How do I permanently delete Music files?

There are many reasons why someone may want to permanently delete music files from their devices and cloud storage. The most common reasons include:

Save storage space – Music files, especially high-quality ones, can take up a lot of storage space. Deleting unused or unwanted songs can free up storage for other files and apps.

Remove clutter – Over time it’s easy for music libraries to become cluttered with songs that are no longer listened to. Deleting these can help streamline your collection.

Privacy/security – Deleting music files can help protect privacy if the songs contain sensitive information or memories. It also reduces the risk of others accessing the files.

Sell or give away a device – Permanently deleting music prevents those files from being accessible to a new owner if selling or giving away the device.

Start fresh – Some people like to periodically clear out their music library and rebuild it from scratch with their latest favorite songs.

Licensing issues – Downloaded or ripped music files may need to be removed if licensing terms have changed or expired.

By permanently deleting unwanted music files, users can save space, simplify their digital music libraries, and ensure their collections remain organized and clutter-free.

Locate Music Files

Music files can be stored in various locations on your computer and devices. Here are some common places to check:

Hard Drive – Most computers have a dedicated Music folder where music files are saved by default. This is usually located under the User folder. On Windows, it’s typically C:\Users\YourUsername\Music. On Mac, it’s /Users/YourUsername/Music.

Downloads Folder – Any music downloaded directly from the internet is usually saved to the Downloads folder. On Windows this is at C:\Users\YourUsername\Downloads. On Mac it’s /Users/YourUsername/Downloads.

Media Players – Apps like iTunes and Windows Media Player often create their own music libraries. These store metadata and information about your music collection. On Windows, the iTunes folder is at C:\Users\YourUsername\My Music\iTunes. On Mac it’s /Users/YourUsername/Music/iTunes.

Cloud Storage – Streaming services like Spotify allow you to save music for offline listening. This gets stored in the cloud and synced to your devices. Check your account settings to delete cached tracks.

External Drives – If you store your music collection on an external hard drive or USB stick, don’t forget to check there.

Mobile Devices – Music synced from a computer to your phone or tablet will be stored in the device’s internal storage. You’ll need to delete it directly on each device.

Delete from Hard Drive

Deleting files from your hard drive is the first step in permanently removing music files. Here are the steps:

Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where your music files are stored.
Select the files and folders you want to delete. You can select multiple files by holding down Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) when clicking.

Right click on the selected items and choose Delete from the menu. Alternatively, you can press the Delete key on your keyboard.
The files will be moved to your Recycle Bin. To permanently remove them, empty the Recycle Bin by right clicking on it and selecting Empty Recycle Bin.

Once the Recycle Bin is emptied, the files are no longer accessible through normal means on your hard drive. However, the data still exists on the drive until it gets overwritten by new data. To prevent recovery, consider using secure deletion software covered later in this guide.

For more details, see this guide on permanently deleting files in Windows.

Remove from Media Players

To delete music files from your media library in desktop apps like iTunes or Windows Media Player, follow these steps:

For iTunes on Windows:

Apple Support – In the iTunes app, go to Music and select Library. Select the songs, albums, or artists you want to delete and press Delete. Confirm by selecting Delete Song or Delete Album.

For Windows Media Player:

Open Windows Media Player and go to the Library tab. Right click on songs, albums or artists you want to delete and select Delete. Confirm the deletion in the pop-up dialog.

On macOS, open iTunes, go to Music and select Library. Choose the items to delete, press Command+Delete and confirm the deletion. On mobile, use the Apple Music app, go to Library > Downloads and swipe left on songs, albums or playlists to delete them.

You can also delete music from other media apps like Winamp, MediaMonkey, etc. using a similar process of selecting music and removing it from your library.

Clear Cloud Storage

To permanently delete music files from cloud storage platforms like Google Play, Apple Music, and Spotify, you’ll need to delete the files from your library in the platform’s app or website:

For Apple Music:
– Open the Music app and go to Library > Songs. Right-click on the song you want to delete and select Delete from Library.

For Spotify:
– In the Spotify app, go to Your Library > Songs and right-click the songs you want to remove. Select Remove from Your Library.

For Google Play Music:
– On the website, click on the 3 dot menu next to a song and select Delete. This will remove it from your library and cloud storage.

Double check by going to Recently Deleted in each app and clicking Clear or Confirm to fully erase the deleted songs.

Unlink from Devices

To ensure deleted music files do not sync back to your devices from the cloud, it is important to unlink or unpair any connected devices like phones, tablets or computers. This breaks the connection so that deleted files cannot be transferred back.

On Windows 10 and 11, go to Settings > Connected Devices > Link to Windows and select “Unlink This Device” to disconnect your Android phone. For iPhones, disconnect it in iTunes on your computer (Microsoft).

On Macs, go to Finder > Preferences > General and uncheck “Show these items on the desktop” for any devices you want to unlink. You can also disconnect devices in iTunes.

Disconnecting devices prior to deleting music files provides an extra layer of protection to prevent the files from being restored later.

Erase Metadata

Metadata refers to additional data stored within audio files that provide information about the music. This includes details like the song title, artist name, album, genre, release date, and more. While metadata can be useful for organizing and cataloging music collections, it also retains identifying details about a file even after you delete it.

To permanently erase music files, you need to strip out the metadata as well. Here’s how:

Use metadata editing software like MP3TAG (https://www.mp3tag.de/en/) or Kid3 (https://kid3.sourceforge.io/) to view and remove metadata tags from files.

Save the files after removing all metadata. This deletes any lingering details that could identify the music.
You can also use command line tools like ExifTool to batch erase metadata from multiple files at once.

Removing metadata ensures that no traces are left behind that could recover information about your deleted music files. It’s an important step when permanently erasing your digital music library.

Use File Shredding Software

For those who want to completely obliterate music files beyond recovery, dedicated file shredding software is the most secure option. These specialized tools are designed to overwrite files multiple times, often using military-grade deletion algorithms to ensure the original data can never be recovered.

Some top-rated file shredding programs include Eraser, Freeraser, and File Shredder. Most offer different shred methods like the Gutmann algorithm that overwrites data 35 times meeting Department of Defense erasure standards.

The benefit of using file shredding tools is they completely overwrite the original data making recovery impossible even with forensic methods. This gives users peace of mind their deleted files are permanently and securely erased. Just be aware shredding can take time depending on the size of files and deletion methods used.

Extra Tips to Permanently Delete Music Files

To ensure Music files are permanently deleted beyond recovery, here are some additional tips:

Perform multiple passes – Many file shredding tools like EaseUS BitWiper allow you to do multiple overwrite passes, which makes recovery even less likely. Go for 3-7 passes for maximum effect.

Use encryption – Encrypt your Music files before deletion, which adds an extra layer of security against recovery. Popular encryption tools include VeraCrypt and Cryptomator.

Delete originals after making backups – Only delete Music files that have backups already made. This avoids accidental permanent data loss.

Clear Trash/Recycle Bin – Make sure to empty the Trash or Recycle Bin after deletion. Otherwise, files are still recoverable.

Scrub free disk space – Use disk utility tools to overwrite free space on your drives after deletion. This helps cover previous file traces.

Destroy storage media – For maximum data destruction, physically destroy old disks, USB drives, and other storage media used to hold your Music files.

Use wipe utilities – Specialized wipe utilities like Eraser or CBL Data Shredder can securely delete files and scrub media.

Recap

To permanently delete music files, the key steps are:

Locate all the places your music files exist – on your hard drive, media players, cloud storage, and devices.
Delete the actual files from your computer’s hard drive as well as external drives.
Remove the files from any media players or apps you use to play music.

Clear the files from any cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Unlink the files from any mobile devices or MP3 players you have them stored on.
Erase any metadata attached to the music files.

Use file shredding software as an extra step to overwrite the data.

Following these key steps will help ensure you have permanently deleted those music files you wish to erase.