Mac Force Empty Trash App

24-05-2021
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Summary

  • Deselect the option and empty the Trash. 2 Methods to Force Empty Trash on Mac. Whatever the reason is, you can easily learn how to force delete Trash on Mac by following the right way. Here are two solutions below which you can try to force empty the Trash on Mac: use Mac's Terminal or restart your Mac in 'Safe Mode'. 1 Use Terminal to Empty.
  • Apr 28, 2014  Question: Q: how to force empty trash on my mac More Less Apple Footer This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only.

Putting items into Trash is never the ending of permanent or secure deletion. Emptying your Trash on Mac thoroughly is the key. This post lists 6 solutions to empty your Mac Trash, even when the item is in use or locked.

Trash is the trash. It still gives the opportunity to get back the deleted items within it.

Mar 31, 2018  But if you are confused and you do not know which app is using it then you need to close all the apps that are running. You can now go back into the trash bin and attempt to empty it. Force empty that stubborn trash! It is a possibility that at times the folders and the files you want to delete are locked and hence you cannot delete it from the.

Thus, if you really want to delete some items permanently and thoroughly, you need to empty your Trash that won't delete.

That is the point of today, how to empty Trash on Mac.

In this page, you will learn about 6 ways of emptying your Trash on Mac, whether the items you want to empty is in use, or locked.

Protecting your privacy and freeing up space can be done here.

Part 1: How to empty Trash on Mac fast and securely

Getting a fast and secure Trash empty is very easy.

Step 1: Click and hold the 'Trash' icon in the Dock.

Step 2: Select 'Empty Trash' in the popup.

Here, you have finished a fast empty of Trash.

However, in this way, the items just disappear in your eyes, but they files inside are not actually erased. They still occupy the space in the system until they are overwritten by something else.

In another word, the empty data in Trash can be recovered with some data recovery software.

For getting an empty that won't recover, Apple launches Secure Empty Trash.

Secure Empty Trash is an option before Mac El Capitan (Mac OS X v10.6.8).

Step 3: For running Secure Empty Trash, you need to hold down the 'command' key and click 'Trash', and 'Empty Trash' will change to 'Secure Empty Trash'. Just select it.

However, Apple states Secure Empty Trash that the 'Secure Empty Trash' feature may not securely delete files placed in the Trash Description.

They use the word, may.

As a result, it removes the feature in Mac OS X v10.6.8 and later.

Apple still leaves the permanent empty of Trash on Mac to our users.

Then, how to empty Trash on Mac permanently?

Move the next part to seek for the solution.

Part 2: How to permanently empty Trash on Mac

Here, for getting a permanent empty of Trash on Mac, you need the third-party apps to help you.

Apeaksoft Mac Cleaner is the app exactly.

  • It thoroughly and completely empties Trash and stops from being recovered.
  • It safely removes junk or unnecessary files from Mac in one click.
  • It permanently erases data on all versions of Mac, like Yosemite, El Capitan, High Sierra, Mojave, etc.
  • It cleans email attachments, system log/cache files, unneeded iTunes backup and unnecessary app localization.
  • It scans and removes large and old files quickly.
  • It duplicates videos, music, images, documents and other data on Finder.
  • It can help you uninstall not commonly used apps to free up more space.
  • It cleans Mac cache histoy, download history/files, search logs, cookies, login longs, etc. on Safari to protect your privacy.

Get the steps to use it to empty your Trash permanently.

Step 1: Run Mac Cleaner

Free download, install and run this software on your Mac. It will detect your Mac system status automatically, where you can view all data type and basic information about Mac.

Step 2: Scan data

In the main interface, select the data that you want to empty in Trash from the left pane, and 'Scan' to scan the data selected. The scanning process will take a while.

Step 3: Clear data permanently

When the scanning process ends, you can see the selected items displayed in such categories as like 'Videos', 'Music', 'Images', 'Documents' and 'Other'. Checkmark them and click 'Clean' to clear the data permanently.

Step 4: Check empty

After the empty process is complete, you can download Mac data recovery programs to check if they can recover.

Part 3: Force empty Trash on Mac when data are in use or locked

The above two ways enable you to empty Trash normally. However, when you get the following message pop-ups when you intend to empty Trash, you need to turn to the following 4 solutions for help.

'This operation can't be completed because the item XX is in use.'

'The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003)'.

Or error code – 8072/50/43/36, etc.

Force empty Trash on Mac with Option key (Data locked)

Option is magic when you want to empty Trash which contains locked data.

Step 1: Press and hold the Trash icon in the Dock. The context menu for Trash will display.

Step 2: Press and hold the 'Option' key or the 'Shift' option keyboard combination, and select 'Force Empty Trash'.

Then the locked files will be overridden. Check this post if you want to delete downloads on iPhone.

Force empty Trash in Safe Mode (data are in use)

If your Mac says that the file is in use, and you cannot empty Trash, you can take the following measures:

  • 1. Quit any app that may be using the file, then empty Trash.
  • 2. Restart your Mac, because the files may be used in a background process.
  • 3. Start up Mac in Safe Mode.

Step 1: Open or restart Mac, and press 'Shift' and you will see Apple logo in the screen.

Step 2: Release Shift until you see the log-in screen in the progress bar.

Then you can empty your Trash directly.

For exiting Safe Mode, you just need to restart your Mac normally.

Force empty your Trash on Mac with Terminal app (code error)

When you receive the failure message of emptying Trash, and cannot fix it with the above methods, you should try Terminal app.

Terminal allows you to modify your Mac in ways you can't reverse, so you just think twice before doing it. Otherwise, you just follow the second method in part 2 to take the third-party app to help you fix the problem.

Step 1: Go to Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities to open Terminal.

Step 2: Type 'sudo rm –R', leave a space after R, and do not hit Enter.

Step 3: Open Trash app, and select the files and folders that you want to empty, drop and drop them into 'Terminal' and the path of each file and folder will display in the Terminal window.

Step 4: Hit 'Enter' and Mac will start emptying the files and folders in Trash.

The process will take minutes, and you just need to wait patiently.

Empty Trash by repairing Mac disk (unknown reasons)

If you still cannot delete Trash data, then you can repair your Mac and empty Trash.

This way is recommended by Apple.

Step 1: Enter Recovery mode on Mac by holding down Command-R while Mac opens or restart.

Step 2: In the 'macOS Utilities' window appears, select 'Disk Utility' and click 'Continue'.

Step 3: Select the disk that contains the file that you want to delete. Then use 'First Aid' feature of 'Disk Utility' to repair that disk.

Step 4: Exit Disk Utility, then restart your Mac to empty the Trash.

Still, there are other reasons for failing to empty Trash like insufficient privileges, System Integrity Protection, etc. you need to turn to Apple's official site for help.

Part 4. FAQs of Emptying Trash on Mac

1. How to always secure Empty Trash on Mac?

First, you need to enter the Finder Preferences options, accessible by either going to the Finder menu and selecting Preferences', or by hitting Command+ within anywhere in the Mac Finder. Then, navigate to Advanced and click the checkbox next to Empty Trash Securely' to enable secure file deletion through the Trash, and then close out of the Finder Preferences.

2. What should I do when I can’t delete files or Empty Trash on Mac?

If you can't delete the files or empty trash on Mac, you could start up from macOS Recovery by holding down Command-R while your Mac starts up. When the macOS Utilities window appears, select Disk Utility and click Continue. In Disk Utility, select the disk that contains the file that you want to delete. Then use the First Aid feature of Disk Utility to repair that disk. Then, quit Disk Utility, and restart your Mac and empty the Trash.

3. Where is trash on Mac terminal?

Trash is located on the Dock of your macOS Desktop. No matter whether your Mac is running on macOS Mojave or an OS X, you will always find the Trash at that exact location.

4. How to Force Empty Trash in Mac OS X?

First, press and hold the mouse button on the Trash icon in the Dock. The context menu for Trash will display. Then, you need to press and hold the Option key. Here select Empty Trash from the context menu for Trash. In the end, release the Option key.

Conclusion

Here we come to the ending of this page.

This page focuses on 6 solutions to help you to empty your Trash on Mac. You can follow the step-by-step guide to make settings and empty Trash directly. Still, you able to use third-party app to get Trash emptied permanently and safely and free up space.

If you have any advice, just leave your comments below.

Jun 08, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

“My Mac is getting extremely slow and I don’t know how to get rid of its trash. Can someone please tell me how to force empty trash on Mac?”

If a similar query has brought you here, then consider this your lucky day! A lot of Mac users find it hard to manage their Trash folder. No matter how many times they try to empty it, there is always some or other leftover content in it. Since Mac automatically manages the Trash folder, you might need to take some extra measures to force delete trash. This will let you have more free space on your Mac or get rid of your sensitive content. In this post, we will make you familiar with 6 different ways on how to force delete trash on Mac.

Part 1: Reasons You Need to Force Empty Trash on Mac

Before uncovering ways to do macOS force empty trash, it is important to know the reasons. Following are some of the major triggers for taking this action.

  • Sometimes, users simply need to get rid of their sensitive or private content from Mac so that no one else can access it again.
  • If your Mac is running low on storage, then you would get some free space by getting rid of unwanted data from the trash.
  • By getting rid of any trash content, you can also speed up the processing of your system as well.
  • If you are reselling your Mac, then you should also make sure that you force delete trash from Mac for your security.

Part 2: How to Empty Trash on Mac

No matter what the reason is, you can easily learn how to force delete trash on Mac by following the right approach. Here are some easy solutions to force delete trash that you can try.

Method 1: Use Mac’s Terminal

While it might seem a bit complicated, using Terminal is the best practice to take a complete control over your Mac. For instance, by entering the right commands, you can do almost anything on a Mac – and forcefully emptying its trash is no such exception. Here’s how you can learn how to force empty trash on Macbook Pro and other Mac versions.

  1. Firstly, we need to launch Terminal on Mac. The easiest way to do this is by opening Spotlight and looking for Terminal from here. Just make sure that you are using the administrator account to get privileged access.
  2. Once the terminal window is opened, enter the keyword “sudo rm –R” (without the quotes). Make sure you place a space before “-R” and don’t press enter as of now.
  3. Now, open the Trash folder on your Mac and select all files on it. Drag these files and drop them to the Terminal window.
  4. After dropping these files, press enter. You would be asked to type the admin password for your Mac to proceed.
  5. Press enter after typing the correct password and wait for a while as it will force empty trash on Mac.
Mac Force Empty Trash App

Method 2: Using the Trash App Utilities

There are tons of third-party apps out there as well that can help you force empty trash on Mac Yosemite, Sierra, High Sierra, and other macOS versions. Though, before you download any file shredder app, just make sure it works for your macOS version. There are freely available as well as paid apps to force delete trash and manage your Mac storage. Some of these common apps are Trash it, Stellar Wipe Mac, MacClean, Mac Optimizer, Cocktail, CleanMyMac, and so on. From these options, let’s learn how to force empty trash on Mac using CleanMyMac.

  1. Firstly, install the CleanMyMac app on your system and launch it whenever you wish to force delete trash on Mac.
  2. From the provided options on the left panel, visit the “Trash Bins” feature. Click on the “Scan” button to look for all the saved content from the Trash folder.
  3. You might have to wait for a while as CleanMyMac would extract the data from the Trash folder.
  4. In this end, you can review the extracted content and the size of the Trash folder. Simply click on the “Empty” button and wait as it would force delete trash content.

Method 3: Restart and Try Again

There are times when even after deleting data from the Trash folder, it isn’t removed. If you have followed the right approach, then consider restarting your Mac. If the application is running in the background, then a restart would get rid of the temporary files in the process. Therefore, it will also force empty trash on Mac as well.

  1. Simply click on the Apple logo on the screen (on the top left corner).
  2. From the provided options on the list, choose to “Restart” your Mac.
  3. As a countdown would be started, click on the “Restart” button again to confirm your choice.
  4. 4. Wait for a while as your Mac would be restarted.

Method 4: Empty the Trash folder in “Safe Mode”

Sometimes, when we restart Mac in the normal mode, the Trash folder stays intact. To overcome this problem, you can consider restarting your Mac in the Safe Mode instead. Later, you can empty trash when your Mac is in the Safe Mode. Here’s how do you force empty trash on Mac via Safe mode.

  1. Firstly, simply go to the Apple logo and click on the “Restart” button to reboot your Mac.
  2. As your Mac would restart, hold the Shift key on the keyboard. Keep holding it when the Apple logo would appear on the screen.
  3. This will boot the Mac in the Safe Mode instead with minimum features. Now, go to the Trash folder and empty it.
  4. In the end, click on the “Restart” button and let your Mac reboot in the normal mode. Just make sure you don’t press any key this time so that it restarts normally.
Trash
What if your Mac can't be restarted? Get the fixes here: 10 Solutions to Mac Won't Turn on.

Method 5: Use the Option Key to Force Empty Mac Trash

This is an old trick for previous Mac versions that you might consider trying. Mostly, it will only work if your Mac is older than the 2015 version. Since the Option key lets us access certain key features of an application, it can also help us force delete trash on Mac as well.

  1. Locate the Trash folder on your Mac’s dock and hold the mouse on its icon.
  2. As the context menu would appear, press the Option or the Shift + Option keys at the same time.
  3. Click on the “Empty Trash” option from the list.
  4. As a pop-up would appear, confirm your choice by clicking on the “Empty Trash” button again. You would have to wait for a while as your system would wipe the Trash folder.

Method 6: Disable System Integrity Protection

The System Integrity Protection (SIP) is a native Mac feature that was introduced in macOS 10.13 and exits in every later version. It protects third-party apps to access certain features on Mac. Therefore, if you are using a third-party tool to do Mac force empty trash in use, then you need to disable SIP on Mac first. Here’s how you can turn off the System Integrity Protection feature on Mac.

  1. Firstly, restart your Mac in the Recovery Mode. Simply restart it and keep pressing the Command + R keys to enter the recovery mode of your Mac.
  2. Once the recovery mode would be loaded, go to the Utilities option and open Terminal.
  3. Type the “csrutil disable” command and press enter. After a while, restart your Mac in the normal mode.

How to Recover Data from Emptied Trash

Sometimes, users end up deleting data from the Trash bin accidentally as well. If you have also done the same, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery Mac. It runs on every leading macOS version and will let you restore your lost, deleted, or inaccessible content in all scenarios. Even if you have formatted a drive or have emptied the Trash, the advanced tool will extract your data. It features different scanning modes and will let you preview your data before restoring it.

Mac Force Empty Trash App For Android

To use Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac, follow these simple steps:

Mac Force Empty Trash App For Iphone

Step1: Select the location:

Firstly, launch the Recoverit Data Recovery application and choose where you wish to perform the data recovery operation. Just make sure the System Integrity Protection feature is disabled beforehand.


Mac Force Empty Trash App Download

Step2: Scan selected location:

As the application would scan the selected location, wait for a while for it to extract the deleted content.

Force Empty Trash Mac


Step3: Preview and Recover the Files:

After completing the process, the application will display the results on the interface. You can preview your photos, videos, etc. here and select the files you wish to save. Click on the “Recover” button in the end and get them back to a safe place.

Conclusion

Force Empty Trash On Mac

That’s a wrap, everyone! I’m sure that the guide would have helped you force empty trash on Mac by following these proven techniques. Apart from that, if you have accidentally deleted data from the Trash bin, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery. An exceptional data recovery tool for Mac, it will let you get back your lost files under different circumstances and from various sources.

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