Aurora Shredder · Permanent erase for Windows
With a normal delete, a file only disappears from view; recovery programs can bring it back. Aurora Shredder overwrites the content, reads it back from the disk to verify, then deletes the file and its name. It also cleans free space and external disks. It tells you up front what it cannot do, especially the limit on SSDs.
Three promises
In an operation that cannot be undone, the most important thing is being sure of what was done. That is why Aurora Shredder verifies every step.
The file's content is overwritten with random data up to the cluster boundary, read back from the disk without caching and verified byte for byte. If verification fails, the file is not deleted and an error is shown.
To erase, you type DELETE (SİL in the Turkish version); the confirmation is also checked on the server side. To wipe a whole disk, you type the last four digits of the disk's serial number, and the disk identity is read again right before the operation starts.
It does not delete the Windows folder, a drive root, a user profile root or the program's own folder; it does not wipe the disk Windows runs from or boots from. It does not follow links (junctions, symbolic links): if one is selected, only the link itself is deleted and its target is never opened.
How it looks
You move between operations with the tabs at the top; every screen shows what will happen first, then the warnings, and the erase button last. The screens below are example views of the program's real English interface, taken in a rehearsal environment with test files and a test USB stick; file paths and the disk serial number are hidden, and names and numbers are sample data.
What it can do
Features with a Beta badge were coded and tested in a test environment but have not yet been fully tried in real conditions. The feature with a Coming soon badge is not in the program yet.
Deletes files and folders from the inside out. The method can be chosen: Single pass with verification (random data, read back and checked; enough for today's disks), Three passes (licence) and Quick (fills with zeros, no verification). Then the size is cut to zero, timestamps are reset, the name is changed to a random one three times and the file is deleted.
On NTFS, alternate data streams (ADS) are erased first with the same method; small files held inside the MFT record are overwritten too. For compressed, sparse and EFS-encrypted files it notes that there is no physical-cluster guarantee.
If a junction or symbolic link is selected, or is inside a folder, only the link itself is deleted; its target is never visited. In the acceptance run the SHA-256 of the target stayed the same.
On HDDs and USB sticks it fills all free space with random data in temporary files (several files on FAT32 because of its 4 GB limit), reads back from sample points to verify, then deletes them. On NTFS the records of deleted file names (empty MFT records) are cleaned too. It does not start if the battery is under 30%.
On an SSD it does not fill free space: Windows' own TRIM command is run and the limits are stated plainly. If Windows' TRIM notification is off when a file is deleted, a note goes into the report.
Cleans an external disk, USB stick or second disk completely before you sell or throw it away: random data is written once over the whole surface, verified by reading 1000 random points, then it is formatted as a single partition with the file system you choose. It asks for administrator permission; the disk Windows runs on or boots from cannot be wiped. The previous drive letter is assigned back.
A report is written for every operation: method, verification result, size, skipped items, disk model. File names are not written to the report by default. A report can be saved as HTML or PDF; the PDF includes a note for KVKK (Turkish data protection law) destruction records (this is not legal advice).
On every fixed drive it empties only this user's Recycle Bin folder; it does not touch other people's bins.
You right-click a file or folder in Explorer and choose permanent erase with Aurora Shredder; the panel opens, the item appears in the list and waits for your confirmation. The menu is visible when unlicensed too, but erasing needs a licence. Installation adds this menu and uninstalling removes it; it has not yet been tried in a real installation.
ATA Secure Erase, NVMe Format and Sanitize are not in this version; the program only reads whether the disk supports them. These commands apply to the whole disk, not a single file; on many computers they are locked at startup and USB bridges usually do not pass them on.
The interface is available in 21 languages; Arabic and Urdu are shown right to left. The translations passed automatic checks and a back-translation check; review by native speakers is still under way.
Measured, written down
On 11 October 2026 an acceptance run was done on a real computer with administrator rights. The erase tests were done only in test folders and on an identity-verified test USB stick; your real files were never touched. Whether data was erased was measured by scanning the disk's raw bytes, read-only, for a known pattern.
| Tested | Result | How it was verified |
|---|---|---|
| Files erased with Shredder and files deleted normally on a USB stick | Traces of what Shredder erased 1626 → 0; the normally deleted files' 1626 traces stayed as they were | The whole volume (32 GiB) was raw-read end to end and the pattern counted |
| Wipe free space (USB, 31.99 GiB) | All patterns, normally deleted ones included, were 0; file-name traces were 0 too | 16 temporary files, sample verification 525/525; raw scan |
| Cross-check with Aurora Recovery | 1068 files were recovered, none contained the erased pattern (0) | Recovery scanned independently, read-only |
| Wipe a disk (the test USB stick, 57.81 GiB) | The whole surface was written; it was formatted, the drive letter came back and it was left empty | 1000 random points read: 1002/1002; then raw scan: pattern 0 |
| On an NVMe SSD (this computer's C: drive, 930 GiB), files erased with Shredder and files deleted normally | 0 traces in the old clusters of what Shredder erased, in both runs. For normally deleted files: 3 traces in run 1, 0 in run 2, because in the second run Windows TRIM cleaned the normally deleted file too; so on an SSD a normal delete can leave traces, but it is not guaranteed | All of C: (930.4 GiB) was scanned read-only; the cluster map was taken before erasing |
| Erasing a folder, an alternate data stream and a link | 2 files, 1 stream and 1 link were erased; the link's target stayed intact | Verification by full read; the target's SHA-256 identical |
| Locked file | Skipped and reported | Report: 1 skipped |
| Report PDF | A valid 1-page PDF was produced | qpdf --check clean |
| System disk, a disk with a mismatching identity, a wrong confirmation | All refused; nothing was written | Error codes: SISTEM_DISKI, KIMLIK_UYUSMUYOR, ONAY_YANLIS |
| Unlicensed user edition | Three passes, free space, report and disk wipe asked for a licence and the file stayed in place; single-pass erase worked | Exit code 3 (licence required) and a file check |
What we leave out on purpose
We leave out things that are common in erasing tools but either unnecessary or risky.
On today's disks one pass is enough (NIST SP 800-88). 35 passes is a leftover tradition from old disks: on today's disk it adds no security, it only costs time and wear. If your organisation's rules require it, Three passes is there.
Filling free space with random data on an SSD wears the disk and still does not guarantee the old cells. Instead Windows' TRIM command is run and the limits are stated plainly.
The Windows folder, drive roots, profile roots and the disk Windows runs on are permanently protected. You cannot use the program to wipe your own system by accident.
Limits
Knowing what an erasing program cannot do matters as much as knowing what it does. We say these up front:
SSDs write data to other cells internally; the drive cleans the old cells later. Aurora Shredder overwrites and sends TRIM; the file cannot be recovered with software. For extreme cases such as removing the chips and reading them in a lab, full assurance means BitLocker or wiping the whole disk.
Free use and licence
Erasing files and folders from the panel (single pass with verification, and quick) and TRIM for SSDs are free. A licence is needed for three passes, filling free space, wiping a whole disk, reports, emptying the Recycle Bin and erasing from the right-click menu. Aurora Shredder is not sold separately: it comes with the Aurora One Licence.
For everyone
Free
Permanently erase files and folders from the panel.
All programs, one licence
Clean free space, disks and history too. The same licence covers every Aurora One program.
Aurora One Licence This program is covered by the Aurora One Licence: one licence for every Aurora One program.
See pricingSystem requirements
FAQ
Aurora Shredder overwrites the file's content with random data, reads it back from the disk to verify, then deletes the file and its name. On a test USB stick we scanned the whole volume raw: there was no trace of what Shredder erased, while the normally deleted file's trace was still there; Aurora Recovery could not recover it either.
For full assurance at chip level on SSDs, see the next question.
SSDs write data to other cells internally; the drive cleans the old cells later. On an SSD a normal delete can leave traces; Aurora Shredder overwrites, verifies and sends TRIM. In our measurements nothing was left of what Aurora Shredder erased. Still, we do not promise full assurance for extreme cases such as removing the chips and reading them in a lab; for that, use BitLocker or wipe the whole disk.
On today's disks a single pass is enough (NIST SP 800-88). 35 passes is left over from old disk technology and adds no security on today's disk. If your organisation's rules require it, Three passes can be chosen.
The Windows folder, drive roots, user profile roots and the program's own folder cannot be erased; the disk Windows runs on cannot be wiped. You must also type DELETE to erase. Still, files you select cannot be recovered, so read the list carefully.
For every operation the method, verification result, size and skipped items are recorded. File names are not written to the report by default. You can save the report as HTML or PDF; the PDF has a note for KVKK destruction records, which is not legal advice.
Erasing and verifying happen on your computer. The program uses the internet for licence verification and update checks; for the licence, only the licence key and a digest of the device ID are sent. Nothing from your files is sent.
Yes. Erasing files and folders from the panel (single pass with verification, and quick) is free; three passes, free space, disk wipe, reports and the right-click menu need a licence.
Aurora Shredder is not sold separately; it is used with the Aurora One Licence, which covers all Aurora One programs. Download and sales are not open yet.
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All of our products are designed for Windows and are local-first.
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