Can’t Empty Trash on Mac? How to fix it!

When you delete files on your Mac, they go straight to the trash, taking up precious space. Emptying the Recycle Bin allows you to permanently delete these files. But error messages like blocked files or incorrect permissions can prevent you from doing so.

Don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to empty your Trash and get it back to normal in no time.

Read below on how to fix various issues that are preventing you from emptying your Mac’s Trash. When all else fails, I will also teach you how to forcefully empty the Trash using the terminal.

• Reasons Why Your Mac’s Trash Isn’t Emptying
• Quick Ways to Empty Trash on Mac
• Fixes for common issues that prevent you from emptying Trash on Mac.
• How to Force Empty Trash on Mac

Reasons Why Your Mac’s Trash Isn’t Emptying

There are several reasons why you cannot empty the Trash on your Mac. Here are some of the most common system errors you may encounter:

• file is in use
• the file is locked or corrupted and needs to be restored
• your disk is full
• file cannot be deleted due to system integrity protection
• disk permissions need repair

Sometimes your system apps don’t run as smoothly because your Mac is running outdated macOS. Try updating your OS first before moving on to the next steps.

Quick Ways to Empty Trash on Mac

If your OS is up to date but still facing any of these issues, here are a few general fixes that might help.

1. Close and reopen the basket.

Before trying more advanced methods, you might want to try exiting the Trash first and try emptying it again. Sometimes internal and external issues can cause the Recycle Bin to hang.

2. Restart your Mac

Fixes for common issues that prevent you from emptying Trash on Mac.

Various system errors may require specific workarounds to permanently remove files from your Mac’s Trash. If exiting the Trash or restarting your Mac doesn’t work, below are the various workarounds for each issue.

When the file is in use

You may see a message that the file in the Trash is still in use. This may be because an application or background activity is actively using the file.

If that doesn’t work, here’s an alternative method. Be sure to position the trash and terminal windows so that you can see them at the same time.

1. Run the cart.
2. Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight → type Terminal and press Return.
3. Type lsof and hit the spacebar, but don’t press Return yet. Now drag the file you want to delete from the trash. Click “Return”. This will list all files that are open and currently in use.
4. Close or force close the application.

Another way is to press Option + Cmd + Esc to open the Force Quit window. Check if there are any actions that may prevent you from emptying the Trash. Select it → click Force Quit.

Are you using Spotlight for the first time? Read our article on how to get the most out of Spotlight.

Empty trash with “File without permissions”

Mac won’t let you delete read-only files or files you don’t have access to. This can happen if you are not a Mac administrator and do not have full read and write permissions for the files found in the Recycle Bin.

Don’t worry. You just need to change the file’s sharing and permission settings to change its privileges. Do it:

1. Control-click a file in the Recycle Bin → Get Info.
2. Click the arrow (>) next to the Sharing and Permissions tab to see your permissions for the file you’re trying to erase.
3. Change your privilege to read and write.

When a Drive Needs Repair

A hard drive issue can also prevent you from emptying the Trash. You can open Disk Utility and use First Aid to see if this is causing you problems. Do it:

1. Press Cmd + Space to launch Spotlight → type “Disk Utility”and press “Return”.
2. Select the hard drive containing the file you want to delete.
3. Click the First Aid icon at the top of the window → select Run from the prompt.

First Aid will notify you of any errors, but will not be able to correct them. You will need to put your Mac into recovery mode to be able to fix disk issues. We will discuss this in the next section.

When the disk is full

A hard drive issue can also prevent you from emptying the Trash. In this case, it is recommended that you put your Mac into Safe Mode before trying to empty the Trash again.

In Safe Mode, empty the Trash again and see if the issue is resolved.

Prevents junk by protecting system integrity

System Integrity Protection (SIP) is a security feature on Mac. It restricts changes to certain folders, processes, and files. If SIP is enabled, you may not be allowed to empty the Trash.

If so, you need to disable SIP first before you can delete the file. Do it:

1. Enter recovery mode.
2. Restart your Mac and press Command + R before the Apple logo appears on the screen.
3. In recovery mode, launch the Terminal. Go to Utilities → select Terminal.
4. Enter csrutil status and hit “Return”. This will let you see if the SIP feature is enabled.
5. If it says “enabled”, type csrutil disable in terminal → select “Return”.
6. Exit the terminal and restart your Mac.
7. Now try emptying your Trash and see if your issue is resolved.

How to Force Empty Trash on Mac

There are several other ways to forcefully empty the Trash without opening the app. You can go to Finder in the menu bar and select “Empty Trash”→ choose “Empty Trash”from the prompt that appears.

You can also do this from the dock. Tap and hold the trash can icon → select “Empty Trash”.

Another option is to use the Terminal. This option allows you to bypass errors that prevent you from deleting files from the Recycle Bin, including locks and files that are still in use. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open a terminal → type sudo rm and hit space. Don’t click “Return”yet. This command allows you to forcefully delete a file.
2. Return to the Trash and drag the file you want to delete → click “Return”.
3. Enter your Mac administrator password. The terminal’s security feature will prevent you from seeing any characters when entering your password.

This command will immediately remove the annoying file.

The terminal is great for more than just force-deleting files. Here are other useful terminal commands to quickly perform important tasks with just a few clicks.

FAQ

A. Emptying the Recycle Bin usually only takes a couple of seconds, unless you need to delete a large amount of files. If it takes a very long time to empty the Trash, an open, locked, or corrupted file may prevent you from permanently deleting its contents.

A. Select a file and press Cmd + Delete. Or select a file, go to File in the menu bar and press and hold. This will change “Move to trash”to “Delete immediately”.

A. Yes. Emptying the Recycle Bin permanently deletes your files from your hard drive. Undoing an action immediately can reverse the process. If that doesn’t work, the only way to get those files is to use a recovery tool. However, there is no 100% guarantee that you will be able to recover your files.

Completion…

Many reasons can prevent you from emptying the Trash. Many of these issues can be resolved with a few simple steps, while others may require advanced troubleshooting.

Using the tips mentioned in this article, you will be able to safely and securely empty the Trash. Just remember to back up your important files before deleting them from your Mac. Good luck!