Make file unrecoverable using the shred command in Linux

ID: 414

Category: Linux Terminal

Added: 11th of November 2025

Updated On: Tutorial updated and rechecked on 11th of December 2025

Views: 719

If you have files on your Linux system that need securely deleting you can use the shred command. The standard shred command without specifying any other options, overwrites a file three times with random data, making it extremely difficult to recover any data.

To delete a file using the shred command enter the following in the terminal

To delete a file and overwrite it 5 times use the -n switch

When you shred a file, it will be overwritten but not deleted. To delete the file use the -u switch

To view the progress use the -v switch

For more information on the shred command, you can view the manual page in the terminal