Restart your Mac. The reason why Trash won't empty on your Mac may be that something that's in. Third-party apps can scan the drive to find fragments and files, and sometimes make complete recoveries. In the olden days, I routinely had to recover corrupted and deleted files, and had multiple. Weird place in the caves mac os.
/Mac Cleaner /How to Delete Locked Files on Mac (Unlock Files in Trash)
I use a Mac device and I love it so much. I always clean it up regularly through manual means. I take care of my Mac cause it's very important to me.
Recently, I was cleaning up my Mac device but I cannot empty the Trash. A message pop up as 'the operation can't be completed because the item is locked.' and there are some locked files on my Mac device. I want to remove them from it but I can't unlock the file on Mac. How do I delete locked files on Mac?
~Mac Device User
Article GuidePart 1. Why Can't You Empty The Trash?Part 2. How to Delete Locked Files On Mac?Part 3. Other Reasons For Being Unable To Empty Your TrashPart 4. Force To Empty Trash on High Sierra Using The TerminalPart 5. Conclusion
Part 1. Why Can't You Empty The Trash?
Some of us want to simply clean up our Mac device to free up more space and enhance our device's performance. And cleaning up our Mac entails emptying the Trash. However, at one point in time, you might encounter that you cannot empty your Mac device Trash.
It's an easy thing to do, right? Emptying the Trash is such an easy thing. However, sometimes this is not possible. Your Mac doesn't allow you to empty your Trash. This might be caused by several reasons.
One reason would be the files you are trying to delete are still being utilized. Another reason would be the files are actually locked or damaged and needs to be fixed. Some file with names that have special characters in it cannot be deleted as well.
This is because Mac might think that it's important for the functioning of the system. Another reason for files being unable to be deleted is due to the reason of system integrity protection.
In this article, we will tell you how to delete the files depending on the reasons we have stated above. Let's get started.
Part 2. How to Delete Locked Files On Mac?
When you tried to delete a file, sometimes it cannot be deleted because Mac says that the file is being used. There are some solutions to this problem that you can implement in order to actually delete the file.
The first thing you should try is to restart the Mac device. This allows you to ensure that all applications have been closed. Even application files that are running in the background that uses the said file you want to quit can be closed from restarting the Mac device.
Another thing you can do is to empty the Trash and be able to delete the files in Safe Mode. Usually, the file is being used because it is utilized by a login or startup item. That's why you have to open the Mac in Safe Mode. In this way, 3rd party drivers and also startup programs won't be opened.
Here are the easy steps you can follow in order to delete locked files on Mac in Safe Mode:
- Shut down your Mac device, then press the power button again to restart your Mac device.
- Press and hold the Shift key during the bootup process. Release your hold on the Shift key when you see the Apple logo on the screen with its progress bar.
- Empty your Trash to delete locked files. Then restart the Mac device in order to exit this mode.
Step 01 - Restart your Mac device.
Shut down your Mac device, then press the power button again to open your Mac device.
Step 02 - Press and hold the Shift key.
Press and hold the Shift key during the bootup process. Release your hold on the Shift key when you see the Apple logo on the screen with its progress bar.
Step 03 - Empty your Trash.
Empty your Trash. Then restart the Mac device in order to exit this mode.
What if the methods above didn't work? Well, you can use iMyMac PowerMyMac to delete the files you want in the Trash. It also can remove your purgeable space on Mac to get more space, just click here to check how it works. Below are the advantages, disadvantages, and steps to use the said software:
Advantages:
*It helps you scan your entire Mac device for junk files, unnecessary files, clutter, and old files.
*You are free to use the application for the first 500 megabytes of data. This means you get a free trial. At least, you get to try out the software first before actually paying out of your pocket.
*After it scans your entire Mac device, you are free to preview each file before actually deleting it. In this way, you know that you are actually deleting the right thing. Say bye bye to mistakenly delete files.
*The processes of scanning and cleaning up your Mac device can be implemented with only a few clicks of the button.
*The files you preview can be sorted into various categories depending on what you want. These categories include size, date, type, etc.
*You get free email support and one on one support from the iMyMac. This is to help you learn more about the software and it helps you troubleshoot problems in case you encounter some.
Disadvantages:
*We can't find any.
Here's how to use the said PowerMyMac step by step:
Step 01 - Download the software from the official website.
Step 02 - Launch the said software within your Mac device. The main interface will show you updates on the status of Network condition.
Step 03 - Visit the left-hand side of the screen. Click the option named Master Scan.
Step 04 - Press the Scan button to start screening your entire Mac device for junk files. Wait until the entire process is complete.
Step 05 - Once the process is complete, it will show junk files in various categories such as System Logs, Application Cache, System Cache, etc. Select a category you want.
Step 06 - Select the data you want to delete per category. If you want, you can preview the files first.
Step 07 - Click the button named Clean. Wait until the cleanup process is complete.
Step 08 - Go back to the left-hand side of the screen and repeat steps 01 to 07. However, step 03 would be different. In this case, you have to select Large & Old Files OR Duplicate Finder to remove other unnecessary files in your system.
Part 3. Other Reasons For Being Unable To Empty Your Trash
There are other reasons for not being able to delete the Trash. Below are some things you can do to fix this:
How to Unlock Locked Files on Mac
If your Mac device says that the file is locked, you can follow our guide below to delete the said file. First, you have to ensure that the folder or the file is not actually stuck, After which, right-click the said file or folder. Then, select Get Info. See if it is actually locked. If it is, uncheck the locked option to be able to empty your Trash.
Another reason why a Trash can't be emptied is due to its file name. The best way to fix this would be to rename the file and try to delete it again.
Use Disk Utility To Repair Your Disk
Sometimes, the file you want to delete is damaged, then this may cause file is locked for editing on Mac. To fix this, would need extra effort on your part. Here's how to do it step-by-step:
Step 01 - Shut down your Mac device first.
Step 02 - Open your Mac device again while holding the keys Command + R while it is starting up. This will enter the Mac device in Recovery Mode.
Step 03 - Release the hold on these keys once the Apple Logo including its progress bar shows up.
Step 04 - Select Disk Utility.
Step 05 - Select Continue.
Step 06 - Select the disk where the file you wish to remove is located.
Step 07 - Press First Aid in order to repair the damaged disk.
System Integrity Protection Causes
The rootless feature is also called SIP or System Integrity Protection. This was provided on Mac starting version 10.11 in order to prevent attacks from malware that modify protected folders and files on your Mac device.
In order to delete files that are protected by the SIP, you simply have to temporarily deactivate the SIP. This is how you can deactivate the SIP in versions of the Mac OS X El Capitan or higher:
Step 01 - Shut down your Mac device first.
Step 02 - Open your Mac device again while holding the keys Command + R while it is starting up. This will enter the Mac device in Recovery Mode.
Step 03 - Release the hold on these keys once the Apple Logo including its progress bar shows up.
Step 04 - Within the macOS Utilities Window, select Terminal.
Step 05 - Within the Terminal, enter the following: csrutil disable; reboot
Step 06 - Press the Enter button. Now, a message will display that the SIP is deactivated and you need to restart your Mac device.
Step 07 - Allow the Mac device to automatically reboot itself.
After this, you will be able to empty your Trash. It is suggested that you activate your SIP to ensure that your Mac device is protected. The steps to do so is the same as the one we stated before. However, this time, you will enter the following command: csrutil enable. After you do so, you have to reboot your Mac device for the said command to be activated.
Part 4. Force To Empty Trash on High Sierra Using The Terminal
You can use the Terminal to empty the Trash by force. You must take caution though as it might erase your data. Here are the steps to do so:
Step 01 - Launch Terminal.
Step 02 - Type the following: sudo rm -r
Step 03 - Put a space after the -r
Step 04 - Ensure that the space is included. Launch the Trash.
Step 05 - Select all folders and files within the Trash.
Step 06 - Drag these towards the Terminal and drop them. Now, the location of each file and each folder you have dropped will be displayed on the Terminal's window.
Step 07 - Press Enter button.
If you want to do it in Mac OS X, you have to type out the following: sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/
Instead of typing out sudo rm -r
Part 5. Conclusion
After you have read this guide, you will know now how to empty the Trash that doesn't allow you to. You will also be able to unlock multiple files Mac and delete locked files on Mac.
For a safer way of deleting files on your Mac and cleaning your device, you can use iMyMac PowerMyMac. This is a great tool that helps you find clutter and junk files and delete them with a few clicks.
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Diego2020-10-12 12:44:32
Gracias a tu consejo pude borrar unos archivos que no podía en la papelera y me estaba volviendo loco.
iMyMac2020-10-12 17:45:53
Un placer ayudarte.
christian2020-09-04 22:18:12
I found a remarkably easy work-around. May or may not work for all people but it did for me. Move said file(s) or folder into a cloud service and then log into that service online and delete via your browser! SO EASY!
Pixadude mac os. Clean up and speed up your Mac with ease
Free DownloadEditor's note: This how-to is about OS X 10.5 Leopard, an old verion of the Mac operating system. It is not relevant to the current version of macOS.
Find Trash On Mac
While OS X makes it really easy to put a file in the trash—you can drag to the Dock's trash can, use the Delete button in the Finder's toolbar, or press Command-Delete, for instance—some people are always looking for more options. So here's one more to add to your bag of file-trashing tricks: put your user's trash can in the Finder's Sidebar.
At the most basic level, this is very simple to do. In the Finder, first set a window to column view mode (Command-3), then press Shift-Command-G (the shortcut for Go -> Go to Folder). In the drop-down sheet that appears, enter ~/.Trash and press Return. This will open a window showing the contents of your user's trash can. If your machine has only one hard drive or partition on its hard drive, this folder reflects the contents of the actual trash can.
If you've got multiple drives or partitions, then the folder shows only those files you've placed in the trash from the drive that contains your user's folder. While the following simple solution works best for single one-partition drives, read on for an alternative that works regardless of how many drives and/or partitions you may have.
In the Finder window, you should see the contents of the .Trash folder in one column, and the actual .Trash folder in the column immediately to the left, along with your usual user's folders (Documents, Movies, etc.). You'll notice that the .Trash folder is grayed out; that's because it's normally invisible.
You might think you can add the folder to your Sidebar by dragging, but you can't—the Finder won't let you drag the .Trash folder. It will, however, react to the File -> Add to Sidebar menu item (or its Command-T keyboard equivalent), so choose that menu item or press Command-T. Presto; if all you want is your trash can in the Sidebar, you're done. But if you look at the icon, you'll see that it's a standard folder; that's boring, and potentially more than a little dangerous. Here's how to put the actual trash can icon on your Sidebar trash.
Open a new Finder window, leaving your .Trash window open as well. Then click on the Trash icon in the Dock to open the actual trash can folder. Make sure the Finder's Path Bar is visible (View -> Show Path Bar). The Path Bar will appear at the bottom of the Finder window, showing the current folder and its icon—which just happens to be the Trash folder and the trash can icon. Control-click on Trash in the Path Bar and select Get Info from the pop-up menu.
In the .Trash Finder window, select the .Trash folder and press Command-I (or select File -> Get Info). You should now have two Get Info windows open, something like what's seen in the image at right. Click on the small trash can icon next to the word Trash in the Dock Trash Can's Get Info window, then press Command-C to copy the icon. Select the small icon in the Sidebar trash can's Get Info window, and press Command-V to paste the icon.
(Alternatively, you can just grab a trash can icon from one of the collections on The Icon Factory or InterfaceLIFT, and paste it into the Get Info window.)
If everything worked right, your Sidebar trash now has a nice trash can icon. If you're still seeing the folder icon, try removing the Sidebar trash folder (just drag it off so it goes 'poof' like any other Sidebar item), and then adding it back again. I had to do this on one Mac, but not another.
Mac Os Trash Location
Now when you want to put anything in the trash, you can just drag it to your Sidebar's trash can. But if you've got multiple drives or partitions, you'll quickly see this doesn't work right—the OS will actually copy your file into the trash, not move the original. To solve that problem, you can use this hint from TUAW. The super-simple AppleScript shown there emulates a trash can. Save the AppleScript as an application, and drag it into your sidebar. To put something in the trash, just drag-and-drop it onto that item in the Sidebar, and it will be moved to the trash—regardless of that item's starting disk or partition.
Force Empty Trash Mac Os
You can use the same icon trick as above, too, to make your script look like the actual trash can. Note that running an AppleScript will be a bit slower than using the actual trash folder, but the advantage is that it works across drives and partitions.
