The last step before leaving one job for another is deleting your files. Employees need to be very wary not to accidentally or intentionally delete or copy any of an employer’s proprietary material. If you want to use a deliverable from a project in your work portfolio, ask your employer for a copy for that purpose and ask for written permission that you can use the copy for certain purposes.

Ensure you know what to delete

<ol><li>Delete files like personal photos and sensitive tax documents.</li><li>Your browser history</li><li>Any personal apps, software or extensions you downloaded, for example, a bank app. Consider whether you need to update the email address to subscribe to any services or newsletters.</li><li>Personal messaging apps and cookies like Apple Messages or Google Hangouts.</li><li>You likely saved a password if you’ve ever used your work computer for anything personal. Be sure to wipe those off before you leave.</li></ol>

Things you should ideally wipe from your work computer

career

Career

If You're About To Quit Your Job, Delete These 5 Things From Your Computer

Leaving one job for another takes a lot of steps. After you complete the hurdles of stressful <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/impact/topic/job-interviews">job interviews </a>, negotiating a <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-long-can-you-take-to-respond-to-job-offer_l_6155f0abe4b0502542302cde">job offer </a>and setting up your transition, there’s still one crucial step before you bid your old job farewell: deleting your files.

Often, employee handbooks dictate what you can and cannot delete, so you need to be both careful not to run afoul of those policies — and to delete everything you should.

“Employees need to be very wary not to accidentally or intentionally delete or copy any of an employer’s proprietary material, such as emails, contacts, files, documents, software, and the like,” said <a href="https://www.vantagetcg.com/staff/joanna-lyn-grama-jd-cissp/">Joanna Grama </a>, associate vice president of Vantage Technology Consulting Group. “If I had worked on a big project that I was proud of, and wanted to use a deliverable from that project in my work portfolio, I would ask my employer for a copy for that purpose, and also ask them to provide written permission that I can use the copy for certain purposes.”

But once you’ve double-checked what you can delete or take with you, here are five things you should ideally be wiping from your work computer so that you can leave your job in peace.

1. Personal Files Like Photos And Tax Documents

Ideally, you should not be using your work laptop for personal items, but as work and life boundaries blur, it’s easy to forget.

If you are planning an exit, you’ll first want to get rid of any personal files like family photos.

“Generally speaking, if it is permitted in an employee handbook, employees should delete their personal files from a work computer/phone before they leave an employer,” Grama said. “If I stored pictures of my kids on my work phone, I would want to move those files to my own personal storage and delete them from the work device.”

If you downloaded sensitive documents to print at your office, like your W-2 or other tax papers, be sure to delete those, too. “Highly recommend deleting personal files, tax documents, contacts and personal photos,” said Nick Santora, CEO of the security awareness training platform Curricula.

Want to delete any embarrassing <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/impact/topic/google">Google </a>searches? Grama also recommended deleting your browser history and any passwords that your browser may have saved for you.

For <a href="https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95589?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop">Chrome </a>, select History, then “clear browsing data,” and then select the appropriate time range. On <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/244044/how-to-clear-your-browsing-history-in-firefox/">Firefox </a>, once you select History, you will have the option to “clear recent history.”

3. Any Personal Apps, Software Or Extensions You Downloaded

If you downloaded a bank app or Venmo on a work-issued phone, make sure to delete those before you leave. You should also think about similar items on your laptop.

“If I had downloaded applications, software, or browser extensions for my own use and not used for company purposes, I would probably delete that from the work device as well,” Grama advised. “On my last day, I would also log out of any active applications that I use for work and I would empty the computer’s recycle bin.”

As part of your clean-up process, consider whether you need to update the email address you use to subscribe to any services or newsletters.

“If the newsletter is one that I still want to receive after I leave the employer and it is not a newsletter for my employer, then I will want to change the email address to a personal one,” Grama said. “If the newsletter is one that I no longer want to receive, I could unsubscribe from it, just to keep my work email tidy for whomever might be monitoring it once I leave.“

Your employer can potentially have access to your personal messaging apps, like Apple Messages or Google Hangouts, if you leave them on your work computer, so be sure to take those off, too.

”A lot of people will log in to their personal accounts — think iMessage — on their work computer,” said Andrew Stanek, data science manager at Pave, a compensation startup. “I always suggest logging out of these and clearing your cookies so they don’t stay on the work computer.”

Web browsers also store cookies, which contain information about your website activity and preferences.

On <a href="https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop">Chrome </a>, select Chrome from the top menu, then “clear browsing data.” From there you will have the option to clear all your cookies. On <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox#w_clear-cookies-for-any-website">Firefox </a>, click Privacy & Security, then the “cookies and site data” option. On <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265">Safari </a>, choose “clear history” from the Safari tab of the drop-down menu.

If you’ve ever used your work computer for anything personal, you likely saved a password. Be sure to wipe those off before you leave.

“Most of the time work computers will also be used as personal devices on occasion. This means that your passwords and account for personal websites might also remain unless you intentionally delete them off the device,” Santora said. “It’s best to disconnect any type of iCloud or Google Sync to ensure none of your personal information is left behind to your former employer.”

8 Of The Biggest Signs Your New Boss May Be Toxic

Everyone Who's Ever Had A Job Can Identify With This Part Of Taylor Swift's Speech

7 Unspoken Job Interview Rules That Everyone Needs To Know

An essential daily guide to achieving the good life

This Woman’s Viral Argument For Marriage As A Career Has The Internet All Riled Up

Google Has A New Job Interview Practice Tool You Should Try ASAP

The Worst Thing You Can Do At Work After Another Mass Shooting

There’s A Name For The Heavy Feelings You’re Carrying At Work Right Now

What Dermatologists Use When They’re Covered In Bug Bites

Here’s What Parents Of Kids Under 5 Need To Know About The COVID Vaccine

There Are Millions Of People Who Can’t Just ‘Move On’ From COVID

10 Tips For Attending A Destination Wedding Without Going Broke

35 Funny Tweets About The Reasons For Kids’ Tantrums

7 Signs Your Mental Health Medication Isn’t Working The Way It Should

TikTok's 'Gym Lips' Makeup Trend Is Surprisingly Simple

40 Practical Products That'll Make Parents Think 'I Need That!'

How Professional Swimmers Protect Their Hair and Skin From Chlorine

The Lazy-Person Travel Essential With Over 73,000 Reviews

Stylish Backyard String Lights That Don't Look Like Forgotten Holiday Decor

Lesbian Bars Aren't What They Used To Be... In A Good Way

36 Useful TikTok Products For Anyone Whose Schedule Is Basically Chaos

An Animal Behaviorist Shares How To Stop Cats From Pooping In Your Plants

The Wine Chillers That Will Keep Your Rosé Ice Cold All Summer Long

The Best Pasta Shapes For Making Pasta Salad (Yes, It Matters)

Score Up To 78% Off At REI's Giant Summer Sale

What Your Pedicurist Knows About You, Just From Looking At Your Feet

Top-Rated Sneakers That Will Keep Your Feet Dry In The Rain

36 Cleaning Products Here To Solve All Your Filthy Problems

Turn Your Bathtub Into A Spa With These Customer-Approved Goods

Conversations About Abortion Are Missing Voices: Trans And Nonbinary People

Indestructible Laptop Cases For People Who Can’t Have Nice Things

Kim Kardashian Reportedly Damaged Marilyn Monroe's Iconic Dress

The Funniest Marriage Tweets To Get You Through This Week

This New Adam Sandler Movie Is The Top Film On Netflix Right Now

Bear Market Hits Wall Street As Stocks, Bonds, Crypto Dive

Looking For A Getaway? Here's Why You Should Pick Savannah.

Card Games For Grown-Ups That Will Actually Keep You Entertained

How To Change Your Default Sleeping Position To A New One

6 Ways You’re Contributing To Abortion Stigma Without Realizing It

Tevas And Sporty Sandals For Every Budget And Style

26 Things People Who Work From Home Have Called "Must-Haves"

20 Stylish Swimsuits You Should Buy For Your Next Vacation

'World’s Favorite Mom' Tabitha Brown Has A New Target Line — And Everything's Under $44

27 Dresses To Help You Get Out Of Your Fashion Slump

The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week

Nutritionists Rank The Best And Worst Hot Dogs At The Grocery Store

7 Mistakes People Make At Music Festivals

If You're About To Quit Your Job, Delete These 5 Things From Your Computer

Ensure you know what to delete

Things you should ideally wipe from your work computer

Melissa Cervantes's ideas are part of this journey:

Related collections

Similar ideas