How to Empty the Trash on a Mac [macOS Monterey Applicable]

The Trash folder on your Mac serves as a storage space for files that have been deleted from your system, and you can use shortcuts to move files to Trash. This implies that when you delete a file on your Mac, it's not immediately erased but stored in the Trash. Over time, this can cause your Trash to become full and occupy a significant portion of your computer's storage space. To rectify this, you should empty your Trash, which ensures that the files are permanently removed from your computer.

This article will guide you through various techniques on how to empty the Trash on a Mac. These methods are straightforward and easy to grasp. Furthermore, we will also explore how to force empty the Trash on a Mac in case other approaches fail to remove all files.

How to Empty Trash on Mac Manually or Automatically

If you wish to remove files from your Trash folder, it can certainly be done. Emptying the Trash will permanently delete all the contents within it, thereby freeing up space on your Mac. To begin with the process of how to empty Trash on MacBook, you can utilize three primary methods.

• Manually Empty Trash
• Automatically Empty Mac Trash
• Force Emptying the Trash

We will explain how each method operates with detailed steps as follows.

NOTE: Emptying the Trash permanently deletes data, so be cautious. If you accidentally delete files you need, recover files from the emptied Trash promptly using professional Mac data recovery software.

Method 1: Empty the Trash Manually

The primary method to empty the Trash on a Mac is by doing it manually. This approach allows you to either selectively choose which files to delete or remove all files in one go. Here are the steps for this process: 1. Locate the Trash icon in your Dock, typically represented by a wastebasket. 2. Click on the Trash icon to open it and view its contents. 3. If you want to delete specific files, highlight them by clicking on each file individually or using the Shift or Command keys to select multiple files at once. 4. Once you've selected the desired files, right-click (or Control-click) on them and choose "Delete Immediately" from the context menu, or simply press the "Delete" key on your keyboard. 5. If you want to delete all the files in the Trash without selecting them, click on "Empty Trash" in the top-left corner of the window or use the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + Delete." 6. A confirmation prompt may appear asking if you're sure you want to delete the items. Click "Empty Trash" to proceed, or "Cancel" to stop the process. After following these steps, the selected or all files in the Trash will be permanently removed, and the space they occupied on your Mac's storage will be freed up.

Step 1. Open the Trash folder.

Step 2. When the folder opens, locate the upper-right corner and click on the Settings icon. Then, choose "Empty Trash."

Step 3. On the message pop-up, click on the "Empty Trash" button. Confirm and proceed with deleting the items in the Trash.

Step 4. To delete a selected item in the Trash folder, click on it, then choose "Empty Trash."

Tip: To delete items from your Trash without seeing a confirmation message, press Option+Shift+Command+Delete.

Method 2: Automatically Empty the Trash

If you prefer not to invest much time and effort in manually emptying your Trash folder, you can opt for an automatic solution. This hassle-free approach enables you to focus on more significant tasks without concern for your Trash folder accumulating unnecessary items.

All Mac devices, including macOS Monterey, offer the option to automatically empty the Trash folder every 30 days. You can enable this setting by following these steps:

Step 1. Open Finder.

Step 2. Go to "Finder" and then "Preferences".

Step 3. Next, click on the "Advanced" tab.

Step 4. Make sure the option "Remove items from Trash after 30 days" is selected. This ensures that your Mac will automatically empty the Trash every 30 days.

Method 3: Force Empty Trash on a Mac

When normal methods to empty the Trash fail, you can opt to force-empty it. This approach deletes files even if they are in use or locked. The simplest way to force-empty Trash on your Mac is through the Terminal. Here are the steps to do so: 1. Open the Terminal: You can find it in the Applications > Utilities folder or by using Spotlight search (press Command + Space and type "Terminal"). 2. Once the Terminal window is open, type the following command and press Enter: ``` sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/* ``` 3. You will be prompted to enter your administrator password. Type it carefully and press Enter again. 4. The Terminal will now proceed to force-empty the Trash. This process might take a few moments, especially if there are many files. 5. Once completed, you'll see a new prompt in the Terminal. You can close the Terminal window. Please note that force-emptying the Trash is a powerful action and should be used with caution as it bypasses any confirmations and permanently deletes the contents of the Trash, including important files if not done intentionally.

Step 1. Open Terminal.

Step 2. Type the following command, then add a space after it: sudo rm -rf .

Step 3. Go to the Trash folder, choose the files you want to remove, and then drag them into the Terminal window. Press Return.

Step 4. Type in the administrator password for your Mac and press Return to confirm. Next, execute the command to delete the selected files from your Trash. This will forcefully remove all the files that couldn't be emptied manually or automatically.

More Helpful Guide: How to Retrieve Files from Emptied Trash on Mac

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you've accidentally emptied your Trash and then realized you still needed some of the deleted files? How did you handle it? In this section, we'll guide you on how to recover files from an emptied Trash using a professional Mac Trash recovery software called tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

This software is incredibly useful when it comes to recovering lost data, letting you retrieve music files, videos, photos, documents, and more. It lets you scan for missing data on hard drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), Time Machine backup drives, USB sticks, SD cards, and cameras. With the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, you can restore erased files on your Mac, whether they're small or large ones.

Other features of the Data Recovery for Mac tool include a file filter, support for bootable media, scan modes, data protection, file preview, and the capability to recover files to the cloud.

Here are the steps to recover data from an emptied Mac Trash using the tool Data Recovery Wizard for Mac: 1. **Download and Install**: First, visit the official website of the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac and download the software. Make sure to choose the correct version compatible with your Mac's operating system. 2. **Launch the Software**: After installation, open the Data Recovery Wizard application on your Mac. You may need to provide administrative permissions for the program to run. 3. **Select the Drive**: In the main interface of the software, you will see a list of available drives or storage devices connected to your Mac. Choose the drive where the deleted files were originally located, usually your Mac's internal hard drive. 4. **Scan the Trash**: Click on the "Start Scan" or "Deep Scan" button to initiate the scanning process. The deep scan may take longer but is more thorough in finding deleted files. 5. **Preview and Recover**: While the scan is in progress, the software will display found files in categories like Documents, Images, Videos, etc. You can preview these files to ensure they are the ones you want to recover. Once you find the desired files, select them and click on "Recover" or "Save" to begin the recovery process. 6. **Choose a Location**: The software will prompt you to choose a location to save the recovered files. It's crucial not to save them back to the original location (the Mac Trash), as this could overwrite other deleted files. Instead, opt for a different folder or an external storage device. 7. **Wait for Completion**: The recovery process may take some time depending on the size of the files. Be patient and do not interrupt the process. Once completed, you can access your recovered files from the chosen save location. Remember, prevention is always better than cure. Regularly backup important data to avoid the need for data recovery in the future.

Step 1. Choose the location to scan

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac and select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you've lost data. Click "Search for lost files" to initiate the scanning process.

Note: Before proceeding with data recovery, it's recommended to click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac. This will help prevent any potential further data loss. Once the backup is done, the software can retrieve data from the backup, and your computer can resume writing new data.

Step 2. Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook/iMac. Upon completion of the scan, filter the desired data using the "Type" and "Path" buttons.

Step 3. Recover Lost Data or Files

Double-click a file to preview it. Then, click the "Recover" button to restore the lost data to another location.

Final Verdicts

The manual method is the most fundamental way to empty the Trash on a Mac. If you wish to save time and effort involved in the manual process, you can opt for an automatic approach by configuring your system to automatically delete files from your Trash folder every 30 days. In circumstances where you come across files that won't delete from the Trash due to being locked or still in use, you can utilize the Terminal to force their removal.

Emptying your Trash folder is an effective method to free up space and enhance your system's performance. If you need to recover files that have been deleted from the Trash, we suggest using recovery software such as Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. This tool assists in swiftly recovering partitions on Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions About Emptying the Trash on a Mac

Knowing how to empty the Trash on a Mac is crucial because it enables you to effortlessly remove unneeded files from your device and free up extra space. To provide you with a better understanding of this process, we have addressed the following questions:

1. How do I empty the trash?

You can empty the Trash on a Mac manually, automatically, or by using the Terminal forcefully. For the manual method, you'll need to individually choose the files you wish to delete from the Trash. To empty the Trash automatically, you can configure the system to do this every 30 days. If you encounter difficulty in manually or automatically removing specific files, you can utilize Terminal commands to forcefully delete them from your Trash folder.

2. Where is the Trash Folder Located on a Mac?

Where is Trash on Mac? To access the Trash folder on a Mac, click its icon located in the Dock. Alternatively, you can press Command+Shift+G on your keyboard and type "Trash" to open the folder.

3. Why Can't I Empty the Trash on Mac?

When encountering difficulty in emptying the Trash on a Mac, it might be due to the selected files being in use or locked. To address this issue, you'll need to forcibly remove them using the Terminal.

4. How to Empty the Trash Using the Terminal?

To conveniently empty the Trash using the Terminal, follow these steps: 1. Open the Terminal: You can do this by searching for "Terminal" in Spotlight or by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. 2. Once the Terminal window is open, type the following command and then press Enter: ``` rm -rf ~/.Trash/* ``` This command will recursively remove all the files and folders within the Trash folder. 3. Terminal will prompt you for your administrative password since it's performing a potentially dangerous operation. Type your password carefully, and press Enter again. 4. The process will start immediately, and all the contents of the Trash will be deleted. You won't see any visual feedback, but once the command execution is complete, the Terminal prompt will return. Please note that this action is irreversible, and it permanently deletes the files without sending them to the Recycle Bin. Make sure you've double-checked and are certain about deleting the contents before executing the command.

Step 1. Type the following command into Terminal and press the Space key: sudo rm -rf.

Step 2. Open the Trash folder.

Step 3. Select the files you wish to delete from the Trash. Drag these files into the Terminal window.

Step 4. Press Enter.

Step 5. Enter your Mac password to confirm the deletion process, then press Enter. You have now deleted files from the Trash using the Terminal.