- Trash It For Mac Force Empty Computer
- Trash It For Mac Force Empty Hard Drive
- Mac Terminal Empty Trash
- Force Empty Trash Mac Os
Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
How to Force Empty Trash on a Mac (locked files) December 13, 2011 Tips No Comments A common problem on a mac is not being able to empty the trash because the files are locked. Restarting the Mac did not resolve the problem. I tried restarting in Safe Mode. The trash was empty. Turns out the files that wouldn't empty were on an external FAT32 drive with some corruption. This drive wouldn't appear on Safe Mode and so the trash appears empty. I don't have a PC to connect to and see if Windows can empty the trash. Older Macs prior to 2015 will allow you to hold down the Option key and force your Trash to empty. Press and hold the mouse button on the Trash icon in the Dock. The context menu for Trash will display. Press and hold the Option key or the Shift-Option keyboard combination, Select Force Empty Trash from the context menu; Force Empty Trash Mac OS X. Select your trash location and click 'Start' to make a quick scan for your lost data. It will take a little time. To recover lost data in the emptied trash on a Mac, Recoverit has to scan your Mac drive to make the data visible. Finally, preview the found data, choose the files you want to restore and click 'Recover' to get them back.
'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. The 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 the 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 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.
- 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.
- Once the terminal window is opened, enter the keyword 'sudo rm –R' (without the quotes). Make sure you place space before '-R' and don't press enter as of now.
- Now, open the Trash folder on your Mac and select all files on it. Drag these files and drop them to the Terminal window.
- After dropping these files, press enter. You would be asked to type the admin password for your Mac to proceed.
- Press enter after typing the correct password and wait for a while as it will force empty trash on Mac.
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.
- Firstly, install the CleanMyMac app on your system and launch it whenever you wish to force delete trash on Mac.
- 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.
- You might have to wait for a while as CleanMyMac would extract the data from the Trash folder.
- 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.
- Simply click on the Apple logo on the screen (on the top left corner).
- From the provided options on the list, choose to 'Restart' your Mac.
- As a countdown would be started, click on the 'Restart' button again to confirm your choice.
- 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 the trash when your Mac is in the Safe Mode. Here's how do you force empty trash on Mac via Safe mode.
- Firstly, simply go to the Apple logo and click on the 'Restart' button to reboot your Mac.
- As your Mac would restart, hold the Shift key on the keyboard. Keep holding it when the Apple logo would appear on the screen.
- This will boot the Mac in the Safe Mode instead with minimum features. Now, go to the Trash folder and empty it.
- 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.
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.
- Locate the Trash folder on your Mac's dock and hold the mouse on its icon.
- As the context menu would appear, press the Option or the Shift + Option keys at the same time.
- Click on the 'Empty Trash' option from the list.
- 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.
- 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.
- Once the recovery mode would be loaded, go to the Utility option and open Terminal.
- 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.
To use Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac, follow these simple steps:
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.
Step2: Scan selected location:
As the application would scan the selected location, wait for a while for it to extract the deleted content.
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
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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by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2019-07-25 / Update for Mac Data
Trash It For Mac Force Empty Computer
If you are using Mac, then putting any file in Trash means that files have been marked for permanent deletion. But for the moment it is only marked, until you empty the trash the file will still exist inside the trashcan, just like in real life. If you have a lot of free space on the device then you can neglect to empty the trashcan but what if you need space or out of fear that someone may get those files from your computer, you are thinking of completely eliminating those files. So, how to empty trash on Mac, the procedure is very easy and it is elaborated below in this detailed guide.
How to Secure Empty Trash on Mac
Mac works a bit differently! On most devices just clearing the trash is enough to get rid of those unwanted files but if you are using Mac then you should know that those files aren’t being deleted. They are still on your Mac, just waiting to be overwritten next time you need space. This is the reason some of the trashed files can be recovered. But the problem is that some of us sometimes handle some very sensitive information that can not fall into the wrong hands under any circumstances.
This is the reason Apple has introduced the feature called Secure Empty Trash. Using this you can secure empty trash Mac, it will overwrite the deleted files with useless data. How to clear trash on Mac? The guide is mentioned below:
Step 1: First of all, if you use the Secure Trash then it will take longer to get rid of those files.
Step 2: So, open your Mac and click and hold on the Trashcan.
Step 3: Now, hold the Command Key and just click on the Trash.
Step 4: Then, Empty Trash will be converted to Secure Trash.
Step 5: If you want to do it from the Finder window, it will be easier. Just click on Finder menu and choose Secure Empty Trash.
As you can see using the Secure Trash feature is very easy and doing it will definitely protect all of your important files from falling into the wrong hands.
How to Solve If You Cannot Empty Trash on Mac
All of these years if you just sent the files to trashcan then it took a lot of space of your device but what if you tried to remove them from the trashcan but you were unable to do that. The only way remains is to force empty trash Mac. But, do you know how to delete trash on Mac forcibly? Well, you can find the answer below.
If the file is still being used:
Step 1: Then you have to stop any app that is using that particular file.
Step 2: If it does not work then the app may have more than one background processes going on. So, you have to restart the Mac and then empty the trash.
Step 3: Unfortunately, if that does not work then the only way to delete the file is to enter safe mode and empty the trash.
If the problem is different:
Step 1: Then run MacOS Recovery by tapping Command plus R key and when the Utility interface appears you have to click on “Disk Utility” and after that click “Continue”.
Step 2: In the Disk Utility you must choose the disk that contains that file you need to delete, now, you have to use the First Aid feature to fix the disk.
Step 3: Finally, quit Disk Utility, restart the Mac and then empty the trash.
How to Recover If You Accidentally Deleted Files on Mac
The entire article is based on how you can empty the trash on your Mac if it does not automatically perform that task. But what if one day you fixed that problem and cleared the trash and realized that there was a very important file that you sent to the trash which you need urgently. There are not a lot of ways to recover the lost files on Mac. The company will suggest some intricate procedure which may or may not solve your problem but there is no way you would rely on that uncertainty for the most important file of your life.
So, the best way to recover your file is to use a third-party tool called Tenorshare Any Data Recovery. This tool is able to recover any lost or deleted or formatted data within a few minutes. Here’s how you can operate the program:
Step 1: You need to start by download and install the app on your Mac device.
Trash It For Mac Force Empty Hard Drive
Step 2: Now, run Tenorshare Any Data Recovery for Mac on your device.
Step 3: Go to the main interface of the software and select the location to recovery.
Step 4: Click “Scan” and wait for a while, you will all deleted files displayed for preview.
Step 5: Select the files you accidently deleted and click on “Recover” to restore that lost file.
Mac Terminal Empty Trash
Using this app you will be able to single-handedly recover all of your lost files. Although this is a fairly new app, its efficiency and convenience have impressed a lot of people.
Conclusion
Force Empty Trash Mac Os
Ultimately, we can say that emptying the trashcan is very important on Mac. Basically, the file still stays on the device hogging more and more space, also if the file is very sensitive, then anyone can get access to that file and finally staying too long inside the trash it can get corrupted and may not get deleted even when you want to remove it. So, just follow the simple procedures mentioned in the article and empty before it is too late. And we highly recommend Any Data Recovery for all your lost or deleted data recovery needs.