If you’ve ever faced the frustrating issue of trying to delete items from the Trash in macOS, especially those that were originally located on mounted volumes, you’re not alone. Many users encounter the problem of being unable to remove these files, leading to confusion and wasted time.
Problem Scenario
When attempting to empty the Trash via the Terminal in macOS for items that were deleted from other mounted volumes, you might encounter an error or find that the items remain in the Trash despite your best efforts. For instance, the command you might be using looks something like this:
rm -rf ~/.Trash/*
This command is intended to forcefully remove all items in the Trash folder. However, it often doesn’t work for files that originated from external or mounted volumes.
Understanding the Issue
Why Can't You Remove These Items?
The primary reason for this issue is that macOS treats files from mounted volumes differently. When you delete an item from an external drive or network share, it often gets sent to a specific Trash for that volume rather than the main Trash. As a result, simply attempting to clear the Trash using the Terminal won’t affect those items.
The Correct Approach
To address this, you need to directly target the specific Trash folder associated with the mounted volume. Each mounted volume has its own .Trashes directory that stores its deleted items. For example, if your external drive is named "MyDrive," the path would be:
/MyDrive/.Trashes/
To remove items from there, you can use the following command in Terminal:
sudo rm -rf /Volumes/MyDrive/.Trashes/*
Replace "MyDrive" with the actual name of your mounted volume.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Open Terminal: You can find Terminal in Applications > Utilities.
- Identify Mounted Volumes: Use the command
ls /Volumesto see all mounted volumes. - Navigate to the Volume's Trash: Replace
MyDrivewith the name of your volume:cd /Volumes/MyDrive/.Trashes - Remove Files: Use the command to delete all items:
sudo rm -rf *
Additional Considerations
- Use with Caution: The
rm -rfcommand is powerful and can irreversibly delete files. Ensure that you are targeting the correct files. - Permissions: You may need administrative permissions to delete certain files. Using
sudoas shown above elevates your permissions. - Using Finder: If you're not comfortable with Terminal, you can always delete items through Finder. Open the mounted volume, find the
.Trashesfolder (this may be hidden), and delete the items from there.
Conclusion
Removing Trashed Finder items from mounted volumes in macOS can be challenging, but with the right commands in the Terminal, it’s a manageable task. Understanding how macOS handles deleted files from different sources can save you time and help you maintain a clean workspace.
Useful Resources
By following this guide, you should have a clearer path to managing those stubborn Trashed items and maintaining control over your storage.
