting the drive. That stuff can still be recovered with the right tools (seriously, it’s scary how easy it is). If you’ve ever logged into an email account, saved passwords in Chrome, or stored family photos — you’ll want to securely erase that hard drive.

Here’s how to do it the easy way — no geeky command lines or complicated steps.

Use AiseeFox Dr.Wiper (Simple, Safe, and Super Fast)

After testing a few tools, AiseeFox Dr.Wiper became my go-to. It’s a super user-friendly app designed to securely erase files, folders, free space, or even the whole disk — making sure your data is gone for good.

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Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Download & install AiseeFox Dr.Wiper on your Windows 10 PC.

Step 2. Open the app and choose “Wipe Disk” from the main screen. Select the drive you want to wipe (usually your C: drive if it’s your main one).

Step 3. Pick an erase method — there are 7 built-in options, including:

  • British HMG – (2-pass)

  • German VSITR – (7-pass)

  • DoD 5220.22-M – (7-pass)

  • NIST 800-88 – (1-pass)

  • Gutmann – (35-pass)

Type “Erase” to confirm, then hit the button and let it do its magic.

The moment you press that button, Dr.Wiper takes over — no second guessing, no turning back. It begins methodically overwriting every bit of data on the drive using the secure method you picked. You’ll even see a progress bar so you know it’s working (and no, it’s not just deleting — it’s shredding).

That’s it. When it’s done, your hard drive will be clean — like, NSA-level clean.

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Why not just “format” the drive?

Because formatting is like cleaning the whiteboard without erasing the marker first — the data’s still there, just invisible. Anyone with a free recovery app could dig it back up in minutes. Dr.Wiper actually overwrites your files with junk data, making recovery impossible.

Wrap-up

Before you donate that PC, take 10 minutes to do it the right way. Protect your private info — tax docs, passwords, messages, photos — all of it. Download AiseeFox Dr.Wiper, do a secure wipe, and donate with peace of mind.

Easy, right?