File Shredder

Why "delete" isn't really delete

When you send a file to the Recycle Bin and then empty it, Windows simply marks the space the file occupied as "available" — the actual bytes are still sitting on your drive until something else happens to write over them. That's why free recovery tools like Recuva can often bring back files you thought were gone. For tax documents, passwords, old banking spreadsheets, or any file you actually need gone, you need something stronger.

File Shredder overwrites the file's bytes with random data before deleting it. After that, even forensic recovery software has nothing to reconstruct.

How it works

For each file you add, the shredder:

1. Opens the file for writing.
2. Fills every byte of it with cryptographically random data.
3. Optionally repeats that process (multi-pass).
4. Truncates the file to zero bytes, renames it to a random string, and finally deletes it.

The file's metadata is scrubbed along with the content, so even the original filename can't be recovered.

Pass count

The dropdown lets you choose how many overwrite passes to perform:

• 1 pass — plenty for modern SSDs and the vast majority of HDDs. Fastest.
• 3 passes — matches the US DoD 5220.22-M standard for sensitive but unclassified data.
• 7 passes — matches the older DoD 5220.22-M ECE standard. Overkill for modern drives.
• 35 passes — the famous Gutmann method. Designed for 1990s drive encodings and unnecessary today, but included for people who want maximum paranoia.

How to use it

1. Go to Other → File Shredder.
2. Add files using Add Files or Add Folder, or drag and drop from Explorer.
3. Set the pass count. 1 pass is the sensible default.
4. Click Shred. You'll be asked to confirm — once shredding starts, the files are gone forever.
5. Watch the log. Each file is listed with its size and outcome.