User interface
O&O SafeErase opens with the start page. From there, and from the navigation on the left, you reach every task.
Navigation
| Area | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start | Cleanup history, recommendation and task tiles. |
| Securely delete > Files and folders | Erase files and folders. |
| Securely delete > Free space | Clean free space. |
| Securely delete > Drives / partitions | Erase drives and partitions. |
| Privacy | Erase browser and Windows traces. |
| Erase entire PC | Fortress Mode and entire-PC erasure. |
| Reports | Manage reports. |
| Tools | Help for the command line, when it is installed. |
At the bottom of the navigation, you open the settings and the information about the program, the license and updates. In Fortress Mode, Shut down switches the PC off there.
Start page
The tiles under Securely delete data lead to the tasks: Files and folders, Free space, Drives and partitions, Browser data, Windows and program data and Erase entire PC. A tile with a lock is not available, for example in the trial version or in Fortress Mode; its notice names the reason.
Above the tiles, the start page shows when browser data, Windows data, the free space of each drive and the Recycle Bin were last erased securely. This is a history of your cleanups; it does not search the PC for recoverable data.
Recommendation and erasing traces together
When the last cleanup is longer ago than the recommended interval, the start page recommends erasing traces securely. The recommendation does not start an erasure by itself.
Securely erase traces… opens a selection of browser data, Windows data, Recycle Bin and free space. Areas that are due are preselected; free space only if it has been overwritten before. Adjust the selection, check the method and confirm.
Change recommendation… sets the interval: 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days, or Never. The default is 30 days. The same setting is under Settings > Recommendation.
In Fortress Mode, the cleanup history is hidden, and browser and Windows data cannot be erased.