There are 3 ways to permanently delete files from a thumb drive or pen drive. However, some permanently deleted files can be recovered with data recovery software. If you want the deleted files disappear forever, try iBeesoft Thumb Drive Shredder to delete and destroy it.
Free DownloadA Thumb drive is a portable storage device that is used to store temporary files. It can be carried about due to its portability. For this reason, there is always a chance of losing the drive, which can result in unauthorized access to your data. To prevent your data from getting into the hands of third-parties, it is recommended that you delete files from your thumb drive. In this article, we will look at how to permanently delete files from a thumb drive.
There are times you may not want to delete all files from your drive but only selected files. In this case, you can permanently delete some selected files from the thumb drive/pen drive and leave the rest. To do this, follow the simple steps below:
Step 1: Insert the thumb drive into your computer and right-click on the drive. Click ‘Open’ to reveal the files in the drive.
Step 2: Select the files that you want to permanently delete and right-click again. Click on ‘Delete’ from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: You will be prompted to confirm if you want to permanently delete the files. Click ‘Yes’ to give your approval. This will erase the files permanently delete files on USB drive.
You can also permanently erase all data from the thumb drive/pen drive. However, before you decide to do this, make sure you don’t need any data in the storage drive again. This is because you will not be able to retrieve the data again except you use a professional data recovery tool. To erase all data permanently from your drive, the best way is to format it. Follow the steps below to format a pen drive through File Explorer:
Step #1: Connect the thumb drive to your computer system.
Step #2: Open My Computer or This PC to find the pen drive.
Step #3: Right-click on the thumb drive and select the ‘Format’ option from the drop-down menu.
Step #4: Set your file system as FAT32 or NTFS and then click ‘Ok’ to permanently delete files from a thumb drive or USB dirve.
Step #5: Click the ‘Start’ button to start the formatting process. Depending on the size of the files on the pen drive, it can take from a few seconds to a few minutes. Wait patiently to allow the process completely and permanently remove all files from your pen drive. With this, you will be unable to see any files on your external hard drive again. So, if you are looking for how to delete files from pen drive permanently, this is a good method to do it.
For the methods of permanent data deletion mentioned above, it is still possible to recover the data with the use of a professional delete/format recovery tool like iBeesoft Data Recovery. This means if you later discovered that you have permanently deleted important files from your thumb drive without having a backup copy, you can easily retrieve it with this tool, the best and most effective pen drive data recovery online software available in the market. The dicey part of this is that a third-party can also recover the data with a file recovery tool. This means when you think you have deleted files from your pen drive through any of the methods highlighted above, someone else can recover them and access them. This can compromise your confidential data.
Therefore, if you want to permanently delete files from a thumb/pen drive without the possibility of ever recovering it, it is recommended that you use a professional data eraser for the deletion. For this task, we recommend the iBeesoft File Shredder as the best data eraser that can permanently delete files from thumb or pen drive without recovery.
iBeesoft File Shredder is an ‘unrecoverable deleted’ and secure tool that is designed to shred files and cleanly wipe hard drives within minutes. The free hard disk wipe software works by permanently wiping sensitive and unused data from specific folders, files, partitions, disks, and partitions to ultimately protect your privacy. When you need to permanently wipe a USB or pen drive, the iBeesoft File Shredder is the most powerful tool that you can trust.
To permanently and completely delete files from your pen or thump drive with iBeesoft File Shredder, follow the steps highlighted below:
Step #1: The first step is to download the software on your PC. To install, click on ‘.exe’ to install it on your system. It is compatible with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. After the installation, launch the software, and a window will pop up. Click the ‘+’ sign to start selecting files or folder that you want to permanently delete from the pen or thumb drive.
Step #2: Navigate to the directory or file on the pen drive and select the files or folder to be removed. Next click ‘Shred Now’ to permanently delete the folders or files from the drive. It takes a few seconds to completely shred the selected files.
To ensure that all files have been permanently deleted and cannot be recovered, try to recover them with a professional data recovery tool like iBeesoft Data Recovery software.
This article has highlighted different methods on how to permanently delete files from a pen drive. If you don’t want any unauthorized access to your pen or thumb drive, it is recommended that you regularly delete files from the device. To ensure that the files and folders are permanently deleted, you should use a professional shredder like iBeesoft File Shredder. This will ensure that the deleted files will never be recovered again, even with a professional data recovery tool.