Degaussing Degaussing – a form of demagnetizing – is the process wherein a magnetic object, such as a computer tape, hard disk drive, or CRT monitor, is exposed to a magnetic field of greater, fluctuating intensity. A degausser is the machine that produces this intense magnetic field. When exposed to a fluctuating magnetic field produced by a degausser, the magnetic charge of an object is reset to a magnetically neutral state.
As applied to magnetic media, such as video, audio, computer tape or hard drives, the movement of magnetic media through the degaussing field realigns the particles, resetting the magnetic field of the media to a near-zero state, in effect erasing all of the data previously written to the tape or hard drive. In many instances, degaussing resets the media to a like-new state so that it can be reused and recycled. In some instances, this simply wipes the media in preparation for safe and secure disposal. Retailers such as DataDevices International offer different types of degaussing equipment for different applications.