Have you ever tried to crop a PDF file, cutting out part of a page? The frustrating truth is that Acrobat can crop a PDF, but the stuff outside the cropped area doesnât truly go away. It is just masked, or hidden. Actually, technically, cropping a PDF in Acrobat just changes its âtrimâ or âcropâ rectangle â the original art is all still there.
The properties of some files (ex: music, images, videos, etc..) can contain details (metadata) that tell a lot about the file and possibly personal information. While property details will vary depending on the file type, it can include information (values) like title, subject, rating, tags, categories, authors, album, genre, and much more. These file property details (metadata) can be seen in the details pane in File Explorer and infotips (pop-up descriptions). You can also search by file properties in the File Explorer search box. This tutorial will show you how to add, change, and remove property details for files in Windows 10. CONTENTS:
EXAMPLE: File properties
To Add or Change Properties of a File
![]() 1. Right click or press and hold on the file, and click/tap on Properties. 2. Click/tap on the Details tab, and hover over the pointer over the values on the right side to see what you are able to add or change. (see screenshot below) 3. Click/tap on the value of the property you want to change or add, type or select the details you want, and click/tap on OK when finished. (see screenshot below)
To Remove Properties of a File
1. Right click or press and hold on the file, and click/tap on Properties. Delete Facebook Page Permanently2. Click/tap on the Details tab, and click/tap on the Remove Properties and Personal Information link at the bottom. (see screenshot below)3. Select (dot) the Remove the following properties from this file option. (see screenshot below step 4) 4. Check the boxes of properties you want to remove from this file, and click/tap on OK when finished. (see screenshot below) 5. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below) That's it, Shawn
For example, say you have a PDF with a bunch of private, sensitive information. You use Acrobatâs Crop feature to crop it down to just the public data you want visible. But that original data is still there, easily seen with a couple of clicks!
Or, you could take that PDF and place it in InDesign, and crop it there so that you cannot see the private data. Then export your InDesign document as a PDF. Guess what? The private data is still there. You canât see it, but if you export the file in some other format, or use Acrobatâs content analysis features, itâs easy to find!
So whatâs to be done? Here are two methods you can use to truly delete data that is outside the visible PDF.
Remove Hidden Information
In case you donât remember (or donât know) how to crop a PDF in Acrobat Pro, itâs pretty darn easy:
1. Choose the Crop tool and drag out a cropping rectangle:
2. Double-click inside the cropping rectangle to open the Cropping dialog box:
3. Click OK.
But as I said, the stuff out in the periphery is still there. (If you open that dialog box again, youâll see it out there. Or, if you place it in InDesign and use the Show Import Options dialog box, you can see it there, too.
So hereâs the trick: Open the Protection tools and click Remove Hidden Information. Acrobat will process the data and provide you with a set of âhiddenâ information in the Results pane on the left. Then click the Remove button:
When itâs done processing, all that cropped data is gone! Not just text⦠even if you had image data out there, it gets cropped out.
Flatten Transparency
Hereâs another way to crop a PDF, using InDesign instead of Acrobat.
First, place the PDF on a page in InDesign, and crop the graphic frame down to view just the shape you want. (It doesnât even have to be a rectangle.) Next, apply any sort of transparency to the PDF. For example, you could set it to 99.9% opacity. Finally, export the page as a flattened PDF â that means Acrobat 4 compatibility, such as you get when you choose the PDF/X-1a preset.
The trick here is that when the PDF gets flattened as part of the export process, InDesign leaves out all the stuff outside the cropping area!
(Of course, the annoying part is that the PDF gets flattened, which means any other transparency on the page or in the PDF is no longer around. That shouldnât be a problem, but itâs frustrating for those of us who like to keep transparency effects unflattened.)
It sure would be helpful if Adobe Acrobat simply had a âreally truly crop everything outâ feature. But in the meantime, keep these solutions in mind!
Tags
Deleting a file removes it from the location where it is stored. If the storage location is your hard disk, the file is moved to the Recycle Bin. If the storage location is a disk, CD, or network location, the file is destroyed. You cannot delete a file while someone has it open in any program. The file must be closed, and if it is a shared file, it must be checked in.
Note: For more information about deleting and restoring files and folders, see the Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center, which you can access by clicking Help and Support on the Start menu. For information about the Recycle Bin, you can see View, restore, or delete items in the Recycle Bin.
Newer VersionsOffice 2010 - Office 2007
The best way to delete your files is to use the Windows File Explorer.
Delete a file by using File Explorer
Tip: You can also select more than one file to be deleted at the same time. Press and hold the CTRL key as you select multiple files to delete. To select a long list of files click the first file in the list, press and hold SHIFT, then click the last file in the list.
For more information see: Delete a file by using File Explorer
Remove a file from your recently used list in an Office program
If you want to keep the file, but simply remove it from your recently used files list, follow these steps:
For more information on customizing the recently used files list see: Customize the list of recently used files.
In Office 2010, or Office 2007, you can delete files from within Office applications or by using Windows Explorer.
Delete a file while in an Office program
Delete a file by using Windows Explorer
For more information see: Delete a file by using File Explorer
Related TopicsDelete a page in Word
In Windows, if you delete an important file, even from the Recycle bin, itâs still entirely possible to recover that file as long as it doesnât get overwritten between its deletion and your attempt at recovery. Thatâs because the file is never truly deleted and Windows is just told that the space the file occupies is available to write over when needed. In this case, a free tool that you can use to recover data is all thatâs required. But this is obviously not good if you want to permanently delete a personal or private file because anyone could just try to recover it.
Once a deleted file has been overwritten by something else, itâs very difficult to recover and more professional methods would be needed to get any readable data back. There are various ways to overwrite deleted files; If you sell/give your drive to somebody else, it needs to be completely wiped so nothing is left on it that can be recovered at all by the new owner. You can also erase the deleted data off a currently used drive by wiping all its free space, which overwrites all old deleted files.
Then thereâs the method weâre talking about here which is to completely overwrite and wipe the file or folder as you go. This method is the quickest and most secure as the files are erased immediately and not left in a recoverable state until the next time you decide to wipe the driveâs free space, which could take a long time depending on its size. Here are 10 free tools which can securely erase or âshredâ your files making them unrecoverable. This is something which should be used with care as once the file is gone, you wonât be able to get it back even with recovery software. All tools were tested in Windows 7 64-bit but should also be XP, Vista, 8/8.1 compatible.
1. WipeFile
WipeFile is a portable only program so is also useful for your USB toolkit. It supports 14 different erasing methods ranging from a quick 1 pass zero fill up to a full 35 pass Gutmann erase. Individual files or whole folders can be added to the program, something that is very useful is an editable file mask for folders so you can filter what gets erased by file extension. The default of *.* will delete all files in the folder, whereas a mask of *.doc will only shred the Word documents and leave all other files. WipeFile is multilingual with 18 languages supported and in Settings you can create a context menu or Send To menu entry to send files to the program via right click. A few options such as a user defined erase string and logging are only for the Pro version which requires a donation.
Download WipeFile
2. HardWipe
Thereâs quite a lot to like about HardWipe because it has several different types of erasing on offer, such as wiping Recycle bin contents on selected drives, wiping a driveâs free space, wiping a drive or volume completely or shredding files and folders. Thereâs also a portable version as well as a setup installer version, the latter is needed to use the right click context menus. Sadly an annoyance in the program is the inclusion of advertisements inside its main window unless you upgrade for $8.99. There are 6 wiping algorithms to choose from (1 pass up to 35 pass) and an option to rename the files up to 10 times to lessen the chance of recovering the filename. A speed mode can help system responsiveness on long operations and the system can be auto powered off after a wiping operation has completed.
Download HardWipe
3. CyberShredder
CyberShredder is a small and compact tool that needs you to enable the âConfirm file deletionâ option in the Settings menu if you want a final warning. Otherwise any files or folders dropped onto the program window will be instantly erased which could be a costly problem if you make a mistake. There are Very Quick (a single zero pass), Quick (a 3 pass of 0âs, 1âs then random) and Normal (an NSA approved 7 pass) shredding methods available in the settings menu. During erasing files are also renamed multiple times to help reduce recovery chances even more. CyberShredder is portable but still allows you to create a Send To right click entry to erase files and folders instantly through Windows Explorer.
Download CyberShredder
4. Eraser
The Eraser application is definitely a more serious and focused shredding tool with some advanced features compared to many other tools of this type. One such addition is the erasing scheduler which allows you to run tasks to shred files, folders, free space or the Recycle bin contents at specific times or on system restart etc. It also has 13 different erase algorithms to choose from, Windows Explorer integration, an option to unlock locked files before erasing them, drive free space erasing when you right click on the drive in Explorer, and the ability to replace erased files with pre selected files to allow for âplausible deniabilityâ as the program calls it. The latest version of Eraser is installer only but there is a slightly older version on PortableApps.com.
Download Eraser
5. File Shredder
File Shredder is more of a permanent erasing solution because it needs installing and thereâs no portable version, but it does have some useful functions which could make it worthwhile. Erasing algorithms include simple 1 or 2 pass, DoD 3 pass, secure 7 pass or the Gutmann 35 pass method. Thereâs also Explorer integration which can directly erase the file/folder immediately or add it to a queue to be shredded later on. Another useful function is the free space shredder which will completely erase all unused space on the selected drive using one of the above methods. Files and folders are added to the list using drag and drop or the add buttons on the left.
Download File Shredder
12Next ⺠View All
You might also like:8 Free Tools to Securely Wipe Free Disk Space Preventing RecoveryTop 10 Free Data Recovery Software7 Tools to Unlock Those Hard to Delete Files8 Tools to Wipe a Hard Drive Before Selling or Lending It5 Tools To Encrypt and Protect your Data on USB Flash Drives
How to delete deleted data that is still on the disk. (Formating is one option but is there any alternative?)
Reply
HAL9000 Author2 months ago
The links in paragraph #2 of this article will help you.
Reply
HOW TO RECOVER FILES THAT WAS SHREDDED
Reply
HAL9000 Author2 months ago
You canât, thatâs the whole point of shredding a file in the first place.
Reply
Great article Raymond.Helpful for those in search of erasing tools.Keep up the good work.
Reply
Jack helmen3 years ago
Thanks you for the article. Itâs very useful to meâ¦â¦â¦.
Nice Article.!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
Thank you for the article, Iâm using Gutmann method, it seems more efficient. Reply
Great Job!
Lisa3 years ago
PartitionGuru is able to delete files permanently as well as wipe deleted files for good. Reply
this tool is for free
Nice console â¦.
Reply
Jake5 years ago
I would like to see a simple utility that securely deletes my Recycle Bin (or replaces it). I still like sending files to the Recycle Bin, and like to right-click to empty. Thereâs a few utilities that do this, but they are bloated beyond my liking.
Reply
Hello,
Iâm looking for a eraser program that can automatically delete a log file that is in use at every restart. I had eraser but there are a few problems with it. The pc shutdown is very slow because eraser.exe hangs to long in memory and the pc has difficulty for shutting it down and it misses the function of erasing a âfile that is in useâ on âeveryâ logon. Iâm looking and I have tested a lot of programs but so far no one can delete a âfile that is in useâ and that on âevery timeâ the pc logs on. Is there someone here that can help me with finding the right program for this job?
Regards
Reply
Bruce6 years ago
I have used many of the listed apps. The one I am mostly using now is from Moo0 File Shredder. A free tool, with multiple levels of shredding, from one-pass pseudo-random data (including cluster tip and ADS, and changes file name and attributes as part of delete process), up to the over-kill level.
The only strange thing about it is the way it identifies amount of overwriting: Shred Once = 1 pass (pseudo-random data) Extra Carefully = 3 pass (DoD 5220.22M) Into Ashes = 7 pass (DoD 5220.22M) Vaporize = 35 (Gutmann).
It would be useful, IMO, to explain to folks that the so-called Gutmann 35 pass is truly overkill, as it (a) technically would run less, as some of the 35 passes are methodologically designed for HDs no longer being sold, (b) takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R (it seems) for all the passes to complete, (c) will really exercise your HD, so may not be best if it is in marginal condition and planned for re-use.
Thanks for great info site.
Reply
We went into a bit of an explanation in the â8 Tools to Wipe a Hard Drive Before Selling or Lending Itâ article about the fact the Gutman pass method is pretty much irrelevant today.
35 passes on a whole hard drive is obviously madness whereas 35 passes on a few small documents or files wonât take too long. Iâve heard Zer0 uses up to 100 passes and that tool is pretty fast. :)
Reply
Keong Yu6 years ago
WipeFile seems nice. Thank you Raymond :-)
Reply
thnks for the information.
Reply
ismiaprial6 years ago
Nice article Bro. I use Secure Wipe thatâs not included in the list. :) Reply
Wonât you consider to try and review secure wipe? Thanks
Thanks mate for the nice article ;).
Reply
tinh6 years ago
Thanks for share. Very useful
Reply
Welcome back Mr Raymond and superb , Useful Article Thank you very much
Reply
niko6 years ago
Thanks for the info. Very useful :)
Reply
Hey Hal, I found the best way for wiping an entire drive and itâs pretty fast. Most drives come with a secure delete built into the hard drive itself. The computer manufacturers disable it in the bios but there is a way. A university, It is at University of California, San Diego, the place where they created it is called [Center for Magnetic Recording Research ] They made a program that you can boot from and it will securely wipe a drive where itâs unrecoverable. Itâs itâs called Secure Erase and itâs free. And it is pretty much created by a bunch of genius scientists. I actually used it recently on a 6 year old computer and it worked like a charm. This is what the government really uses, not that DOD 7 pass crap.
Here is the link to the site cmrr.ucsd.edu/people/Hughes/secure-erase.html
Reply
Alexandre Marcondes Machado6 years ago
Thank you, Dear friend Raymondâ¦
Reply
Thank you very much Raymond for sharing !
Reply
saturn6 years ago
This is a nice read Hal :-)
Reply
Thanks Saturn, an important subject that can sometime get overlookedâ¦
Reply
Vitor Sequeira6 years ago
Superb article â congrats!
I work with HardWipe and i just can say that never failed.
Regards
Reply
Leave a ReplyHow to remove all page breaks in Word?
Working with a long document, we may need to insert page breaks to start a new page with a specific paragraph. We can set options to control where Word positions automatic page breaks, but only manual page break is removable. This tutorial is telling us how to remove page breaks in several ways.
Remove all page breaks with Kutools for Word
Remove a page break in word by pressing Delete key
1. If you cannot see the page breaks showing in the document, you need to show them by clicking Home > Show/HideEditing Marks button. See screenshot
2. Highlight the whole page break line, or place the cursor directly to the left of the page break line,
2. Then press the Delete key on your keyboard.
It is easy to use the above way to remove a page break in word, but how to remove dozens of page breaks? It is feasible to press the âCtrlâ key to select all page breaks and then press Delete key, but it seems time-consuming if the document has more than 100 pages.
Remove all page breaks using Find and Replace
Compared with the first method, the Find and Replace option saves you much time. You donât need to select all page breaks one by one through a long document, and just a few steps will have it done.
Please apply this utility by clicking Home > Replace. Call of duty finest hour download.
It will display a Find and Replace dialog. Click More>> button to show more options. See screenshot:
3. Place the cursor in the Find What field, and select the Manual Page Break from the Special pull-down menu.
4. There will be a â^mâ character in the Find What field, and click Replace All.
Remove all page breaks with Kutools for Word
With Kutools for Word, it has never been so easy to remove all page breaks in the whole or the selection of a document.
After installing Kutools for Word, please do as below:ï¼Free Download Kutools for Word Now!)
1. Cclick Kutools > Breaks > Remove Page Breaks. See screenshot:
2. After clicking Remove Page Breaks, a dialog pops out to remind you if remoev all page breaks from the whole documents, click Yes to continue.
Then all page breaks in the whole document or all the page breaks from the selected part of the document will be removed. See screenshots:
Note:
1. Only Kutools for Word will keep all formatting after removing page breaks in the document. 2. Remove Page Breaks also works at selection. Before applying Remove Page Breaks, select the paragraphs you want to remove the page breaks. Demo : Remove All page breaks in word
or post as a guest, but your post won't be published automatically.
Loading comment.. The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |