We’ll cover SSDs a bit later in this guide. Don’t worry, though SSDs can also be wiped, they just require a different technique. They should not, however, be used with any SSD (Solid State Drive), including a Fusion drive, which contains an SSD element. These methods will work for any hard drive you may be using with your Mac. It doesn’t matter if it’s an internal, external, or your Mac’s startup drive using these techniques you can obliterate the contents of the selected drive, making it all but impossible to recover the data. So, if it’s so easy, why the need for this guide? Well, while the process is simple, there are some important considerations to understand that will affect how you erase your Mac’s drive.įirst, we’re going to look at wiping the contents of a hard drive. No matter the reason, wiping a drive is an easy – though sometimes very long – process that just about any Mac user can take care of on their own. Or perhaps you want to wipe an older drive that you’re replacing because it’s too small, or because it has started to show a few errors when you test the drive.

It may be because you’re selling or donating your Mac, and you want all your personal information wiped clean from the drive.

There may come a time when you want to completely remove all traces of information on your Mac’s drives.

How to securely erase mac