Empty the #$&@! trash already!

#1 Macworld

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 11:31 AM

Post your comments for Empty the #$&@! trash already! here

#2 SAMBFriend4pso

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 11:36 AM

I cant tell you how many time i get calls for that same issue…LOL

#3 DCJ001

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 12:14 PM

When I am sure that nothing important is in the Trash, and when the Trash cannot be emptied, I reboot into Safe mode (holding the Shift key), and I empty the Trash.

I do not remember a time when this did not work.

#4 stevelee

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 12:24 PM

I had a similar problem yesterday, and just restarted the Finder (similar to a force quit), and everything went back to normal. The trash would empty, and I could move more files to the trash.

This post has been edited by stevelee: 17 May 2012 - 12:25 PM

#5 stevelee

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 12:25 PM

stevelee, on 17 May 2012 - 12:24 PM, said:

force quite

"Force quit," of course.

#6 leicaman

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 12:42 PM

When someone mentions Lion's recovery partition, it would be good to mention how you can get to it.

That is, reboot and hold down Command+R after the boot chime until you see the Apple icon.

Eric

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

#7 MichelleEris

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 12:48 PM

Try secure empty trash. It's worked every Tim for me.

#8 PrachiGauriar

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:03 PM

For those of you who are comfortable with a Terminal, opening it up and typing

rm -r ~/.Trash/*

should also work.

#9 talmy

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:05 PM

Open Terminal, type: rm -f .Trash/*

#10 Joec00v

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:06 PM

CCleaner for Mac does the same thing in addition to deleting various web browser cache. If you configure it right, it can also delete anything in the Downloads folder. It's one of my favorite apps for Mac.

#11 talmy

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:07 PM

talmy, on 17 May 2012 - 01:05 PM, said:

Open Terminal, type: rm -f .Trash/*

2 minutes late and my finger slipped.

#12 TeaEarleGreyHot

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:49 PM

I have used a key-command in the past to empty stubborn trash. It was either holding down the command key or the option key, while choosing "empty trash" from the menu. I don't have any stubborn trash just now so I can't test it to see which. Maybe that doesn't work anymore. I see in X 10.6.8 that command-shift-delete causes the trash to empty, so try the option key....

Also, sometimes if a program is currently running, it will prevent one of its documents from being emptied, even if it's not actively using that document. In those cases, just quitting the application fixed it, and the trash emptied.

#13 ClydeTurnerBain

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Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:53 PM

I use Trash It. Choose just trashing or secure delete, enter administrator password, reassure Trash It that you want what's in Trash that won't delete gone, and it's trashed and Trash is empty.
If I trash an application without an Uninstall option, I use AppCleaner, which finds associated folders scattered in the OS and it puts them in the Trash. If Trash won't empty because something is 'in use', I use Trash It, or an older application What's Keeping Me, which usually does the trick. After using the Uninstall option for an application, I use Spotlight to be sure every thing's gone, which some times it isn't. Then I use one of the procedures I wrote about above.