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Your faithful Mac has served you well for years, but it’s time to upgrade. Whether you’re selling it, giving it to a friend, donating it, or recycling it, you first need to make sure all of your personal data is wiped clean.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the process step-by-step, from backing up your files to encrypting your data, so you can make sure your private information stays private.

Before you do anything else, back up

Once you wipe your Mac, you won’t be able to access the data from your drive. Before you get started, you’ll want to make sure any important data on your hard drive has been backed up. Apple has a built-in backup utility called Time Machine backup software.

While Time Machine is a good start, it doesn’t fulfill all of the requirements of a 3-2-1 backup strategy: When you set up Time Machine backups, you choose a backup disk (an external drive or network attached storage (NAS) device) that you can save your backups to. Under the 3-2-1 backup rule (three backups, on two media types, with one off-site), that means you’d still need an off-site copy of your data, preferably saved in the cloud. Ideally, you’d pair Time Machine with a product like Backblaze Computer Backup for maximum flexibility. Note that even though backups run nearly continuously with Backblaze Computer Backup, we recommend hitting the manual backup button before you wipe your Mac to ensure you’ve got the most recent information.

Mac operating systems (OSes) and processing chips: Figuring out what you have

The process for wiping your Mac depends on a couple things:

What OS version you’re rocking
What kind of processing chip you have

Fortunately, Apple has only made it easier to wipe your computer as the years and operating systems have rolled out. If you’re using macOS Monterey or later with an Apple-based processor chip, it’s very simple—you have the option to wipe your Mac from the System Settings.

What macOS do I have?

You can see your current OS in the About This Mac screen (from the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen, choose About This Mac), and below is a list of all OS releases you can compare against. You can also check out the Apple Help article on the topic.

What kind of processing chip do I have in my Mac?

The second variable you need to know is what kind of processing chip you have in your Mac—an Apple-based chip (Apple M-series) or an Intel chip.

In November 2020, Apple launched its first Macs equipped with M1 chips, replacing the Intel-based processors of the past. The evolution of the M-series Apple chips has been notable largely for performance enhancements, but given that (at the time of publishing) this was four years ago, there’s a good chance that many users will have an Intel processor.

To see what kind of chip you have, follow the same instructions as above—go to your Apple menu and select About This Mac. If you have an M-series chip, you’ll see that listed as marked in the screenshot below.

If you have an Intel-based Mac, you will see Processor, followed by the name of an Intel processor.

How to wipe your Mac

Okay, so now that you know your operating system and processing chip, we can get to the actual how-to of how to wipe your Mac. The steps will be slightly different based on each of the above variables. Let’s dig in.

Wipe a Mac with an Apple chip and a recent macOS update

If you have macOS Monterey or later with an Apple chip, then you’re going to wipe your Mac using the Erase All Content and Settings function. (You might also see this called the Erase Assistant in Apple’s Help articles.) This will delete all your data, including iCloud and Apple logins, Apple wallet information, Bluetooth pairings, fingerprint sensor profiles, and Find My Mac settings, as well as resetting your Mac to factory settings. Here’s how you find it.

If you have macOS Ventura or Sonoma:

Select the Apple menu.
Choose System Settings.
Click General in the sidebar.
Click Transfer or Reset on the right.

If you have macOS Monterey:

Select the Apple Menu.
Choose System Preferences.

Once the System Preferences window is open, select the dropdown menu in your top navigation bar. Then, select Erase All Content and Settings.

Once you’ve reached this point, then the steps will be the same for each process. Here’s what to expect.

You’ll be prompted to log in with your administrator credentials.
Next, you will be reminded to back up via Time Machine. Remember that if you choose this option, you’ll want to back up to an external device—because, of course, you’re about to get rid of all the data stored on this computer.
Click Continue to allow all your settings, data, accounts, etc. to be removed.

If you’re asked to sign out of Apple ID, enter your Apple password and hit Continue.
Click Erase all Content & Settings to confirm.

Your Mac will automatically restart. If you have an accessory like a Bluetooth keyboard, you’ll be prompted to reconnect that device.
Select a WiFi network or attach a network cable.
After joining a network, your Mac activates. Click Restart.
After your device has restarted, a setup assistant will launch (just like when you first got your Mac).

It’ll be pretty clear if you don’t meet the conditions to erase your drive using this method because you won’t see Erase All Content and Settings on the System Settings we showed you above. So, here are instructions for the other methods.

How to wipe a Mac with an Apple chip using Disk Utility

Disk Utility is exactly what it sounds like: a Mac system application that helps you to manage your various storage volumes. You’d use it to manage storage if you have additional storage volumes, like a NAS or external hard drive; to set up a partition on your drive; to create a disk image (basically, a backup); or to simply give your disks a check up if they’re acting funky.

You can access Disk Utility at any time by selecting Finder > Go > Utilities, but you can also trigger Disk Utility on startup as outlined below.

Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until the startup options window comes up. Click Options, then click Continue.
You may be prompted to log in with either your administrative password or your Apple ID.
When the Utilities window appears, select Disk Utility and hit Continue.

If you’d previously added other drives to your startup disk, click the delete volume button (–) to erase them.
Then, choose Macintosh HD in the sidebar.
Click the Erase button, then select a file system format and enter a name for it. For Macs with an M1 chip, your option for a file system format is only Apple File System (APFS).
Click Erase or, if it’s an option, Erase Volume Group. You may be asked for your Apple ID at this point.
You’ll be prompted to confirm your choice, then your computer will restart.
Just as in the other steps, when the computer restarts, it will attempt to activate by connecting to WiFi or asking you to attach a network cable.
After it activates, select Exit to Recovery Utilities.

Once it’s done, the Mac’s hard drive will be clean as a whistle and ready for its next adventure: a fresh installation of the macOS, being donated to a relative or a local charity, or just sent to an e-waste facility. Of course, you can still drill a hole in your disk or smash it with a sledgehammer if it makes you happy, but now you know how to wipe the data from your old computer with much less ruckus.

How to wipe a Mac with an Intel Processor using Disk Utility

Last but not least, let’s talk about how to wipe an Intel-based Mac.

Starting with your Mac turned off, press the power button, then immediately hold down the command (⌘) and R keys and wait until the Apple logo appears. This will launch macOS Recovery.
You may be prompted to log in with an administrator account password.
When the Recovery window appears, select Disk Utility.
In the sidebar, choose Macintosh HD.
Click the Erase button, then select a file system format and enter a name for it. Your options for a file system format include APFS, which is the file system used by macOS 10.13 or later, and macOS Extended, which is the file system used by macOS 10.12 or earlier.
Click Erase or Erase Volume Group. You may be prompted to provide your Apple ID.
If you previously used Disk Utility to add other storage volumes, you can erase them individually using the process above.
When you’ve deleted all your drives, quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window. You may also choose to restart your computer at this point.

Do you still need to know what kind of drive you have?

Wiping your Mac used to depend on what kind of drive you had—a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD). As we’ve outlined above, today, the process depends on your OS and the type of chip you have. But some of you may have very old Macs you want to get rid of. Here we’ll talk a bit about HDDs vs SSDs and the impact that has on how you erase your computer.

Around 2010, Apple started moving to only SSD storage in many of its devices. That said, some Mac desktop computers continued to offer the option of both SSD and HDD storage until 2020, a setup they called a Fusion Drive. The Fusion Drive is not to be confused with flash storage, a term that refers to the internal storage that holds your readily available and most accessed data at lower power settings.

Note that as of November 2021, Apple does not offer any Macs with a Fusion Drive. Basically, if you bought your device before 2010 or you have a desktop computer from 2021 or earlier, there’s a chance you may be using an HDD.

HDDs and SSDs: What’s the difference?

There are good reasons that Apple switched to using mostly SSDs, and good reasons they kept HDDs around for as long as they did as well. If you want to know more about the differences in drive types, check out Hard Disk Drive (HDD) vs. Solid State Drive (SSD): What’s the Difference?

So, what kind of drive do you have?

To determine what kind of drive your Mac uses, click on the Apple menu and select About This Mac.

Avoid the pitfall of selecting the Storage tab in the top menu. What you’ll find is that the default name of your drive is “Macintosh HD” which is confusing, given that they’re referring to the internal storage of the computer as a hard drive when (in most cases), your drive is an SSD. While you can find information about your drive on this screen, we prefer the method that provides maximum clarity.

So, on the Overview screen, click System Report. Bonus: You’ll also see what type of processor you have and your macOS version (which will be useful later).

Once there, select the Storage tab, then the volume name you want to identify. You should see a line called Medium Type, which will tell you what kind of drive you have.

Securely erasing drives: Questions and considerations

Some of you drive experts out there might remember that there is some nuance to security when it comes to erasing drives, and that there are differences in erasing HDDs versus SSDs. Without detouring into why and how that’s the case, just know that on Fusion Drives or Intel-based Macs, you may see additional security options you can enable when erasing HDDs.

There are four options in the “Security Options” slider. “Fastest” is quick but insecure—data could potentially be rebuilt using a file recovery app. Moving that slider to the right introduces progressively more secure erasing. Disk Utility’s most secure level erases the information used to access the files on your disk, then writes zeros across the disk surface seven times to help remove any trace of what was there. This setting conforms to the DoD 5220.22-M specification. Bear in mind that the more secure method you select, the longer it will take. The most secure methods can add hours to the process. For peace of mind, we suggest choosing the most secure option to erase your hard drive. You can always start the process in the evening and let it run overnight.

After the process is complete, restart your Mac and see if you can find any data. A quick inspection is not foolproof, but it can provide some peace of mind that the process finished without an interruption.

Securely erasing SSDs and why not to

If your Mac comes equipped with an SSD, Apple’s Disk Utility software won’t actually let you zero the drive. Sounds strange, right? Apple’s online Knowledge Base explains that secure erase options are not available in Disk Utility for SSDs.

Fortunately, you are not restricted to using the standard erasure option to protect yourself. Instead, you can use FileVault, a capability built into the operating system.

Encrypting your computer with FileVault

FileVault is an excellent option to protect all of the data on a Mac SSD with encryption. FileVault is whole-disk encryption for the Mac. With FileVault engaged, you need a password to access the information on your hard drive. Even without it, your data is encrypted and it would be very difficult for anybody else to access.

Before you use FileVault, there is a crucial downside. If you lose your password or the encryption key, your data may be gone for good!

When you first set up a new Mac, you’re given the option of turning FileVault on. If you don’t do it then, you can turn on FileVault at any time by clicking on your Mac’s System Preferences, clicking on Security & Privacy, and selecting the FileVault tab. Be warned, however, that the initial encryption process can take hours, as will decryption if you ever need to turn FileVault off.

With FileVault turned on, you can restart your Mac into its Recovery System following the directions above and erase your hard drive using Disk Utility, once you’ve unlocked it (by selecting the disk, clicking the File menu, and clicking Unlock). That deletes the FileVault key, which means any data on the drive is useless.

Nowadays, most Macs manage disk encryption through the T2 chip and its Secure Enclave, which is entirely separate from the main computer itself. This is why FileVault has no CPU overhead—it’s all handled by the T2 chip. Although FileVault doesn’t impact the performance of most modern Macs, we’d suggest only using it if your Mac has an SSD, not a conventional HDD.

Securely erasing free space on your SSD

If you don’t want to take Apple’s word for it, if you’re not using FileVault, or if you just want to, there is a way to securely erase free space on your SSD. It’s a little more involved, but it works. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me state for the record that this really isn’t necessary to do, which is why Apple’s made it so hard to do.

To delete all data from an SSD on an Apple computer, use Apple’s Terminal app. Terminal provides you with command line interface (CLI) access to the OS X operating system. Terminal lives in the Utilities folder, but you can access Terminal from the Mac’s Recovery System. Once your Mac has booted into the Recovery partition, click the Utilities menu and launch Terminal.

From a Terminal command line, type the following:

diskutil secureErase freespace VALUE /Volumes/DRIVE

That tells your Mac to securely erase the free space on your SSD. You’ll need to change value to a number between 0 and 4. Zero is a single-pass run of zeroes, 1 is a single-pass run of random numbers, 2 is a seven-pass erase, 3 is a 35-pass erase. Finally, level 4 is a three-pass erase with random fills plus a final zero fill. drive should be changed to the name of your hard drive. To run a seven-pass erase of your SSD drive in JohnB-MacBook, you would enter the following:

diskutil secureErase freespace 2 /Volumes/JohnB-MacBook

Note that while Mac’s Terminal typically uses forward slashes ( / ), if you have a space in the name of your hard drive, you’ll see a backslash ( \ ) to indicate that break in syntax. (So “Macintosh HD” becomes /Macintosh\ HD.) For example, to run a 35-pass erase on a hard drive called Macintosh HD, enter the following:

diskutil secureErase freespace 3 /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD

If you’re like the majority of computer users, you’ve never opened your Terminal application—and that’s probably a good thing. If you’re providing the proper instructions, a CLI lets you directly edit the guts of your computer. If you’re not providing the proper instructions, things will just error out, and likely you won’t know why.

In conclusion, in most cases, it’s simple to wipe your Mac hard drive

All this to say: Apple has made specific choices about designing products for folks who aren’t computer experts, and in most cases, you won’t need to break out the CLI knowledge to securely erase your hard drive. While Mac sometimes limits how customizable you can get on your device (i.e. it’s super hard to zero out an SSD), it’s usually for good reason—in this case, it’s to preserve the health of your drive in the long term. So, if you personally are planning to reuse the device you’re wiping, or if you’re not being targeted in a real-life James Bond movie, in most instances, it’s a less-than-ten step process to securely wipe your Mac and send it on to a new, shiny future.

FAQ

1. How do I wipe a Mac computer?

Wiping all data from your Mac depends on what macOS you’re using and what kind of processing chip you have. For Macs using macOS Monterey or later, you can use the Erase All Content and Settings function. This will delete all your data, including iCloud and Apple logins, Apple wallet information, Bluetooth pairings, fingerprint sensor profiles, and Find My Mac settings, as well as resetting your Mac to factory settings.

2. How do I wipe a Mac with an Intel processing chip?

To wipe a Mac with an Intel processing chip, you need to use Disk Utility, a Mac system application that helps you to manage your various storage volumes. You can access Disk Utility by selecting Finder > Go > Utilities. Choose Macintosh HD in the sidebar, click the Erase button, then select a file system format and enter a name for it. Your options for a file system format include Apple File System (APFS), which is the file system used by macOS 10.13 or later, and macOS Extended, which is the file system used by macOS 10.12 or earlier. Then click Erase or, if it’s an option, Erase Volume Group.

3. How do I encrypt data on my Mac?

The post Guide to How to Wipe a Mac or Macbook Clean appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup

Solidigm has a 61.44TB SSD Coming this Quarter

2023-07-21 Cliff Robinson

Post Syndicated from Cliff Robinson original https://www.servethehome.com/solidigm-has-a-61-44tb-ssd-coming-this-quarter/

Solidigm has a massive new NVMe SSD. Dubbed the Solidigm D5-P5336, the new drive spans U.2, E3.S, and E1.L form factors reaching 61.44TB

The post Solidigm has a 61.44TB SSD Coming this Quarter appeared first on ServeTheHome.

Inland TD510 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review

2023-06-11 Will Taillac

Post Syndicated from Will Taillac original https://www.servethehome.com/inland-td510-2tb-pcie-gen5-nvme-ssd-review/

We take a look at the Inland TD510. In our review, we see how this 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD performs and discuss some trade-offs

The post Inland TD510 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review appeared first on ServeTheHome.

Kioxia BG6 PCIe Gen4 DRAM-Less SSD Launched

2023-05-22 Cliff Robinson

Post Syndicated from Cliff Robinson original https://www.servethehome.com/kioxia-bg6-pcie-gen4-dram-less-ssd-launched/

Kioxia kicks up competition in the HMB SSD segment. The new Kioxia BG6 offers up to 2TB of capcity with PCIe Gen4 and big generational gains

The post Kioxia BG6 PCIe Gen4 DRAM-Less SSD Launched appeared first on ServeTheHome.

Solidigm D5-P5430 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Launched Sporting New Branding

2023-05-16 Will Taillac

Post Syndicated from Will Taillac original https://www.servethehome.com/solidigm-d5-p5430-pcie-gen4-nvme-ssd-launched-sporting-new-branding/

The Solidigm D5-P5430 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD brings higher capacity, lower cost, and new purple drive branding with this generation

The post Solidigm D5-P5430 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Launched Sporting New Branding appeared first on ServeTheHome.

Micron 6500 ION and XTR Enterprise SSDs Announced

2023-05-16 Will Taillac

Post Syndicated from Will Taillac original https://www.servethehome.com/micron-6500-ion-and-xtr-enterprise-ssds-announced/

Micron 6500 ION is the company’s new 30.72TB capacity NVMe SSD while the Micron XTR is the new high-endurance cache drive

The post Micron 6500 ION and XTR Enterprise SSDs Announced appeared first on ServeTheHome.

Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVME SSD Review

2023-05-07 Will Taillac

Post Syndicated from Will Taillac original https://www.servethehome.com/crucial-p3-plus-1tb-pcie-gen4-nvme-ssd-review/

In our Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD review, we see how this M.2 SSD achieves ultra-low cost sacrificing endurance and consistency

The post Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVME SSD Review appeared first on ServeTheHome.

SSD 101: How Reliable are SSDs?

2023-03-30

Post Syndicated from original https://backblazeprod.wpenginepowered.com/blog/how-reliable-are-ssds/

A decorative image showing an illustration of an SSD drive that exposes the interior. A headline reads How Reliable Are SSDs?

This article has been updated since it was originally published in 2023.

Solid state drives (SSDs) continue to grow in popularity, and no wonder. Compared to hard disk drives (HDDs), they are faster, smaller, more power efficient, and sturdier since they have no moving parts to jostle around. And, they are becoming available in larger and larger capacities while their cost comes down.

But are they really as dependable as they claim to be? SSDs still have vulnerabilities, and storage tech that lasts thousands of years isn’t commercially viable (yet!).

In this post we’re going to consider the issue of SSD reliability. We’ll take a closer look at:

SSD tech.
SSD storage memory.
Reliability factors.
Signs of SSD failure.

So, how reliable is an SSD? Let’s dig in.

But First, Back It Up

Of course, as a data storage and backup company, you know what we’re going to say right off: No matter how you store your data, you should always back it up. Even if your data is stored on a brand new SSD, it won’t do you any good if your computer is stolen, destroyed by a flood, or lost in a fire or other act of nature. We recommend using a 3-2-1 backup strategy to safeguard your data.

SSD Tech

Almost all types of today’s SSDs use NAND flash memory. NAND isn’t an acronym like a lot of computer terms. Instead, it’s a name that’s derived from its logic gate, the basic building block of its memory cells, called “NOT AND.” (For the curious, a NAND gate is a logic gate that produces an output that is false only if all its inputs are true.)

A diagram of the interior motherboard of an SSD identifying the cache, controller, and NAND Flash Memory.

Flash (the term following NAND) refers to a non-volatile solid state memory that retains data even when the power source is removed.

NAND storage has specific properties that affect how long it will last. NAND flash memory works by storing data in individual memory cells organized in a grid-like array. When data (a 1 or a 0) is written to a NAND cell (also known as programming), the data must be erased before new data can be written to that same cell. When writing and erasing a NAND cell, electrons are sent through an insulator and back, and the insulator starts to wear. Eventually, the insulator wears to the point where it may have difficulty keeping the electrons in their correct (programmed) location, which makes it increasingly more difficult to determine if the electrons are where they should be and to indicate the correct value (1 or 0) of the cell.

This means that flash type memory cells can only be reliably programmed and erased a given number of times. This is measured in programmed/erase cycles, more commonly known as P/E cycles.

P/E cycles are an important measurement of SSD reliability, but there are other factors that are important to consider as well including TBW (terabytes written) and MTBF (mean time between failures). Here are a few definitions to help keep everything straight:

Programmed/Erase Cycles (P/E Cycles)

A P/E cycle in solid state storage involves writing data to a NAND flash memory cell then erasing that data, so it is ready to be rewritten. The endurance of an SSD, measured in P/E cycles, varies depending on the technology, but typically falls somewhere between 500 and 100,000 P/E cycles.

Terabytes Written (TBW)

Terabytes written is the total amount of data that can be written to an SSD before it is likely to fail. For example, here are the TBW warranties for the popular Samsung V-NAND SSD 870 EVO:

250GB model: 150TBW
500GB model: 300TBW
1TB model: 600TBW
2TB model: 1,200TBW
4TB model: 2,400TBW

All of these models are warrantied for five years or TBW, whichever comes first.

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

MTBF is a metric used to gauge the reliability of a hardware component throughout its anticipated lifespan. For most components, the measure is typically in thousands or even tens of thousands of hours between failures. For example, an HDD may have a mean time between failures of 300,000 hours, while an SSD might have 1.5 million hours.

Manufacturers provide these specifications for their products. They can help you understand your drives’ expected lifespan as well as its suitability for specific applications.

Be careful when reviewing the specifications though, as they don’t guarantee your particular SSD will last for that specific duration. Rather, they indicate that, based on a sample set of the SSD model, errors are anticipated to occur at a certain rate. A 1.2 million hour MTBF means that, assuming the drive is used at an average of eight hours a day, a sample size of 1,000 SSDs would be expected to have one failure every 150 days, or about twice a year.

Today, many SSDs come with a utility which monitors the life expectancy of the drive. Their recommendations are based on monitoring the SMART attributes of the drive. As we discussed in a previous post, there is little consistency between the different SSD manufacturers in what attributes they monitor and how they calculate drive life expectancy. Therefore, it is important that you read the manual for your particular SSD if you are interested in using this information to decide when to replace your SSD.

SSD Storage Memory

There are currently five different NAND flash cell technologies based on the number of bits stored per cell, which we’ll discuss below. Generally, as the number of bits stored per cell increases, the cost per bit decreases, but endurance and performance may decrease as well.

SLC (Single Level Cell): One Bit Per Cell

SLC was the first type of NAND flash storage developed. It stores one bit per cell. SLC storage is fast and wear is minimal. On the downside, it’s not space-efficient; that is, the physical size of the SSD form factor used.

MLC (Multi-Level Cell): Two Bits Per Cell

MLC stores two bits per cell. This basically doubled the amount of storage and lowered the cost for a given form factor. But MLC is slower as it has to distinguish between the two bits in a given cell.

TLC (Triple Level Cell): Three Bits Per Cell

The trend continued with TLC where three bits are stored per cell. This advancement had two interesting consequences. First, the unit cost started to be appealing to most audiences. While still two to three times as expensive as a comparable hard drive, a TLC-based SSD was affordable. Second, the TLC technology hastened the introduction of caching within the SSD, as the unaided read/write speeds had dipped to near those of a hard drive.

QLC (Quad Level Cell): Four Bits Per Cell

QLC is the current “standard.” It stores four bits per cell. This increases storage density yet again, lowers the price even more, and, with caching improvements, continues to deliver superior speed. On the downside, the drive can wear out sooner, especially as it fills up.

3D NAND

In the previous technologies the cells are side by side in a single, two-dimensional layer—this design is described as planar. In 3D NAND, the cells are stacked three-dimensionally. This improves storage density and speed, but increases the manufacturing cost and lowers endurance over time.

In general SLC and MLC are faster and last longer, but are limited to the amount of space. TLC and QLC technologies can store data at a lower cost, but may be slower. However, the difference in speed is probably negligible for the average consumer, and is sometimes made up for by things like dynamic caching. The 3D NAND technology is a great choice, but be prepared to pay more.

SSD Reliability Factors to Consider

Compared to HDDs, SSDs are sturdier. Since they don’t have moving parts like actuator arms and spinning platters, they can withstand accidental drops and other shocks, vibration, extreme temperatures, and magnetic fields better than HDDs. Add to that their small size and lower power consumption, and the idea of replacing HDDs with SSDs could be worth the time and effort.

That’s not exactly the whole story though. There are different performance and reliability criteria you should use depending on whether the SSD will be used in a home desktop computer, a data center, or an exploration vehicle on Mars. And SSD manufacturers are increasingly marketing SSDs for specific workloads such as write-intensive, read-intensive, or mixed-use. What that means is that you can select the optimal level of SSD endurance and capacity for a particular use case.

For instance, an enterprise user with a high-transaction database might opt for a drive that can withstand a higher number of writes at the expense of capacity. Or, a user operating a database that doesn’t get frequent writes might choose a lower performance drive with a higher capacity. By doing this, the manufacturers are hiding the complexity embedded in the technology like storage NAND (SLC, MLC, etc), caching, and so on. That said, it does make it easier to match your requirements to the best type of SSD.

Signs of SSD Failure

You’ve likely encountered the dreaded clicking sound that emanates from a dying HDD. An SSD has no moving parts, so you won’t get an audible warning that an SSD is about to fail, but there are usually other signs of when that’s going to happen. If you start to notice any of them, take action by replacing that drive with a new one. Indicators that your SSD is nearing its end of life include:

1) Errors Involving Bad Blocks

Much like bad sectors on HDDs, there are bad blocks on SSDs. If you have a bad block, the computer will typically try to read or save a file, but it takes an unusually long time and ends in failure, so the system eventually gives up and sends an error message.

2) Files Cannot Be Read or Written

There are two ways in which a bad block can affect your files. First, the system detects the bad block while writing data to the drive, and thus refuses to write data, or second, the system detects the bad block after the data has been written, and thus refuses to read that data.

3) The File System Needs Repair

Getting an error message like this on your screen can happen simply because the computer was not shut down properly, but it also could be a sign of an SSD developing bad blocks or other problems.

4) Crashing During Boot

A crash during the computer boot is a sign that your drive could be developing a problem. You should make sure you have a current backup of all your data before it gets worse and the drive fails completely.

5) The Drive Becomes Read-Only

Your drive might refuse to write any more data to disk and can only read data. Fortunately, you can still get your data off the disk, and you should.

So, How Reliable Is an SSD?

Let’s break down the reliability of SSDs into three, more specific questions:

Question 1: How long can we reasonably expect an SSD to last?

Answer: An SSD should ideally last as long as its manufacturer expects it to last (generally five years), provided that the use of the drive is not excessive for the technology it employs (e.g. using a QLC in an application with a high number of writes). Consult the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure that how you’re using the SSD matches its best use.

Here at Backblaze we use SSDs for many different applications. The one use case we have rigorous reliability data for is as boot drives in our storage servers. This cohort of drives does more than boot these servers; they also write, store, read, and delete log files of various types recorded by the storage servers on a daily basis. The latest Drive Stats SSD Edition illuminates the reliability of the drive models we use for this purpose.

Question 2: Do SSDs fail faster than HDDs?

Answer: There are many variables in comparing the reliability of HDDs and SSDs, the primary one being how they are used. In the SSD Drive Stats report noted above, we compared SSD and HDD boot drives as they performed the same function in the same types of systems, storage servers. While it seems in the first three years or so the different drives are similar in their failure curves, the curves separate after four years, with the HDDs failing at a higher rate. So far the SSDs have maintained a 1% or less Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) through the first four years.

SSD users are far more likely to replace their storage drive because they’re ready to upgrade to a newer technology, higher capacity, or faster drive, than having to replace the drive due to a short lifespan. Under normal use we can expect an SSD to last years. If you replace your computer every three years, as most users do, then you probably needn’t worry about whether your SSD will last as long as your computer. What’s important is whether the SSD will be sufficiently reliable that you won’t lose your data during its lifetime.

Question 3: Are SSDs good for long-term storage?

Answer: SSDs, like hard drives, are meant to be used. An external drive stuffed into a closet for a couple of years is never a good thing, and it doesn’t matter whether it is an SSD or HDD inside. The evidence of whether an SSD will fare better than a HDD in such a circumstance is anecdotal at best. Still, it is better to use an external drive as a backup of your computer as part of your backup plan—just don’t make it your only backup.

Summary

It’s good to understand how the different SSD technologies affect their reliability, and whether it’s worth it to spend extra money for SLC over MLC or QLC. However, unless you’re using an SSD in a specialized application with more writes than reads as we described above, just selecting a good quality SSD from a reputable manufacturer should be enough to make you feel confident that your SSD will have a useful life span.

Keep an eye out for any signs of failure or bad sectors, and, of course, be sure to have a solid backup plan no matter what type of drive you’re using.

FAQs

1. How do you measure SSD reliability?

There are a number of metrics that can help you understand SSD reliability, including programmed/erase (P/E) cycles, terabytes written (TBW), and mean time between failures (MBTF). These metrics alone won’t be able to tell you how long a given SSD will last, but they can help you understand roughly where your SSD is in its lifecycle. Check the manufacturer’s warranty and endurance rating in TBW. Higher values indicate better durability.

2. What are programmed/erase (P/E) cycles?

A solid-state storage programmed/erase (P/E) cycle is a sequence of events in which data is written to a solid-state NAND flash memory cell, then erased, and then rewritten. How many P/E cycles a SSD can endure varies with the technology used, somewhere between 500 to 100,000 P/E cycles.

3. What SSD should I buy?

The ideal SSD to buy depends on your specific needs. Consider factors like capacity, speed, and budget. For most users, a mid-range SSD from a reputable brand offers a good balance of performance and affordability. SSD manufacturers are increasingly marketing SSDs for specific workloads such as write-intensive, read-intensive, or mixed-use. What that means is that you can select the optimal level of SSD endurance and capacity for a particular use case. For instance, an enterprise user with a high-transaction database might opt for a drive that can withstand a higher number of writes at the expense of capacity. Or, a user operating a database that doesn’t get frequent writes might choose a lower performance drive with a higher capacity.

4. How do I know my SSD is going to fail?

SSDs will eventually fail, but there usually are advance warnings of when that’s going to happen. Some warning signs include errors involving bad blocks, being unable to read or write files, getting error messages that the file system needs repair, crashes during boot, or when your drive becomes read-only. When this happens, make sure you have a good backup.

5. How long can I expect an SSD to last?

An SSD should ideally last as long as its manufacturer expects it to last (generally five years), provided that the use of the drive is not excessive for the technology it employs. Consult the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure that how you’re using the SSD matches its best use.

6. Do SSDs fail faster than HDDs?

There are many variables in comparing the reliability of HDDs and SSDs, the primary one being how they are used. SSD users are far more likely to replace their storage drive because they’re ready to upgrade to a newer technology, higher capacity, or faster drive, than having to replace the drive due to a short lifespan. Under normal use we can expect an SSD to last years. If you replace your computer every three years, as most users do, then you probably needn’t worry about whether your SSD will last as long as your computer. What’s important is whether the SSD will be sufficiently reliable that you won’t lose your data during its lifetime.

7. Are SSDs good for long-term storage?

SSDs, like hard drives, are meant to be used. An external drive stuffed into a closet for a couple of years is never a good thing, and it doesn’t matter whether it is an SSD or HDD inside. The evidence of whether an SSD will fare better than a HDD in such a circumstance is anecdotal at best. Still, it is better to use an external drive as a backup of your computer as part of your backup plan—just don’t make it your only backup.

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