# Erasing a Drive Securely

The Instant Secure Erase feature erases data from encrypted drives.

Attention: All data on the drive is lost when you erase it. Before starting this operation, back up any data that you want to keep.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click the Drives tab.
   All of the associated drives appear.
2. Expand Unconfigured Drives, and select an unconfigured good drive.
3. Select Actions > Instant Secure Erase.
   A confirmation message appears.
4. Select Confirm and click Yes, Securely Erase Drive to proceed with the operation.
   After the secure erase operation has started, the Stop Erase option is enabled in the Actions menu. You can monitor the progress of the erase operation. See Background Operations Support.

Parent topic: Managing Physical Drives