BCWipe is a commercial data-wiping program from Jetico for Windows, macOS and UNIX systems, including Linux. It erases selected files, folders and the leftover traces of earlier deletions on a working computer, so the data cannot be restored with recovery or forensic tools. It comes in Home, Enterprise and Data Spills editions, with a free trial.
A normal delete removes only the reference to a file; the contents stay on the drive until something overwrites them. BCWipe overwrites the data itself, targeting chosen items and free areas while leaving the operating system and other files intact. Erasing a whole drive is the job of a separate product, BCWipe Total WipeOut.
Deleting files with wiping
On Windows, the main command is Delete with wiping in the Explorer right-click menu. It handles single files, groups and whole folders, and also clears file slack, attributes and NTFS alternate data streams. The dialog estimates the duration, reports errors per file and can also clear the file’s Master File Table record and directory slack. A preview opens the Hexadecimal File Viewer to show the bytes written over the file’s sectors.
Cleaning free space and file system leftovers
Wipe Free Space overwrites unused disk space, where earlier deleted files still sit. Checkboxes let it also target other places where old data hides:
- unused space in the Windows swap file
- empty MFT records on NTFS, which can hold small files in full
- the NTFS transaction log
- file slack, the gap between a file’s end and the end of its last cluster
- directory slack on NTFS and empty directory entries on FAT and exFAT
A low-level module that reads disk sectors directly wipes compressed and encrypted files. The same module verifies the result at disk level.
Reserved Space and SSDs
Free-space wiping on a multi-terabyte disk can take days. The Reserved Space Manager keeps already wiped space in a clean, reserved state, so the next run skips it.
On SSDs, wear levelling lets the controller decide where data lands, so overwriting a file in place does not reliably reach the old cells. BCWipe instead deletes the file with wiping and then wipes free space, which overwrites the cells that held it and triggers TRIM and garbage collection. BCWipe uses random-data schemes because SSDs compress simple patterns such as zeros.
Transparent Wiping in the background
With Transparent Wiping active, BCWipe wipes data as it is deleted. It covers files removed by the user and temporary files deleted by applications or Windows. It also covers deleted System Restore points and the Recycle Bin contents when it is emptied. Include and exclude lists limit it to particular files, folders or applications.
Browser history, user activity and the swap file
BCWipe clears cache, cookies, browsing and search history, saved passwords and last active tabs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Brave and other browsers. Wipe User Activity removes names of recently opened files stored by Windows and applications. It can remove single entries without clearing a whole list.
Because the swap file can hold document fragments, passwords and keys, BCWipe can encrypt it with CryptoSwap using Rijndael, Blowfish, GOST 28147-89 or Twofish. A new random key is created at each boot and never stored on disk.
Wiping schemes and erasure records
A wiping scheme sets the number of passes and the pattern written in each. BCWipe includes Jetico’s HDD and SSD schemes, German VSITR, NIST 800-88-aligned schemes, U.S. DoD 5220.22-M and DoE M 205.1-2. The Wiping Scheme Editor builds custom ones. For audits, BCWipe produces Certificates of Erasure as PDF reports with file names, locations, results, timestamps and unique identifiers.
Scheduling, scripting and Privacy Guard
BCWipe Task Manager stores one-time and recurring tasks, such as regular free-space cleaning. These tasks can also run when no user is logged on. Wiping can be started from the command prompt for scripts.
Privacy Guard compares Windows 10 and 11 privacy settings with Jetico’s recommendations and rates them low, medium or high. Its recommended preset keeps camera, microphone and OneDrive access, while full privacy disables those too. The original configuration can be restored.
Home, Enterprise and Data Spills licenses
| Edition | Intended use | Main differences |
|---|---|---|
| Home | One home computer, non-commercial use | Basic HDD and SSD wiping schemes |
| Enterprise | Business endpoints and network drives | DoD, DoE and NIST schemes, offline use, scripting, task export and import, central management, BCWipe Search |
| Data Spills | Sensitive data spill cleanup | Enterprise schemes and scripting, bulk operations from file lists, unlimited endpoints one at a time during the license period |
In the Enterprise edition, administrators can wipe selected files on remote computers through Jetico Central Manager without user action. BCWipe Search scans endpoints, including temporary and backup files, for personal data such as ID numbers, card details and patient records. It classifies what it finds and lets users wipe it in the same workflow.
On Mac, BCWipe wipes selected files, free space or an entire installed disk from Finder, its Task Manager or by dropping files on its icon. The UNIX version wipes files, folders and free space from the command line.
