DiskPart Clean vs Clean All: Which One to Choose? (Alternative)

Diskpart Clean vs Clean all: what’s the difference?

Both of the DiskPart Clean and Clean all commands can help to wipe or clear data on a disk. But do you actually know the differences between the two command lines? If not, well, you can have a clear understanding from the listed points.

☎ Data wiping principle

The “Clean” command in DiskPart deletes any partitions and data on the hard disk, simply marks the data on the disk as deleted and does not zero out the disk. The “Clean all” command does the same thing as the Clean command above, but it also specifies that each sector on the drive is zeroed (secure erased), completely erasing all data on the disk.

☎ Data recovery

The data deleted by running "Clean" command can be recovered by special data recovery software. Is DiskPart Clean all recoverable? Deleted data using the "Clean all" command cannot be recovered by normal recovery tools.

☎ Data wiping time

“Clean” takes a short time to complete the data deletion process while "Clean all" takes more time about an hour per 320 GB to finish running.

☎ How to choose

If you are in need to delete the hard drive data quickly or resetting file formats while leaving most of the data recoverable, you can choose "Clean" command. To wipe the disks to reset disk to factory settings, remove any malware or bad sectors, you can choose "Clean all" command.

Moving on, you can learn the detailed steps to execute the DiskPart clean command to delete data on a hard drive, SSD or HDD.

How to use DiskPart Clean or Clean All command correctly

The steps to execute Clean and Clean all command is quite similar, only the clean step command is different. Here’s how to use Diskpart clean all on SSD.

☞ Tip: Please note that the following operations may cause data loss if not done properly, so please backup important data in advance.

1. Press Windows + R keys to open the search box, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator. 

2. When the command prompt window opens, input the following commands and press the Enter key after each to execute.

• list disk
• select disk * (* represents the number of the target drive, here is disk 1.)
• clean all (Replace it with clean to execute clean command)

3. Wait for the wiping process to complete. When it finishes, type exit and press Enter to close the elevated command prompt window.

Tip: Due to Windows’ protection mechanism, it is impossible to clean the operating system's boot drive.

Irreversibly and securely erase SSD/HDD with Diskpart alternative

Although Diskpart clean commands enable you to effectively wipe data on your disks, they do not always work successfully. For example, you may get errors like Diskpart clean all takes forever and Diskpart Clean not working when using the Diskpart clean command.

In addition, if you are not professionally qualified and enter the wrong command line in the process, this can lead to some system problems. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a simpler and safer alternative for disk erasing. I consider AOMEI Backupper Professional is a great option for you. Supporting on all Windows PC including Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP, it has some outstanding features you can learn about.

It allows you to wipe any USB flash drive, internal/external hard drive, SSD/HDD (WD, Crucial, Samsung, Seagate, etc.), as well as SD card, etc. no matter they are data drives or system drives. It supports erasing partition, unallocated space or the whole disk with 4 different methods that offer you different security levels. For example, DoD 52220.22-M, which allows you to set the erasing times with a minimum of three and a maximum of seven times. Or you can choose Gutmann, which can erase disk 35 times. 

After erasing disks with this tool, you will not have to worry about private data leakage or exploitation by unsuspecting people after giving away or reselling disks.

How to permanently wipe a disk with AOMEI Backupper:

Be sure to backup critical data on the target disk that you do not want to lose before you perform disk wipe with this software. All data will be permanently lost on the disk.

Step 1. Download and install this excellent software on your computer to have a try.

Step 2. Open it, and then click Tools > Disk Wipe.

Step 3. On the Wiping Type window, select Wipe Disk and click Next.

Step 4. Select the disk you want to erase and click Next. If it is a system disk, you will be told the operation will be executed in reboot mode. Click OK to continue.

Step 5. On the Wiping Method window, select Fill sectors with Zero and click Start to begin the disk wiping process.

Final thoughts

DiskPart Clean vs DiskPart Clean all: what’s the difference and how to execute each command-line? After reading the above content, you may get the answer in your mind. You can make a choice between the two Diskpart clean commands according to your needs based on their security level.

If you lack technical expertise, or if you are worried that the command is too complicated and will lead to errors in the process, then it is recommended to try a simpler and more reliable method, using the most secure disk wiping software – AOMEI Backupper.

In addition to the disk wipe feature, this software also provides you with other functions such as clone. After you secure erase the disk drive, you can consider cloning Windows 11 to another hard drive as your system disk drive to improve the speed of your PC. And you can also use its Create Bootable Media feature to easily create a secure USB boot disk to make Windows 11 boot from USB in case of a serious system failure of your computer.