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It will now have a new, working, and empty Trash. If the affected account was another user account that is logged in via Fast User Switching, log out of that account. If the affected account is your Admin account, log out. The prompts are finished when the Terminal prompt returns.

Type y for yes in response to the subsequent prompts to delete each file in the trash and finally the affected.

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Type your Admin password when prompted, then press Return.

Assure you have typed the command exactly as specified before proceeding: typographical errors in this command can have dire consequences, including erasing your hard drive!.

There is a single space after each of the terms sudo, rm, and -ri in the command.

Where user_name is the short name of the affected account. Open Terminal, located in the Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities folder.Īt the Terminal prompt, type one of the following commands: If the affected account is protected by FileVault, log in to the affected account, then switch to and log in to your Admin account via Fast User Switching. Perform the following steps in the order specified: 1.

Create a new ~/.Trash directory, with correct ownership and permissions, for that account.Empty the Trash of an affected account.The following procedure will 'kill two birds with one stone.' It will both: Release the keys pressed and held in step 2.Select Empty Trash from the context menu for Trash.Press and hold the Option key or the Shift-Option keyboard combination,.Press and hold the mouse button on the Trash icon in the Dock.Perform the following steps in the order specified:

#Mac force empty trash trash it mac os x#

This technique uses a hidden feature of Mac OS X to force the Trash to empty. Note: Be sure to employ a version of the utility that is compatible with the version of Mac OS X you are using.įorce the Trash to empty using the Option key Using one of these utilities is often the fastest way to Trash recalcitrant files.

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You may want to download and install the freeware utility Trash It! or the shareware utility Cocktail.

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If you're looking for other ways to free up local storage and you have iCloud, check out the Optimize Mac Storage option.Rash utilities for eradicating troublesome files To disable the option at any time, simply repeat the steps above but uncheck the box next to the associated option. Once you've done that, your Mac will automatically delete all the files in your Trash every 30 days.

Locate the option labeled Remove items from the Trash after 30 days and check the box beside it.

In the preferences window, click the Advanced tab.

On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock or click anywhere on the desktop, then select Finder -> Preferences.

However, locating the option to enable it isn't so obvious – read on to find out how it's done. It's a useful feature if you find you have a large turnover of redundant files every month, and it helps you to free up storage on a regular basis. In macOS Sierra and later, Apple also offers an option that can automatically empty your Mac's trash every 30 days. This system offers a useful fallback method if you decide you don't want to delete a file, because it allows you to return a file to its original place using the Put Back option (accessed via a right-click on the trashed file in question). Whenever you move a file on your Mac to the Trash, it stays there until you manually right-click (Ctrl-click) the trash icon and select Empty Trash.