{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "NTFSWIPE",
    "section": "8",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/NTFSWIPE/8/json",
    "generated": "2026-05-30T09:07:34Z",
    "synopsis": "ntfswipe [options] device",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "ntfswipe - overwrite unused space on an NTFS volume\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "ntfswipe [options] device\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "ntfswipe  clears  all or part of unused space on an NTFS volume by overwriting with zeroes or\nrandom bytes.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "Below is a summary of all the options that ntfswipe accepts.  Nearly  all  options  have  two\nequivalent  names.  The short name is preceded by - and the long name is preceded by --.  Any\nsingle letter options, that don't take an argument, can be combined into  a  single  command,\ne.g.  -fv is equivalent to -f -v.  Long named options can be abbreviated to any unique prefix\nof their name.\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-a --all",
                    "content": "Wipe all unused space. This may take significant time. If the option --unused-fast (or\n-U) is also present, the faster wiping method is used.\n",
                    "flag": "-a",
                    "long": "--all"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-b --bytes",
                    "content": "Define  the allowed replacement bytes which are drawn randomly to overwrite the unused\nspace. BYTE-LIST is a comma-separated list of values in range 0-255 expressed  in  oc‐\ntal, decimal or hexadecimal base.\n",
                    "flag": "-b",
                    "long": "--bytes"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-c --count",
                    "content": "Define  the  number  of  times  the unused space is to be overwritten. If both options\n--bytes and --count are set, the space is repeatedly overwritten this number of  times\nby each of the values in the list.\n",
                    "flag": "-c",
                    "long": "--count"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-d --directory",
                    "content": "Wipe all the directory indexes, which may contain names of deleted files.\n",
                    "flag": "-d",
                    "long": "--directory"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-f --force",
                    "content": "This  will  override  some sensible defaults, such as not using a mounted volume.  Use\nthis option with caution.\n",
                    "flag": "-f",
                    "long": "--force"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-h --help",
                    "content": "Show a list of options with a brief description of each one.\n",
                    "flag": "-h",
                    "long": "--help"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-i --info",
                    "content": "Display details about unused space, without wiping anything.\n",
                    "flag": "-i",
                    "long": "--info"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-l --logfile",
                    "content": "Overwrite the logfile (update journal).\n",
                    "flag": "-l",
                    "long": "--logfile"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-m --mft",
                    "content": "Overwrite the unused space in the MFT (main file table, which contains the file names,\nand the contents of short files).\n",
                    "flag": "-m",
                    "long": "--mft"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-n --no-action",
                    "content": "Executes the wiping process without writing to device.\n",
                    "flag": "-n",
                    "long": "--no-action"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-p --pagefile",
                    "content": "Overwrite the Windows swap space.\n",
                    "flag": "-p",
                    "long": "--pagefile"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-q --quiet",
                    "content": "Suppress some debug/warning/error messages.\n",
                    "flag": "-q",
                    "long": "--quiet"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-s --undel",
                    "content": "Overwrite the space which had been allocated to a file which has been deleted recently\nand is still undeletable. This option is not compatible with --bytes and the  replace‐\nment bytes are random ones or taken from a standard list.\n",
                    "flag": "-s",
                    "long": "--undel"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-t --tails",
                    "content": "Overwrite the space at the end of files which is unused, but allocated because the al‐\nlocations are always done by full clusters.\n",
                    "flag": "-t",
                    "long": "--tails"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-u --unused",
                    "content": "Overwrite the space which is currently not allocated to any file (but  may  have  been\nused in the past).\n",
                    "flag": "-u",
                    "long": "--unused"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-U --unused-fast",
                    "content": "Overwrite  the space which is currently not allocated to any file, trying not to over‐\nwrite the space not written to since the previous wiping.\n",
                    "flag": "-U",
                    "long": "--unused-fast"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-v --verbose",
                    "content": "Display more debug/warning/error messages. This option may be used  twice  to  display\neven more messages.\n",
                    "flag": "-v",
                    "long": "--verbose"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-V --version",
                    "content": "Show the version number, copyright and license of ntfswipe.\n",
                    "flag": "-V",
                    "long": "--version"
                }
            ]
        },
        "EXAMPLES": {
            "content": "Wipe out all unused space in an NTFS volume.\n\nntfswipe -a /dev/sda1\n\nWipe out all deleted file names from an NTFS volume.\n\nntfswipe -dms /dev/sda1\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "BUGS": {
            "content": "There are no known problems with ntfswipe.  If you find a bug please send an email describing\nthe problem to the development team:\nntfs-3g-devel@lists.sf.net\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHORS": {
            "content": "ntfswipe was written by Richard Russon, Anton Altaparmakov and Yura Pakhuchiy.  It was ported\nto ntfs-3g by Erik Larsson.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AVAILABILITY": {
            "content": "ntfswipe is part of the ntfs-3g package and is available from:\nhttps://github.com/tuxera/ntfs-3g/wiki/\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "ntfs-3g(8), ntfsls(8), ntfsprogs(8)\n\n\n\nntfs-3g 2021.8.22                             June 2014                                  NTFSWIPE(8)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "ntfswipe - overwrite unused space on an NTFS volume",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-a",
            "long": "--all",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Wipe all unused space. This may take significant time. If the option --unused-fast (or -U) is also present, the faster wiping method is used."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-b",
            "long": "--bytes",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Define the allowed replacement bytes which are drawn randomly to overwrite the unused space. BYTE-LIST is a comma-separated list of values in range 0-255 expressed in oc‐ tal, decimal or hexadecimal base."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-c",
            "long": "--count",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Define the number of times the unused space is to be overwritten. If both options --bytes and --count are set, the space is repeatedly overwritten this number of times by each of the values in the list."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-d",
            "long": "--directory",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Wipe all the directory indexes, which may contain names of deleted files."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-f",
            "long": "--force",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "This will override some sensible defaults, such as not using a mounted volume. Use this option with caution."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-h",
            "long": "--help",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Show a list of options with a brief description of each one."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-i",
            "long": "--info",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Display details about unused space, without wiping anything."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-l",
            "long": "--logfile",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the logfile (update journal)."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-m",
            "long": "--mft",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the unused space in the MFT (main file table, which contains the file names, and the contents of short files)."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-n",
            "long": "--no-action",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Executes the wiping process without writing to device."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-p",
            "long": "--pagefile",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the Windows swap space."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-q",
            "long": "--quiet",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Suppress some debug/warning/error messages."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-s",
            "long": "--undel",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the space which had been allocated to a file which has been deleted recently and is still undeletable. This option is not compatible with --bytes and the replace‐ ment bytes are random ones or taken from a standard list."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-t",
            "long": "--tails",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the space at the end of files which is unused, but allocated because the al‐ locations are always done by full clusters."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-u",
            "long": "--unused",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the space which is currently not allocated to any file (but may have been used in the past)."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-U",
            "long": "--unused-fast",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Overwrite the space which is currently not allocated to any file, trying not to over‐ write the space not written to since the previous wiping."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-v",
            "long": "--verbose",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Display more debug/warning/error messages. This option may be used twice to display even more messages."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-V",
            "long": "--version",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Show the version number, copyright and license of ntfswipe."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [
        "Wipe out all unused space in an NTFS volume.",
        "ntfswipe -a /dev/sda1",
        "Wipe out all deleted file names from an NTFS volume.",
        "ntfswipe -dms /dev/sda1"
    ],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "ntfs-3g",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ntfs-3g/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "ntfsls",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ntfsls/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "ntfsprogs",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ntfsprogs/8/json"
        }
    ]
}