MacBooks have seen widespread adoption in enterprises due to their advanced features, superior performance and robust security, but erasing files on a Mac can have security issues. These devices can serve as business assets to accumulate sensitive information such as customer data, business plans, financial records, product blueprints, etc. To protect this information, organizations implement several technical and physical safeguards, especially when data is in use. However, once the data no longer serves a purpose, simply deleting the files will not safeguard it from risks of compromise.
Until it is overwritten with new data, deleting or formatting just removes the data pointers while leaving the data intact on the drive. This deleted data can be recovered thanks to third-party data recovery tools. The deletion command isn’t suitable for wiping data from Mac devices due to the significant risks it poses when dealing with sensitive business or personal information. Fortunately, there’s a solution.
Built-in Mac Tools: What They Offer and What They Don’t
Apple offers built-in tools like Disk Utility for erasing entire drives. Before this, it also included the Secure Empty Trash feature, which was discontinued starting with macOS X El Capitan (10.11). While these utilities help with file deletion or formatting functions, they fall short of meeting security and compliance standards. Unfortunately, deleted files remain susceptible to recovery due to specialized data recovery software like the Stellar Data Recovery tool. For organizations requiring tamper-proof and auditable data erasure, especially during asset reallocation or for data minimization, professional solutions like BitRaser File Eraser for Mac deliver a more secure and compliant alternative.
Organizations planning to reallocate or reassign Mac devices between teams or across departments must use a professional Mac file wiping solution like BitRaser File Eraser for Mac to permanently erase files, folders and application traces beyond recovery. This kind of software helps maintain device hygiene while ensuring that data is not compromised. Additionally, the software-generated erasure report helps enterprises comply with ISO 27001 standards as well as data protection laws–such as EU-GDPR–which mandates secure data erasure.
Here’s how to get started with the application to wipe files from a Mac device.
How to Erase Files on Mac Using BitRaser File Eraser
To securely erase files on any Apple machine, whether it’s a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro or Mac Mini, start by downloading and installing BitRaser File Eraser on any Mac that needs erased. It is important to note that the application requires Full Disk Access to perform secure erasure on Mac devices. You can grant access by navigating to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access and enabling it via the toggle button.
Once you have installed and activated the software, you will see the main interface.
The application provides you with the options to:
- Erase Files & Folders to erase any file or folder on the Mac device.
- Erase Free Space to help you erase the free space on the internal drive. Free space includes previously deleted files.
- Erase Traces to wipe your digital footprints from internet traces created by browsers, system traces generated by the macOS, and traces created by the applications.
Schedule Erasure also helps you schedule your erasure tasks on a regular basis. This helps you maintain digital hygiene on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Beginning the Process
Time needed: 10 minutes
From here, we can begin the file wiping process:
- Select the files you want to erase. The software provides you with two options for erasing files.
You can search and erase files by their name and location.
Or, you can directly drag and drop a file into the software UI.
- Select all the files and folders for deletion, then click the Erase Now button. You will receive a confirmation informing you that the data will be erased permanently. Click Proceed to confirm.
- The selected files and folders have been erased beyond the scope of recovery, and you can see their status in the software UI itself.
- You have successfully erased files & folders on your Mac device. To see detailed steps for erasing traces, free space and scheduling erasure tasks, you may refer to this detailed article on erasing Mac files.
Post-Erasure Results
Once the erasure process is complete, the software displays the status of each file and folder within the user interface. The software then generates a tamper-proof erasure report, which you can easily save locally or upload to the BitRaser Cloud Console for centralized access.
To upload the report to the cloud:
- Click on the Cloud icon in the software
- Log in with your BitRaser cloud credentials
- Upload the Mac erasure report
