Permanently Delete Microsoft Office Documents On Mac

To deleted Microsoft Office Documents on Mac can be done by deleting files and emptying the Trash. However, the data is not gone permanently in this way. To ensure the documents will be removed permanently, you can try the other macOS built-in tools and reliable third-party data erasure tools.

Download Super Eraser for Mac

Updated by Shirly Chen on January 08, 2025

Table of Contents

Quick Navigation:

Why Permanently Delete Documents?
Common Way to Delete Microsoft Office Documents on Mac
Permanently Delete Microsoft Office Documents on Mac
Additional Tips for Data Security
Conclusion

Getting rid of Microsoft Office files on a Mac protects your privacy, makes room, and keeps your system clean. Putting things in the Trash doesn't mean they're gone permanently. This guide covers many safe ways to delete files, such as using built-in macOS features and third-party programs.

permanently deleted Microsoft Office documents on Mac

By doing these things, you can make sure that no one can get back your private files, which will protect your personal and business data. Whether you want to delete Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, this guide will help you do it quickly and easily. You can be sure your documents will be permanently removed from your Mac.

Why Permanently Delete Documents?

Before you start the steps, it's important to know why you might want to delete files for good:

👤 Privacy Concerns: Unauthorized users shouldn't be able to get back sensitive information.
💾 Free Up Space: Getting rid of all things that aren't needed can help make the most of storage space.
🧹 Clean System: This feature ensures that your system has no old or useless files.

Common Way to Delete Microsoft Office Documents on Mac

The common way to delete Microsoft Office documents on Mac is to move the files to Trash and then empty the Trash. But it's not safe to remove privacy or sensitive data in this way. Here is how:

1. Delete Microsoft Office Documents

You can delete files right from within the Word program. These steps will help you delete papers you don't want.

Open the location where your Microsoft Office documents are located.
Locate and select the documents which you want to deleted.
Right-click and select "Move to Trash" option from the menu.
This will put the selected Microsoft Office document into Trash.

2. Emptying the Trash

To open the Trash, click on its icon in the Dock.
Ensure that everything in the Trash is something you want to delete permanently.
To empty the trash, right-click the Trash icon and choose "Empty Trash."
A message asking for proof will appear. When it does, click "Empty Trash." The files will be removed from the Trash but not permanently erased from the disk.

3. Emptying the Office Cache

Microsoft Office programs keep temporary files and caches that may contain bits and pieces of your papers. By clearing these, you can help ensure all your papers are gone.

Make sure that all of your Office programs are stopped.
Hold down Cmd, Shift, and G while you open Finder.
Type in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/ and press Enter.
Find files in the OfficeFileCache and TemporaryItems folders and delete them.

Permanently Delete Microsoft Office Documents on Mac

Even if you have emptied the Trash after deleting the Microsoft Office documents on Mac, the files are actually still on the drive before the data is overwritten by new data. So it's easy to recover the deleted files using professional data recovery software.

How to recover deleted files on Mac?

With the software Do Your Data Recovery for Mac, it's easy to get back the deleted files on mac.

To ensure the Microsoft Office documents will be removed permanently and cannot be recovered, you can try the following methods:

Method 1. Using Disk Utility for Secure Erase

You can safely erase the drive with the Disk Utility to ensure that all files, including Microsoft Office documents, will be securely removed. Here are the steps:

Start by going to "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Disk Utility".
From the list on the left, pick the main hard drive. To erase the drive, click on Erase button.
Select a file system for the drive to reformat the drive.
Click Security Options to configure the secure erase options.
Pick the protection level you want (Fastest, Secure, or Most Secure). Remember that this process could take a long time, depending on the size of your hard drive and the level of security you choose.
At last, click Erase button and the drive will be reformatted and all data will be erased permanently.

Method 2. Using third-party data erasure software:

DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac has many different tools that can help you delete Microsoft Office files from your Mac permanently. Data recovery software cannot return any Microsoft Office files you use this powerful data deletion tool to delete. The Microsoft Office files will be lost forever after DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac deletes them.

DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac

Best tool to shred Microsoft Office documents permanently on Mac.
Securely wipe data and ensure the erased data unrecoverable.
Destroy files in different ways with 3 data erasure modes.

Download Super Eraser for Mac

You can follow the guide to shred Microsoft Office documents or any other files with a proper data erasure mode:

Option 1: permanently erase Mac Microsoft Office files.

This "Erase Files/Folders" tool can help you get rid of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office files on your Mac computer for good. To delete Microsoft Office files, you can do as follows:

1. Run the software and change to the mode "Erase Files/Folders" and click on Add button to select the Microsoft Office documents you want to shred permanently. You can also drag them onto the list.