Permanently Delete - Add to Context Menu

How to Add 'Permanently Delete' to Send To Context Menu in Windows​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove Permanently Delete from the Send To context menu in XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

When you use the added Permanently Delete, it will give you a confirmation prompt to secure erase the selected file(s), and will not be placed in the Recycle Bin.

This could also be handy if you did not want to set the Recycle Bin to permanently delete files so that you can Delete some files to the Recycle Bin, and others Permanently Delete with this context menu item.

While you must be logged in as an administrator to be able to add or remove this context menu, all users will be able to use the context menu.

   Note

How to use Permanently Delete when added:

1) Select one or more files.

2) Right click or press and hold on selected files.

3) Click/tap on Send to and Permanently Delete.js.

4) If this is the first time you used Permanently Delete, then click on Agree for the SDelete license agreement. You will not see this anymore afterwards.

5) Click/tap on Yes to confirm.

6) Click/tap on OK in the confirmation dialog.

CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Add Permanently Delete to Send To Context Menu
• Option Two: To Remove Permanently Delete from Send To Context Menu

OPTION ONE

To Add Permanently Delete to Send To Context Menu

1. Click/tap on the Download button below to go the Windows Sysinternals website, and then download SDelete to your desktop.

Download


2. Unblock the downloaded SDelete.zip file.

3. Open the SDelete.zip file, and extract (drag and drop) the SDelete.exe file to your desktop.

4. Move the SDelete.exe file into the C:\Windows\System32 folder. (see screenshot below)

5. Click/tap on Continue to confirm. (see screenshot below)

6. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the Permanently_Delete.zip file to your desktop.

Download


7. Unblock the downloaded Permanently_Delete.zip file.

8. Open the Permanently_Delete.zip file, and extract (drag and drop) the Permanently Delete.js file to your desktop.

   Note

Special thanks to our valued member Pyprohly for writing this javascript file for us.

9. Move the Permanently Delete.js file into the shell:sendto (type in address bar of explorer and press Enter) folder. (see screenshot below)

   Note

If you like, you can create a shortcut of the Permanently Delete.js file, change the shortcut's icon to what you like, and place the shortcut into the shell:sendto folder instead.

OPTION TWO

To Remove Permanently Delete from Send To Context Menu

1. Open the C:\Windows\System32 folder, and delete the SDelete.exe file. (see screenshot below)

2. Open the shell:sendto (type in address bar of explorer and press Enter) folder, and delete the Permanently Delete.js file. (see screenshot below)



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add a Delete Button to the Vista Windows Explorer Toolbar
• How to Add a Delete Button to the Windows 7 Explorer Toolbar
• How to Set the Windows 7 Recycle Bin to Permanently Delete Items Immediately
• Add "Delete Files in Folder" and "Empty Folder" to Context Menu of Folders in Windows

 

[tomaskucinskas]

Yes I know about more when 15 items selected, no I just trying with 2-3 files.

%1 not working even with single file or folder. %2 works with single, but no success with multiple.

 

[Brink]

I'm afraid that I'm not sure why it's not working for you with multiple items selected with it being used in Classic Shell instead.

 

[tomaskucinskas]

%2 is the problem, I think its for single file only.

 

[Brink]

I tested %2 using the method in the tutorial, and it wouldn't work at all. Only %1 worked using that method.

I'm not sure what would work with Classic Shell though.

 

[tomaskucinskas]

%1 yes it works from context menu. %1 with Classic Shell as I mentioned before not working, only %2, but only with single file

 

[ICIT2LOL]

So if I have it right Shawn I can delete permanently everything I pick down to just having the OS left on the drive? and I can use The Bare Foot Kid's tut to delete the whole drive?

I have a few old drives that I want to scrub up and this looks like what I want - but I just to make sure.

 

[Brink]

Hello John,

This is mostly for permanently deleting individual files. If you wanted to delete everything on a HDD, then using the "clean" command below would be a faster way to wipe it.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Shawn up with the goods again

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[fuqueue]

This is pretty excellent. I was still pretty new to batch files, before reading this, I'm kind of stoked that I have a way to put my own commands into the context menu now. Did not know u could do that with registry =)

Is there any way to have it prompt user for something like "Are you sure you want to delete?"

Would it be possible to put an in-line prompt on the command in the registry? Like, I know this is not real syntax, 'Prompt "Are you sure?" | if yes do "sdelete.exe /p 3 /s %1"' ?? Did that make any sense? Can you do a prompt and a command all in the same line?

Or what if i put that sdelete.exe command into a batch script with the prompt, and the registry command could just run the batch file? How would that look?

 

[Brink]

Hello fuqueue,

Sorry it took me a bit to answer.

I added a second option to step 1 OPTION TWO for a confirmation prompt before permanently deleting the selected file(s) to help with this for you.

If you like, you can edit the VBS file in the downloaded ZIP file to see how the script looks.

 

[Influx]

Here's a simpler solution. Press Shift+Delete.

 

[Brink]

Hello Ken,

Agreed for OPTION TWO. Thank you.

This tutorial was mostly for OPTION ONE for a secure erase that you cannot get with Shift+Delete. OPTION TWO was just another added option for those that wanted it via context menu.

 

[Influx]

What do you mean by "Secure Delete"?
Also, holding shift and clicking delete would work too.

 

[Brink]

Deleting a file only marks it as deleted but doesn't overwrite the file on the HDD. It's only overwritten if something new is saved to the same spot on the HDD afterwards. Without it being overwritten, there's a good chance that the file could be recovered from the HDD.

Secure erase (goes by many other names) will delete the file, and overwrite the file with zero X specified amount of passes to help make sure that the file is erased from the HDD and most likely not recoverable. The more passes used, the less chance of the file being able to be recovered. To many passes would just be a waste of time though. If you like, the link below can help give you a better idea about this.
Data remanence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


While Shift+Delete will delete the file without it being placed in the Recycle Bin, it doesn't secure erase the file.

 

[Influx]

Deleting a file only marks it as deleted but doesn't overwrite the file on the HDD. It's only overwritten if something new is saved to the same spot on the HDD afterwards. Without it being overwritten, there's a good chance that the file could be recovered from the HDD.

Secure erase (goes by many other names) will delete the file, and overwrite the file with zero X specified amount of passes to help make sure that the file is erased from the HDD and most likely not recoverable. The more passes used, the less chance of the file being able to be recovered. To many passes would just be a waste of time though. If you like, the link below can help give you a better idea about this.Data remanence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
While Shift+Delete will delete the file without it being placed in the Recycle Bin, it doesn't secure erase the file.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Thanks Brink, this sure does come in handy!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Ted. Thank you.

 

[Ices]

Shawn, thanks for a great tutorial

i had problems with this version of SDelete (1.61)

v 1.6 gives these errors:

Error deleting Dir1: The directory is not empty.

Error deleting Dir1\Dir2: The directory is not empty.

Dir1\file1.1...deleted.
Dir1\file1.2...deleted.
Dir1\Dir2\file2.1...deleted.
3 files found
2 folders found

so i put an older version

View attachment SDelete 1.51.zip
http://web.archive.org/web/20110624072636/http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/SDelete.zip

 

[Brink]

Hello Ices,

I'm not having any issues with 1.61 working for me.

I've updated OPTION ONE to solve the issue of having to delete a folder twice when it had content.

Please try the updated OPTION ONE to see if that may help.