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What is TRIM on an SSD?

In one sentence: A message a computer sends to an SSD saying which blocks are free, so the drive can erase them in the background.

A little more

Flash storage (SSDs, phones, memory cards) can't simply write over old data; it has to erase blocks first. TRIM is a message the computer sends saying "these blocks are free now", so the drive can wipe them in the background and be ready for new data.

A side effect is that deleted files on SSDs often become impossible to recover within minutes, unlike on old spinning hard drives.

See it in action

  1. 8Where do deleted files and photos go?Delete a photo, empty the bin, and watch what really happens on a pretend disk: the file is forgotten, not rubbed out.7 min · interactive

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