Long press on the external drive, and select Erase from the resulting menu. Enter a new name for the drive and select your preferred format. Tap the Erase option in the top right corner and select ...

Whether recycling through local channels or selling a drive or PC, you'll need to ensure it's wiped to protect yourself from someone else accessing personal data. A quick format won't cut it here.

With so many of our gadgets going online these days, credit-card and Social Security numbers, banking information, passwords, family photos, and more accumulate in places you might not expect.

6. In the pop-up window, you can change the file system and the name of the drive if you want to, but you can also simply leave the default settings. When you're ready, click "Erase." Depending on ...