In addition, the Auto-scan will detect potential viruses or privacy flaws. Instead, it just hides them and marks the data to be available for overwriting. This means it might still be possible for data recovery experts to restore deleted files even after you empty the Trash. Apple used to include an option to Secure Empty Trash in macOS, which replaced the deleted information with meaningless data, making it nearly impossible to recover your deleted files. With over 5 years of supporting Mac users, Ruslana lives and breathes everything Mac.
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We use cookies to create the best online experience. Check our Cookie Policy for details. Mac Performance. By Ruslana Lishchuk. So, reboot your Mac and then give another go at emptying the Trash. If it doesn't work, jump to the next section. Often, your Mac's Trash folder won't empty because certain files inside are still in use. Another app, or some kind of background operational process, might be using them. Either way, you'll know this is the case because a popup will tell you something like: The operation can't be completed because the item is in use.
This means you'll have to close the file before you can delete it permanently. For example, if the item is a Word document, you'll have to close it in Word. If it's an application, you'll have to quit out of that app.
And so on. Occasionally, you might not be able to identify exactly where the file is open. In these cases, perhaps a background process is using it. Now close any additional programs that you think might be stopping you from clearing the Trash on your Mac.
Alternatively, a startup or login item might be using the file in question. You can get around this by starting up your Mac in Safe Mode. This stops some software from booting up automatically. This will delete the file if a startup app was using it. If not, another option is to use Terminal to check which app has the file locked. Here's how you do that:. This will bring up a list of the apps using the file.
In our case, it doesn't do this as the file is not in use by any program. However, if are seeing a list, you'll have to close all the programs. But bear in mind that Terminal might not give the full names of apps.
So you might have to try closing several apps. If this is your first taste of the Terminal, have a look at our Terminal beginner's guide for more tips. There are times when even after deleting data from the Trash folder, it isn't removed. If you have followed the right approach, then consider restarting your Mac. If the application is running in the background, then a restart would get rid of the temporary files in the process. Therefore, it will also force empty trash on Mac as well.
Sometimes, when we restart Mac in the normal mode, the Trash folder stays intact. To overcome this problem, you can consider restarting your Mac in the Safe Mode instead. Later, you can empty the trash when your Mac is in the Safe Mode.
Here's how do you force empty trash on Mac via Safe mode. This is an old trick for previous Mac versions that you might consider trying. Mostly, it will only work if your Mac is older than the version. Since the Option key lets us access certain key features of an application, it can also help us force delete trash on Mac as well.
It protects third-party apps to access certain features on Mac. Therefore, if you are using a third-party tool to do Mac force empty trash in use, then you need to disable SIP on Mac first. Here's how you can turn off the System Integrity Protection feature on Mac. Sometimes, users end up deleting data from the Trash bin accidentally as well. If you have also done the same, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery Mac.
It runs on every leading macOS version and will let you restore your lost, deleted, or inaccessible content in all scenarios. Even if you have formatted a drive or have emptied the Trash, the advanced tool will extract your data. It features different scanning modes and will let you preview your data before restoring it.
Firstly, launch the Recoverit Data Recovery application and choose where you wish to perform the data recovery operation. Just make sure the System Integrity Protection feature is disabled beforehand. As the application would scan the selected location, wait for a while for it to extract the deleted content.
After completing the process, the application will display the results on the interface. You can preview your photos, videos, etc. Click on the "Recover" button in the end and get them back to a safe place.
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