Erase a card or drive before you sell it

Copy anything you want to keep off the drive first. Erasing can't be undone.

Connect the drive and open Secure EraseOnly external drives and cards are listed. The drive your computer starts from is never offered.
Choose One pass of zerosIt is enough for any modern drive. Tick Check every part afterwards to read the drive back and prove it, and Make it ready to use again to format it for its next owner.
Click Erase and type ERASEYour computer asks for permission: your password on a Mac or Linux, Yes on Windows. Keep the drive connected and the app open until it finishes.
Check the resultIt says whether every part was overwritten. If some parts couldn't be, the drive has bad spots and old data may be left in them.

Stopping part way leaves the drive partly erased and unreadable until you erase or format it again.

To wipe your Mac or PC itself before selling it, use the system's own reset: Erase All Content and Settings on a Mac, or Reset this PC on Windows.

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