[RESOLVED] About the "Bin"

[TheOxfordDean]

Hi.
I have learned over the years that when you empty the "Bin", the files are still around unless another file needs the space - correct?
My question is this, can i see anywhere these files and delete them 100% from my computer please.
I am thinking of giving my computer to another member of my family and do not want any "file retrieval" app to find my old Bank files and other private stuff.

Thanks in advance.

I have Big Sur 11..0.1 and it is working perfectly.... so far.

 

[Pakaku]

You could probably just overwrite the drive by reinstalling the OS, and that will probably suffice. Swapping drives might be possible depending on how easy it is to open the Mac, if you want a sure way that they physically can't get that data.

There used to be ways to secure-erase a drive (overwriting the entire thing with zeroes) but that seems to be gone for SSDs now, and you probably shouldn't wear out the drive that way anyways.

 

[TheOxfordDean]

Hi @Pakaku
That is of course a solution.
However, i do not want to do a clean re-install because of all the apps and software that are allready installed (approx 35) that i want to stay - its a member of my family who is taking over. There is no panic.
But there must be a way to go through my deleted files and see whats left behind ?

The "Bin" of course shows empty, but it isnt as we all know.

There is software to do the job, but i am not a rich man.

Thanks for your answer.

 

[Applefan2015]

Found this on another site:

How to securely empty the trash on your Mac​

Emptying the trash is usually sufficient to get rid of the files you don't want anymore. But emptying the trash doesn't really destroy the files: They remain on the hard drive, marked for being overwritten the next time your Mac needs the space. As a result, some deleted files can be recovered using disk recovery software.

Sometimes you may delete files that are particularly sensitive: Financial records, for example, intimate photos, or other data you absolutely don't want anyone to get their hands on, under any circumstances.


Apple has considered this and has provided a Secure Empty Trash option as well. Secure Empty Trash overwrites the deleted files with what Apple calls "meaningless data."

Secure Empty Trash takes longer, but provides, as the name implies, a more secure form of file deletion. Use at your own discretion.

1. Click and hold on the Trashcan icon in the Dock.
2. Hold down the command key and click on the Trash. Empty Trash will change to Secure Empty Trash. Select it.
3. To do it from any open Finder window, click on the Finder menu and select Secure Empty Trash.

Bonus Tip: Make Secure Empty Trash the default behavior​

Use this tip if you'd like to make sure that your Mac securely deletes files every time you empty the Trash.

1. Open the Finder.
2. Click on the Finder menu.
3. Select Preferences.
4. Check Empty Trash Securely.

Taken from : https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.imore.com/how-empty-macs-trash?amp

Hope this helps someone

 

[TheOxfordDean]

@Applefan2015 - many thanks for your reply.

Those options do not appear for me ?

Could it be that i have a MacBook Pro - Mid 2015?
I have heard that SSD HDs (compaired with normal "PC" HD's) delete immediately ? So the "Bin" is empty 100% - thats it?

I cannot find "Secure Empty Trash" anywhere.

Thanks again.

 

[Geoff777]

This might help - there's a free lite version and a pro version for $7.99
No idea if secure or not!

iSecure - Secure Empty Trash in macOS

iSecure - Robust Secure Empty Trash App for macOS

www.projects.agneypatel.com

I have not found any way to do it in MacOs (like it used to!)

 

[TheOxfordDean]

This might help - there's a free lite version and a pro version for $7.99
No idea if secure or not!

iSecure - Secure Empty Trash in macOS

iSecure - Robust Secure Empty Trash App for macOS

www.projects.agneypatel.com

I have not found any way to do it in MacOs (like it used to!)

Thank you @Geoff777...
Thank you, i shall look into that

 

[retta283]

SSDs do not delete files immediately. TRIM does make file overwrite overall quicker than an HDD, and most of the methods used to fetch deleted data off platter hard drives do not fully work on SSDs. There's a lot more technical stuff to it but while unlikely to be recovered, the data does remain for a time on the SSD.

 

[TheOxfordDean]

SSDs do not delete files immediately. TRIM does make file overwrite overall quicker than an HDD, and most of the methods used to fetch deleted data off platter hard drives do not fully work on SSDs. There's a lot more technical stuff to it but while unlikely to be recovered, the data does remain for a time on the SSD.

@retta283 -

Many thanks for clearing that up

 

[Applefan2015]

@Applefan2015 - many thanks for your reply.

Those options do not appear for me ?

Could it be that i have a MacBook Pro - Mid 2015?
I have heard that SSD HDs (compaired with normal "PC" HD's) delete immediately ? So the "Bin" is empty 100% - thats it?

I cannot find "Secure Empty Trash" anywhere.

Thanks again.

I have a 2019 iMac, that option is not on my machine.

On doing some more research I found this:


What happened to secure empty trash on Mac?

The Secure Empty Trash feature was removed in OS X 10.11 because Apple felt that it could not guarantee secure deletion on the fast flash (SSD) drives that most of its modern models now use.20 Jul 2018
ssd.eff.org › module › how-delete-y...

How to: Delete Your Data Securely on macOS | Surveillance Self-Defense​

Hopefully that answers your question

 

[TheOxfordDean]

@Applefan2015
Thank you, that settles it, looks like i need 3rd party software.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.
Merry Christmas