I want to keep using my SSD, but some files were deleted without secure deletion. Free-space wiping seems unreliable on SSDs, and I don't have a manufacturer tool for this drive. Is there a way to make those deleted files unrecoverable without wiping everything?
Can I securely overwrite old deleted files without wiping my SSD?
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++perhaps!next~week
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Not with a 100% guarantee while keeping the drive in use. An SSD can write new data to different physical cells instead of overwriting the cells that held the old file. Some old data may also be in areas the operating system cannot directly access.
A free-space wipe may overwrite the logical space the old files used, but that isn't proof that every physical copy is gone. The same limitation applies to tools that claim to shred individual files on an SSD.
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TRIM is worth checking, but it isn't the same as a verified physical overwrite. It tells the SSD that blocks are no longer needed, and the drive can handle them later. Once blocks are deallocated, normal reads may no longer return the old data, but that doesn't establish that every remnant has been erased from the flash.
That distinction matters if your concern is someone accessing the drive normally versus someone with specialized recovery equipment.
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On Windows, SDelete can overwrite free space, so it's an option if you want to reduce what's recoverable through ordinary file recovery tools. Just don't treat it as a guarantee against recovery from the SSD's underlying flash. It also won't necessarily address copies stored elsewhere, such as backups.
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For future files, consider enabling full-drive encryption before storing sensitive data. That helps protect data when the drive is lost or retired, provided the encryption keys are protected. Turning it on now should not be treated as proof that remnants of previously deleted files have disappeared.
If you eventually decide to wipe the entire drive, look for a secure erase or sanitize option supported by the drive and its interface. That is a different operation from cleaning only deleted files and will destroy the data you want to keep.
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++perhaps!next~week:
So a free-space wipe might help, but it can't verify that the old physical data is gone?
almost_a_new_habit:
Right. It works through the drive's normal interface, which doesn't give the tool direct control over every flash cell.