- Will Disk Utility Erase Files
- What Happens If I Erase My Hard Drive on Mac
- How to Recover Disk Utility Erased Files on Mac
- Erased OS in Disk Utility and Can't Erase the HD

Secure Wipes Unused Disk Space. Empty storage space can contain previously deleted but confidential files that must be erased to safeguard data and privacy. BitRaser File Eraser (Mac) also helps you to securely wipe only the unoccupied or unused storage space on Mac drive volumes. The Secure Erase Free Space feature in Disk Utility on your Mac added a layer of privacy and security to file deletion. The feature allowed you to overwrite the free space on a drive to prevent.

Will Disk Utility Erase Files?
- Delete a partition. WARNING: When you delete a volume or partition, all the data on it is erased. Be sure to back up your data before you begin. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, select a volume in the sidebar, click the Partition button, then click Partition. In the pie chart, click the partition you want to delete, then click the Delete.
- Jul 27, 2018 Erase Free Space on a Mac Hard Drive to Prevent File Recovery The Mac OS X Disk Utility app provides an ability to erase free space on traditional hard drives, which overwrites vacant disk space on the drive to prevent any potential recovery of deleted files (that is, files that have been removed traditionally, rather than through secure methods).
- Add, delete or erase APFS volumes in Disk Utility on Mac. Apple File System (APFS) allocates disk space on demand. When a single APFS container (partition) has multiple volumes, the container’s free space is shared and can be allocated to any of the individual volumes as needed.
'Will Disk Utility erase files' is one of the most frequently asked questions of Mac users. Briefly speaking, Disk Utility is one of the built-in utilities used to perform hard drive or hard drive partition-related tasks. It enables Mac users to:

- Erase, format, partition, and clone disks
- Mount, unmount, and eject hard drives, removable storage media, and disk volume images
- Verify and repair a disk (Learn what to do when Disk Utility can't repair a disk here)
- Delete free space or disk
- Restore volumes from Apple Software Restore images
- Create new hard drive partitions
...
As you can see from the list above, Disk Utility allows you to erase hard drives. Thus, the answer to the question 'Will Disk Utility erase files' is definitely 'Yes'.
What Happens If I Erase My Hard Drive on Mac?

Generally, the operation 'Erase' will completely wipe out the data and it is unrecoverable. However, the 'Erase' function has a different meaning on Mac. It functions similarly to 'Format' and the files erased can be recovered with Mac files recovery software tools as long as the lost data is not overwritten by new content. If you have accidentally erased a hard drive using Disk Utility on your Mac and the files lost are of great importance to you, follow the next part to recover your files erased by Disk Utility right now.
How to Recover Disk Utility Erased Files on Mac
As mentioned above, you can retrieve your erased files with the help of data recovery software. Here we recommend you try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. With this software, you can recover the erased files on your hard drive with simple clicks. It's a popular choice for users who want to recover deleted files after emptying Trash or recover formatted files from internal/external hard drives. Below are some other features of EaseUS Recovery Wizard:
- Quick scan to find lost or deleted files on Mac.
- Supports users to get back Mac media files like photos, videos, and audios.
- Enables users to preview all recoverable files.
- Provide Data Protection for Mac users to prevent data deletion.
Download and install the software to recover your files from the erased hard drive immediately.
Now follow the three steps below to recover Disk Utility erased files on Mac:
Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the 'Scan' button.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click the 'Recover' button to have them back.
Accidentally Erased OS in Disk Utility and Now I Can't Erase the HD
In Apple support communities, we have noticed that a user said he/she had accidentally erased OS in Mac's Disk Utility. And now it is unable for him/her to erase the HD. In case there are other users experiencing the same problem. In this part, we will tell you how to solve the above problem.
Step 1. If you have a Time Machine backup, restore data from the backup.
Step 2. Turn off Spotlight by using the terminal command. Please also remember to turn off the Time Machine.
Step 3. Went back to the Disk Utility, reinstall OS.
Step 4. When you finished reinstalling OS, go back to the Disk Utility and you might be able to erase the HD.
The Bottom Line
According to tons of qualified reviews, EaseUS Mac file recovery software performs best in the market due to its excellent scanning speed, success rate, and simplicity in recovering data. Download this accomplished software and use it to get back your lost data with ease.
Mac Disk Utility Erase Free Space On Hard Drive
Sep 08, 2021 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Every time you delete any file or document on the Mac hard drive it creates free space. This free space can be utilized for storing other data. However, if this free space doesn’t get overwritten, then it can be used to retrieve the previous data that it held using a data recovery tool. Now, if you are selling the hard drive of your Mac and don’t want the person buying it to recover the documents that you deleted then you must erase free space on Mac hard drive. However, make sure that the erasure is done securely without damaging the hard disk.
Part 1: How to Erase Free Space on Hard Drives in Mac OS X
You will have to use the Disk Utility app provided by your Mac OS X toerase free space on Mac hard drive. It offers you the chance to overwrite on the free space left on your hard disk so that no one can retrieve the data that was previously stored on it. However, do keep in mind that this method for free space erasure is only applicable for traditional hard drive and won’t work on SSD versions that utilize flash memory.
- The initial step is to start the Disk Utility app. This app is located in the utility menu which can itself be found in the Applications menu. You can use the Launchpad for launching this app as well.
- If the hard drive whose free spaces you want to erase is an external hard disk then you would have to connect it to the Mac and then select it from the menu located on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Click the Erase free space button after opening the Erase tab.
- Pick the level of erasure you want and then click the Erase free space to start the overwriting process on the hard drive’s vacant spaces.
- There are three different erasure options available to you which are Fastest, Secure, and Most Secure. Fastest option overwrites the free space just once while Secure and Most Secure options do that three and seven times respectively.
- Select any of the erasure options that you like and then click the Erase free space button.
Part 2: How to Secure Erase Free Space on Hard Drives in Windows
Although the Disk Utility app of Mac OS X can erase free space on Mac hard drive, there is a chance that it might not be able to do so in a secure manner. To make sure that the erasing of the free space is completed without any damage to the hard drive then using a data erasure tool is the best option. There are various such tools available on the internet but the best one among them isStellar BitRaser for File. It can secure erase free space on hard drives and ensure that the deleted data can’t be recovered.
- Completely erases the data, ensuring that it can’t be recovered using any data recovery tool.
- Supports multiple data erase algorithms that can be used for erasing data.
- Provides a search feature for quickly search the file or document which needs to be erased from the hard drive.
- Offers the chance to erase the chat history of messaging services like Yahoo and Skype.
- Capable of erasing all traces of internet activity including the internet history maintained by popularly used browsers.
Step 1: Download Stellar BitRaser for File on your Windows PC, take out the hard drive on Mac, and connect it to Windows computer.
Step 2: Click the 'Erase Unused Space' option on the left, to select your Mac hard drive.
Step 3: Selected your Mac hard drive and click the 'Erase Now' button to process.
Step 4: After a while, the Mac hard drive erase complete and you can reboot the system.
While other data erasure tools take several passes to erase the free space on a hard drive, Stellar BitRaser only requires a single pass to erase it permanently. However, if you feel the need to take another pass then you can take two more passes. This will ensure beyond doubt that the free space on your Mac hard drive is erased forever.
Mac Erase Free Space
For you to use Stellar BitRaser for File to erase free space on Mac hard drive, you need to take it out from your Mac first. The reason for this is that this data erasure tool isn’t compatible with Mac OS X and works only on Windows. So, you need to connect the Mac hard disk to a Windows PC before you erase the free spaces on it using Stellar BitRaser for File.
In short, deleting data on the Mac hard drive doesn’t securely erase it. It just creates free space that can be used for recovering the deleted data using a data recovery tool. So, you need to erase free space on Mac hard drive. The Disk Utility app of Mac OS X can be used for the erasure of these free spaces. However, for secure erasure, you need to make use of a reliable data erasure tool like Stellar BitRaser for File. It can erase the vacant spaces on your Mac hard drive and make sure that the data that they contained previously can’t be retrieved using anyprofessional Mac data recovery tool.
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Mac Disk Utility Erase Format
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