Guide on How to Wipe an SD Card to Completely Erase Everything

Completely erase SD card and reuse: Guide to safely delete SD card data

SD cards are often used to store videos, pictures, documents, etc., and may also contain hidden files. Simple deletion cannot permanently clear data, and the data recovery software may still retrieve these files. If you need to hand over the SD card to someone else, or to completely clear all data on it (including visible and hidden data), you need a more thorough erase method. This article will introduce two methods to safely erase SD cards on Windows 10/11 systems: using third-party tools and system-owned features.

Important tip: Be sure to back up important files before erasing the SD card!

1. Back up SD card data in advance

To avoid data loss, it is recommended to back up important files before erasing the SD card. MiniTool ShadowMaker is a powerful backup software that easily backs up files, folders, systems, disks and partitions, and supports incremental/differential backups and timing automatic backups.

1. Use the card reader to connect the SD card to the computer.
2. Open the MiniTool ShadowMaker trial version.
3. Select Backup > Source > Files and Folders, select the SD card and the data you want to back up, and then select the Destination path.
4. Click "Back Up Now" to start the backup.

2. Completely erase SD card data

After the backup is complete, you can use the following two methods to completely clear the SD card data:

Method 1: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to erase the disk

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a free partition management tool that provides a variety of disk and partition management functions, including resizing/moving/merging/creating/formatting/deleting/erking partitions, copying disks, testing disks, analyzing disk space, etc. Its "Erase Disk" function provides a variety of erasing options, which can completely clear data on storage devices such as hard disks, SD cards, USB flash drives, etc.

1. Run MiniTool Partition Wizard on your computer.
2. Right-click on the SD card and select "Erase Disk".
3. When choosing the erase method, it is recommended to select "Fill sector with zero" or "Fill sector with one". These two options are faster to erase.

4. Click "Apply". After the erasure is completed, the data on the SD card will not be restored.

Method 2: Use disk management for complete formatting

The disk management tool that comes with Windows can also be used to erase SD card data by performing complete formatting (no quick formatting is selected).

1. Press "Win X" and select "Disk Management".
2. Right-click the SD card partition and select Format. Select your preferences, uncheck "Perform Quick Format", and then click "OK".

3. Confirm the operation and start the formatting process. This method is called complete formatting, and data is difficult to recover.

Summarize

This article introduces two methods to erase SD cards on Windows 10/11 systems. Which method to choose depends on your needs. But remember that before erasing the SD card, it is best to back up important files using software like MiniTool ShadowMaker to avoid data loss.

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