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Translation updates thanks to the following contributors:
- Arabic: jonnysemon
- Czech: Fjuro
- Estonian: Priit Jõerüüt
- Italian: Dark Space
- Portuguese (Brazil): Jose Delvani
- Ukrainian: Fqwe1
Quick answer
A free space eraser
A high performance free space eraser, the first on Android. Use before selling your device, after enabling encryption, or after deleting many apps/files.
- Due to how flash drives work and the partition layout of devices, it'll never be possible to fully fill the drive.
- Warning! Excessive use WILL destroy your device!
What is free space erasing?
- Typically when you delete a file it is not really deleted, it is merely removed from the file system's index.
- A free space eraser tool such as this one fills the remaining space of your drive with random noise files and then deletes them.
- This process makes deleted files for the most part irrecoverable.
What is file table filling?
- On some file systems, deleted file names can still be accessible in backup index databases.
- By creating many tens or hundreds of thousands of empty files with different random names you can push out the old files.
- This process makes deleted file names for the most part irrecoverable.
Screenshots
How to install
- Download the APK from the button at the top of this page.
- Allow “Install unknown apps” for your browser or file manager only, not for every app.
- Open the downloaded file and confirm the installation.
- If installation fails with “App not installed,” remove an earlier build of the same app first. A signature conflict is the usual cause.
Data safety
- Every file is checked against its published SHA-256 before it is listed.
- Files are scanned for malware on every update.
- The permissions each app requests are listed on its own page.
- Read the full safety policy for how we test, flag, and delist files.
Frequently asked questions
What is Extirpater?
A free space eraser
Who develops Extirpater?
Extirpater is developed by Divested Computing Group.
Which Android version does Extirpater require?
Extirpater requires Android API 14 or later.
What is the current version of Extirpater?
The synchronized F-Droid version is 1.8.
Which license does Extirpater use?
The signed F-Droid metadata lists AGPL-3.0-or-later.
Where is the source code for Extirpater?
https://gitlab.com/divested-mobile/extirpater
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