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cipher:tldr:49f08
cipher: Securely remove a file or directory.
$ cipher /w:${path\to\file_or_directory}
try on your machine
The command "cipher /w:${path\to\file_or_directory}" is used in Windows operating systems to overwrite the deleted data on a specific file or directory. Here's an explanation of each component of the command:
- "cipher" is the command-line tool available in Windows that manages encryption and decryption of files and folders.
- "/w:" is an option or flag that specifies the action to be performed, which in this case is overwriting the deleted space of a file or directory.
- "${path\to\file_or_directory}" represents the actual path to the file or directory you want to perform the action on. You need to replace "${path\to\file_or_directory}" with the actual location of the file or directory on your system.
By running this command, the deleted space of the file or directory specified is overwritten with random data, making it harder for someone to recover any deleted or sensitive information.
This explanation was created by an AI. In most cases those are correct. But please always be careful and
never run a command you are not sure if it is safe.