How to Empty the Trash on a Mac: 4 Effective Ways

Any unnecessary files you delete from your Mac's hard drive get moved to the Trash, still taking up some space on your computer. You can empty the Trash to remove these unwanted files. However, you might encounter an error message stating that the Trash on your Mac can't be emptied for a known or unknown reason. The following solutions on how to force empty the Trash on Mac might come in handy.

Why is it necessary to force empty the recycle bin?

4 Ways to Empty the Trash on Your Mac for Good

Regardless of the reason, emptying the Trash on a Mac can be easily done one of five ways.

How to Recover Deleted Files from an Empty Mac Trash (Before It's Too Late)

Many users realize they've deleted something important only after emptying the Trash. In this case, stop using your Mac immediately and recover lost data with Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It's compatible with all current macOS versions and can restore damaged, deleted, or lost files. This advanced software can recover deleted files on Mac, whether you erased the drive or emptied the Trash. You can preview the data before recovery, and it offers multiple scan options.

Follow these steps to recover permanently deleted files and data:

Note: You can create a backup first by clicking on “Disk Backup” on the left. The software will recover the deleted files from the backup image. This prevents further damage to your disk and data, making it safer and more reliable.

Step 1: Scan the deleted files

Select the hard drive, external drive, or SSD from where your data and files were deleted, and click “Search for lost files.”

Select the location to scan for deleted files on your Mac.

Step 2: Filter out missing files

The software will perform a quick and deep scan, trying to find as many deleted files as possible on the selected volume. Filter the required files by the "Type" and "Path" options.

Step 3: Recover the deleted files

Double-click to preview the deleted files, and then click the “Recover” button to get them back.

Solution 1: Empty the Trash on Mac Using Terminal

Among Mac users, deleting or recovering deleted files from the Mac Terminal is a common practice. Suppose you want to force-empty the Trash through macOS Terminal. In that case, the following steps might be more effective and successful for users running Big Sur, Monterey, or even newer versions (such as the latest Ventura operating system). However, proceed with caution when opting for the Terminal. Entering the wrong command on a Mac can delete much more than just the contents of the Trash.

Step 1: Open Terminal on your Mac. The fastest way to do this is by accessing Spotlight and searching for Terminal there.

Step 2: Type in “sudo rm -R”, followed by a space (but do not hit Enter yet).

Step 3: Select all the items you want to remove from the Trash, and then click the Trash icon in the Dock. Drag the folders and files into the Terminal window, and press Return.

Step 4: Type your administrator password. The characters will not be visible as you type.

Step 5: Press Enter again. Wait patiently for a moment. You're done!

Solution 2: Force Empty Trash on Mac in Safe Mode

If your Mac displays that the file is in use, it might be due to a startup or login item that's accessing the file. You can use your Mac's Safe Mode to check if any apps or programs are interfering with the Trash's normal operation.

Step 1: Start up your Mac. Press and hold the Shift key as soon as you start it up.

Step 2: Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. "Safe Boot" should appear in the top-right corner of the screen.

Step 3: Empty the Trash, and then restart your Mac as you normally would.

Fix 3: Force Empty Trash on Mac using Option Key

If you can't open the Trash to empty it, hold down the Option key to empty it without opening first. Holding this key gives you access to certain functions in programs that allow you to force-empty the Trash on your Mac.

Step 1: Find the “Trash” icon in your Mac's Dock, click and hold on it.

Step 2: While holding down the Option key (or Option-Shift), double-click the Trash icon.

Step 3: Select Empty Trash from the list.

Step 4: Confirm that the Trash has been emptied when prompted.

Solution 4: Force Empty Recycle Bin with a Third-party Tool

If you can't empty the Trash on a Mac, you might be able to use a third-party tool. However, before using one, you'll need to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP). SIP prevents third-party apps from accessing certain functions on your Mac, so you'll need to turn it off before using a third-party app to force-empty the Trash on your active Mac account.

Step 1. Hold down the Command+R keys to start your Mac in Recovery Mode.

Step 2: Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo, then log in.

Step 3: Type “csrutil disable; reboot” and restart your Mac.

Step 4: System Integrity Protection is now temporarily disabled, and you should be able to empty the Trash on your Mac.

More info: Why you need to force empty trash on Mac

Before learning how to empty the Trash on Mac, it's crucial to know where is the Trash on Mac and why you should do it. The key catalysts for doing this include:

User Privacy

There may be times when you need to remove personal or sensitive information from your Mac. Thus, it's advisable to force empty the Trash on Mac and wipe private data to prevent anyone from accessing it later.

User Security

For security, if you're selling your Mac, be sure to Empty Trash securely, because simply moving files to the Trash can leave data exposed.

More space

If your Mac is running low on storage, emptying the Trash can free up space. Force-emptying the Trash on a Mac is a quick way to free up space that the system is holding onto.

Accelerate

Extra files and data can slow down your macOS. So, you can speed up the processing by cleaning up unnecessary stuff and sending them to Trash or even format Mac to make it faster. Then empty the Trash, and your system will run faster.

Restore files from the recycle bin

In short

Equipped with these verified methods, you should now be able to force your Mac to empty the trash. Also, if you accidentally deleted data from the trash, consider using a Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool. It's a powerful Mac data recovery software that can help you restore deleted files and data in various sources and situations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Force Emptying the Trash on Mac

Here are some other questions about Force Emptying the Trash on a Mac.

1. Why can't I empty the Trash on my Mac?

• The file is in use by an active app or a background task from a closed app.
• The file might be corrupted and needs to be repaired.
• The file might be locked or have System Integrity Protection enabled.
• Certain files might be locked.

How do I empty the Trash on a Mac when it says “Permission Denied”?

Make sure all the files have read and write permissions: if not, you'll need to adjust the file permissions to unlock them. To do this, right-click on an item in the Trash and select Get Info. Then click on your username and set the permissions to Read & Write. You'll see the Sharing & Permissions section.

How can I empty the Trash on my Mac when it says “The disk is full”?

If you see an error that the process can't be completed because the disk is full, try restarting your Mac in Safe Mode and emptying the Trash again, rather than backing up, erasing everything, and reinstalling.

4. Can't empty the Trash on your Mac?

There are several reasons why you might not be able to empty the Trash on a Mac, but you can fix macOS with these methods.

Boot your Mac into Safe Mode. Scan for and remove viruses. Repair your hard drive before emptying the Trash.