How to wipe a hard drive and data drives on a PC or Mac computer and reduce the chance of someone accessing your files

• You can wipe a hard drive much easier now with the help of your Windows 10 Settings menu and the Disk Utility manager in a Mac's Recovery Mode.
• It's also possible to wipe a Mac data drive through the Disk Utility menu and Windows data drives using the free, open-source DBAN utility.
• Simply erasing files isn't enough to prevent someone from recovering them later, so if you are selling or giving away a hard drive or computer with drives installed, wipe them first.

Before you give away, sell, or even recycle an old computer, you should be sure to wipe the hard drive. This ensures any personal and private information stored on the computer is completely erased and inaccessible to whoever takes possession of the PC next.

Keep in mind that simply erasing a hard drive isn't enough. While the data might appear to be gone, anyone with enough dedication and the right set of tools can recover data that's been "erased" from a hard drive.

How to wipe a Windows hard drive

Microsoft now builds a way to wipe your hard drive directly in Windows. This wipe is thorough and renders data virtually inaccessible to all but the most dedicated and sophisticated of hackers. Your computer will completely reset the hard drive, erasing and wiping your data as well as restoring Windows to factory conditions.

1. Click the Start button and then click "Settings."

2. In the Settings window, click "Update & Security."

3. In the pane on the left, click "Recovery."

4. In the Reset this PC section of the window, click "Get started."

5. In the Reset this PC window, click "Remove everything."

How to wipe a Windows data drive

If you want to wipe a data drive on your computer - essentially any drive that's not the "C" drive with Windows installed - Windows doesn't provide a highly secure way to do that. Your best bet is to use a third-party utility. There are many available, but one of the easiest to use is also free for personal use. We recommend that you download DBAN and follow its instructions for securely wiping your drive.

How to wipe a Mac hard drive

You can wipe your Mac's startup drive using the Disk Utility, but you need to boot your computer in a special way first.

1. With your Mac turned off, power it on while holding the Command + R keys on your keyboard.

2. Let go when you see the logo appear. After a few moments, the Mac's Recovery Mode menu should appear.

3. Select "Disk Utility" from the list of recovery options before clicking "Continue."

4. Click your startup drive and then select "Erase."

5. In the Format drop-down menu, choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)."

6. If you see a Scheme drop-down, select "GUID Partition Map."

7. Click "Security Options" and drag the slider all the way to the right so Most Secure is the selected option.

8. Click "OK."

9. Select "Erase."

How to wipe a Mac data drive

If you want to wipe a Mac data drive - not the startup drive - you can open the Disk Utility from the finder without booting into Recovery Mode. Click "Go" in the menu bar and then choose "Utilities," before double-clicking "Disk Utilities." You can now follow the same steps to wipe any drive connected to your Mac.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• What is a hard drive? Everything you should know about the computer storage device

• What is an external hard drive? One of the best ways to protect your important files, explained

• What is an SSD? Everything you should know about solid state drives

• SSD vs. HDD: How to decide which storage option is the best for your computer

• How to clone a hard drive as a backup for your Windows computer