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How to completely delete files

Anonymous
2023-09-09T21:44:14+00:00

Whenever I delete an image I don't want anymore, I always find a copy of it somewhere. This means that it creates a copy of the image and just takes up space. So now I need to know how I can completely delete files and make it seem like the file was never even there on my computer. I've read I should use tools like Eraser, but will it remove every trace of the image?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-10T02:45:47+00:00

    Hi,

    To completely delete files from your computer, you need to use a tool that can overwrite the data with random patterns, making it impossible to recover. Eraser is one of such tools that can securely erase files, folders, or entire drives. To use Eraser, you need to download and install it from its official website. Then, you can either drag and drop the files you want to delete into the Eraser window, or right-click on them and select Erase from the context menu. Eraser will then ask you to confirm the deletion and show you the progress. Once the process is complete, Eraser will remove every trace of the file from your computer.

    I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please reply to this answer.

    Best regards,

    Megan B.

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  1. Les Ferch 10,326 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-09-10T13:38:54+00:00

    The previous reply is talking about overwriting the sectors where the file was stored in order to prevent it from being undeleted (note "random" patterns make no difference).

    However, your question is talking about finding one or more additional copies of the image. By default, Windows does not make multiple copies of images you download. An issue like that is more likely due to having an automatic back up configured in some way or user error (i.e. the file was copied to another location instead of being moved).

    Search the drive(s) for the file you're trying to delete. If multiple copies keep showing up, note the locations. That may be a clue as to how/why this is happening.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-09-11T00:00:05+00:00

    I think the reason it happened was because when I took a screenshot it saved it to onedrive, but when I click save in the snip app it saved it to another location; so I think it's saving it twice.

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