DeleteOnClick vs Eraser

DeleteOnClick is a Windows utility for securely deleting files, wiping free disk space, and emptying the Recycle Bin. Before wiping a file, it removes dates and attributes and renames the file. Free-space wiping has a faster mode described as less secure and a separate secure mode. The maker warns that files securely deleted with DeleteOnClick cannot be undeleted. DeleteOnClick is one of seven utilities in the free OnClick Utilities suite, available for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. The listed download is version 2.6.7.0, and 2BrightSparks publishes a SHA2-256 checksum. The suite can be used indefinitely at no cost for personal, educational, charity, government, and commercial purposes. Freeware users receive forum support, with help files, online help, articles, tutorials, and a knowledge base also available. The publisher digitally signs distributed software.

Eraser is a free Windows security tool for overwriting sensitive data on drives. It can erase files and folders, previously deleted data, unused disk space and the current user’s Recycle Bin. Its methods include pseudorandom data and named overwrite schemes such as HMG IS5 and DoD 5220.22-M. Users can also define custom methods by choosing a number of passes and specifying text, hexadecimal or random data for those passes. A customizable scheduler handles recurring tasks and missed schedules. Optional Windows Explorer integration adds a context menu for supported items, and the help documentation lists a command line interface. The site lists support from Windows XP SP3 through Windows 11 and Server 2012–2025, and says Eraser works with drives supported by Windows. The download page cautions that erasure security has not been verified internally or externally and that the code may not remove all traces of files. Unused-space erasure on network drives may also require NAS knowledge and may not handle enforced quotas as expected, even when a task reports success. Eraser costs nothing.