Beginning with Mac OS X 10.3, Apple introduced the Secure Empty Trash feature to increase security. The feature followed the U.S. DoD pattern of overwriting data seven times. How to Perform Equivalent of “Secure Empty Trash” in OS X El Capitan (10.11.+) This requires usage of the Mac command line and a very powerful secure remove command, this is irreversible. Locate the file(s) you wish to securely delete in the OS X Finder.
It is a common case that every time when we deal with some stuff on our computer, it would create some junk files, which are useless and you don't want them saved on your computer anymore. In this way, you would move them to Trash.
![]() This article would talk about how to empty your Trashes securely on Mac. You may wonder why this easy job is worth to discuss here. However, what we want to talk about is more than just go to your Trash and click on the “Empty” button. And you can see more details in part 1. Please continue to read. ![]()
Part 1: What is the difference between Empty Trash and and Secure Empty Trash?When you come across the useless files that you don't want anymore, you would drag them to the Trash and then click on the “Empty” button on the top-right corner of the Trash window. That is so-called Empty Trash. However, thought those files disappear on your Mac and the storage space that the files occupied is available for use, they don't actually erase from your computer. That is to say, the deleted data can be recovered with some data recovery tools. In the early version of OS X, if you want your sensitive information can be deleted permanently, you can use Secure Empty Trash, in which way the deleted data couldn’t recovered even with the recovery software. How comes? It is because the files deleted in this way are overwritten by meaningless data.However, the Secure Empty Trash feature fails to perform perfectly and even Apple could not guarantee the deleted files would not be recovered. In this way, the feature was removed with the statement: “Finder Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.8 and later Impact: The ‘Secure Empty Trash’ feature may not securely delete files placed in the Trash Description: An issue existed in guaranteeing secure deletion of Trash files on some systems, such as those with flash storage. This issue was addressed by removing the ‘Secure Empty Trash’ option. Securely Empty Trash Mac”Secure Delete Trash Mac App DownloadSo what should you do if you want to deal with the sensitive files or erase the personal information when pass your Mac to others? Please continue to read.Part 2: Securely Empty Trash for iMac/MacBook ProCleanMyMac 3 program can help to erase the deleted files in multiple trash bins (not only a system Trash, but also the Photos Trash, Mail Trash, and other app-specific Trashes on your Mac). Now please check out the guide to empty Trashes securely on your Mac.Step 1Download CleanMyMac 3 First of all, please download and install the CleanMyMac 3 program on your Mac by clicking on the download button below. Step 2Scan the Files in Trashes After you get the program installed, please launch it. On the interface, please go to “Trash Bins” option on the left pane and then click on the “Scan” button to continue. Step 3Empty Trashes Securely After the scanning is over, you are able to choose the “Review Details” to check out the scanning result. Then please click on the “Clean” button on the bottom of the interface to empty your Trashes. The job is done! Just three simple steps and you can securely erase the annoying trashes off the Mac. So why not have a try yourself? Related Articles
Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
'My Mac is getting extremely slow and I don't know how to get rid of its trash. Can someone please tell me how to force empty trash on Mac?'
If a similar query has brought you here, then consider this your lucky day! A lot of Mac users find it hard to manage their Trash folder. No matter how many times they try to empty it, there is always some or other leftover content in it. Since Mac automatically manages the Trash folder, you might need to take some extra measures to force delete trash. This will let you have more free space on your Mac or get rid of your sensitive content. In this post, we will make you familiar with 6 different ways on how to force delete trash on Mac.
Part 1: Reasons You Need to Force Empty Trash on Mac
Before uncovering ways to do macOS force empty trash, it is important to know the reasons. The following are some of the major triggers for taking this action.
Part 2: How to Empty Trash on Mac
No matter what the reason is, you can easily learn how to force delete trash on Mac by following the right approach. Here are some easy solutions to force delete trash that you can try.
Method 1: Use Mac's Terminal
While it might seem a bit complicated, using Terminal is the best practice to take complete control over your Mac. For instance, by entering the right commands, you can do almost anything on a Mac – and forcefully emptying its trash is no such exception. Here's how you can learn how to force empty trash on Macbook Pro and other Mac versions.
Method 2: Using the Trash App UtilitiesSecure Empty Trash Mac
There are tons of third-party apps out there as well that can help you force empty trash on Mac Yosemite, Sierra, High Sierra, and other macOS versions. Though, before you download any file shredder app, just make sure it works for your macOS version. There are freely available as well as paid apps to force delete trash and manage your Mac storage. Some of these common apps are Trash it, Stellar Wipe Mac, MacClean, Mac Optimizer, Cocktail, CleanMyMac, and so on. From these options, let's learn how to force empty trash on Mac using CleanMyMac.
Method 3: Restart and Try Again
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.
Method 4: Empty the Trash folder in 'Safe Mode'
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.
What if your Mac can't be restarted? Get the fixes here: 10 Solutions to Mac Won't Turn on.
Method 5: Use the Option Key to Force Empty Mac Trash
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 2015 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.
Method 6: Disable System Integrity Protection
The System Integrity Protection (SIP) is a native Mac feature that was introduced in macOS 10.13 and exits in every later version. 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.
How to Recover Data from Emptied Trash
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.
To use Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac, follow these simple steps:
Step1: Select the location:
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.
Step2: Scan selected location:
As the application would scan the selected location, wait for a while for it to extract the deleted content.
Step3: Preview and Recover the Files:
After completing the process, the application will display the results on the interface. You can preview your photos, videos, etc. here and select the files you wish to save. Click on the 'Recover' button in the end and get them back to a safe place.
Conclusion
That's a wrap, everyone! I'm sure that the guide would have helped you force empty trash on Mac by following these proven techniques. Apart from that, if you have accidentally deleted data from the Trash bin, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery. An exceptional data recovery tool for Mac, it will let you get back your lost files under different circumstances and from various sources.
What's Wrong with Mac
Comments are closed.
|
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |