You can also use the Move to Trash feature by right-clicking the file and selecting the option. This is a tried and true method of deleting files on your Mac by dragging it to the trash. Under the disk icon, you’ll see whether your Mac has a spinning HDD or an SSD. Note: You can check the storage on your Mac by clicking the Apple logo at the upper left side of the screen, and then going to About This Mac>Storage. Thankfully though, there are different methods you can use to permanently delete files on your Mac, whether it has the old HDDs or the SSDs. Unlike HDDs, where secure file deletion works, it doesn’t with the SSDs because overwriting a file only creates a new one in a new location but doesn’t overwrite the old file’s contents. If you have an older Mac, it probably has a regular HDD, but the newer models with the SSDs allow you to use the standard method of moving files and emptying the trash to erase files, compared to securely erasing the files. That is a critical factor when it comes to securely delete files on your Mac because you won’t have to do so if it comes with an SSD. Most new Macs come with the solid state drives (flash storage) or Fusion Drives for some iMacs, instead of the old spinning hard disk drives. Can My Files Be Retrieved Once I Delete Themĭata recovery technology has made it possible to recover files and restore them, which means someone else can retrieve any files you delete from a hard drive. The good news is you can permanently delete files from your Mac using several methods that we’ll show you in this guide. The last thing you want is to see that your data was leaked by some hacker, leaving you vulnerable and without a clue of what to do next.

Perhaps your Mac is too old to take the next operating system version, or you’ve stored a lot of data on it, and you’re worried that it could be hijacked if stolen. NERD NOTE: Be sure to download a version that is compatible with the version of Mac OS X you are using.Wouldn’t you love to rid of some or all files on your Mac forever.

The apps, Trash It! and Cocktail are both great. There are several freeware utilities that will help force empty your trash for you. Sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash /Volumes/*/.Trashes 02) Trash App Utilities You may be prompted to enter your OS X user password. You can also copy and paste the text lines below into Terminal. Type one of the following lines below at the prompt and press Return.

Open the Terminal application ( Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities). If you’re not comfortable in a command line environment, then you should skip this step and try a 3rd party utility in the next section. It allows you to modify your computer in ways you can’t reverse. The Terminal application in Mac OS X can be scary. Here’s how to force empty trash on Mac OS X and finally get rid of those unwanted files.Ġ1) How to Force Empty Trash on Your Mac Using Terminal If you cannot empty trash on your Mac desktop or laptop computer, then you are in the right place. Ever since I dragged and dropped a bunch of leftover Windows system files into my Mac’s Trash bin, no matter how many times I tried to empty it, there those trashed files stayed, staring at me in defiance. Sometimes the Trash on your Mac won’t empty – even when you tell it to.

01) How to Force Empty Trash on Your Mac Using Terminal.

Mac sierra force empty trash terminal