The trash feature of any operating system is quite vital. Sure, we all take for granted the fact that we can delete files as quickly as we create them, but what if you couldn’t move a file to the trash or worse empty the trash successfully?
Well, I’m happy to inform you that there are ways to resolve this issue, one that if it goes unresolved, can create a space limitation on your hard drive. Think of it this way, simply because you put trash in a garbage can doesn’t mean the trash collector is going to come each week. Here are a few tips/tricks that can resolve your trash can issue. In the case of owning a computer, you are essentially the trash collector that’s responsible for emptying your trash. This might seem like common sense but you’d be surprised how many people operate on a “out of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to file organization.
Hopefully the following tips and tricks help provide you a resolution:
In Mac OS X, each user account has a separate, invisible Trash folder that is in the home folder. When you view contents of the Trash, you see only items you placed there and not the Trash folder of any other accounts. If other writable volumes are present, you may also have individual Trash folders on these volumes.
How to delete a file:
1. Drag an item’s icon to the Trash (in the Dock), or select the item and press Command-Delete.
2. Choose Empty Trash from the Finder menu.
Note: If you’re trying to delete a file that wasn’t completely downloaded or copied, check out this document.
Tip: In Mac OS X v10.3 or later, you can securely delete items by choosing Secure Empty Trash from the Finder menu.
If you change your mind about deleting the item before you choose Empty Trash:
1. Click the Trash icon in the dock.
2. Drag the item out of the Trash.
If you can’t empty the Trash or move a file to the Trash:
For example, this message might appear when you try to empty the Trash: “The operation could not be completed because the item ‘(item name)’ is locked.”
First, try holding the Option key as you choose Empty Trash from the Finder menu.
If that fails, check for these conditions:
Is the file locked? If files are locked, unlock them before deleting or delete using the tips in the “Deleting locked files” section below. Also, see this article.
Do you have correct permissions to modify the file? Every file and folder in Mac OS X has some permission settings to help define what you or other users can do with the file or folder, for example whether you may modify it or not. If see an alert box with a message that says you do not have “sufficient” privilege or permission, see the tips in the “Emptying the Trash” section of this article.
Does the file or volume have special characters? Usually, Mac OS X can delete files whose names contain special characters, but sometimes you might need to follow this advice.
1. Note the name of the volume which the files are being deleted from. If you are not sure of the item’s location, you can verify that by selecting it then choosing Show Info from the File menu. If the name of the volume contains any special ASCII characters, such as a bullet or trademark character, temporarily rename the volume so that it does not contain these characters.
Example: If you cannot delete files from a volume named “·Dox”, rename the volume to “Dox”. After the Trash is empty, restore the volume’s original name as desired.
2. Examine the name of the files or folders you cannot delete. They should not contain a solidus (“slash”, “/”) character or any other special ASCII character such as a trademark, quotation mark, or copyright symbol. If the file does, remove the special character or slash from its name, then delete it.
Example: If you cannot delete a file named “Things/stuff·”, rename the file to just “t”, then delete it.
Remember to always delete your trash as the files/data that can accumulate in there are still taking up space on your hard drive.