I can not empty my trash

I try to empty my trash, while the system react as if it is done, in fact no file is deleted, and I have already 15GB in my trash folder.
Is there a way to force this ("Secure empty" produced the same results)

Hello eytangilboa,
And welcome to Apple Discussions!
There are several reasons as to why you cannot empty your trash. Maybe take a look at either of these sites that provide excellent explanations for these reasons as well as potentials solutions on how to resolve the issue. Hope it helps.
[You can't empty the Trash or move a file to the Trash|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1526]
[Solving Trash Problems|http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html]
B-rock

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HT1338 My kid down loaded mackeeper and now I can not get rid of it. I have tried all techniques suggesting on several sites and still can not empty the trash can. keep getting error code -8003. Help.

My kid down loaded mackeeper and now I can not get rid of it. I have tried all techniques suggesting on several sites and still can not empty the trash can. keep getting error code -8003. Help.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020873-263.html
This should help you empty what's currently in the trash, but is no guarantee you got everything related to MacKiller off the drive. See Ogelthorpe's link.

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If it were me, I'd get a new hard drive or SSD and put it in an external enclosure. Boot into the recovery partition, format the new drive (not the old one) and install the OS to it. Shut down the Mac, open it up, and swap the drives. You may be able to read your data from the old one externally if you're lucky. If you're very lucky you may be able to use Migration Assistant to move all your stuff to the new drive.
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I have a MacBookPro 2011. The Empty Trash command does not work. I mean I can not empty my trash

I have a MacBookPro 2011. The Empty Trash command does not work. I mean I can not empty my trash. what should I do? since now there are more than 5000 items accumulated in my trash.

Thanks everybody for your comments.
I just found a way out from the disscussion : I can't use empty trash or secure empty trash.
The same formula proposed by Zyriab solved my question.
This solved my questionRe: I can't use empty trash or secure empty trash.

Can Not Empty the Trash

For some reason I can not empty my trash. There are over 16,000 items in there and it is really running down my free space on the hard drive. When trying to empty the Trash it keeps saying that there are items locked e.g. whatsnew.htm is locked and therefore I can not continue with the deletion of the items.
Does anyone know why this happens and what I can do to correct the problem? All I want to do empty my trash but this seems to be a little more difficult than it should be!
Thanks

Hi Welcome to the Discussions.
Try holding down the option key and select Empty Trash. If that doesn't work, open the trash, control+click on the locked file and select Get Info from the contextual menu. Uncheck Locked in the window that opens and enter your password when asked. Close the window and empty the trash.
If those things don't work there are a few more ways to do it.
John

Help I have put lock folders from time machine in the trash and now I can not empty the trash of these folders

Help I have put some folders from timemachine in the trash and now I can not empty the trash can. I now realised I took the wrong action to delete these folders duh! but i canot work out how to solve the problem I now have, can anybody please tell me what action to take?

Hi Linc
Thank you for your reply. It did not work at first, I think there was just to much stuff. In frustration I held ctlr, alt and cmd keys down then empted the trash and it worked! I had to repeat the process several times as only a few folders were delt with at a time. but now are all gone.
Kind regards Dian

I can not empty my trash. (error -50)

I am unable to empty my trash. I get an option to either Remove Unlocked Items or Remove All Items - with either option I get the same error -50 return.
Message was edited by: jpopnyc
Turns out all I needed to do was "eject" my external hard drive and the issue was resloved.

Good work, thanks for the report!
paramErr
= -50, /*error in user parameter list*/

I can not empty the trash

I have 27,000 items in my trash and it will not empty

COCKTAIL solved my problem..
I have 2 drives-an SSD drive
and a regular drive-- called storage
so my applications are on the SSD drive --like Aperature
but the pictures are stored on the other drive
COCKTAIL allows me to empty trash on each drive
the trash that was stuck was on the storage drive
I am a novice at this- the drives were set up at the Apple store
hope this helps
lesnorvell

I sent Firefox to the trash on my mac but can not empty the trash because of locked files. I want to do a fresh install because the update made it impossible for me to get into my e-mai account. how do I delete the old firefox?

re: uninstalling by moving Firefox to the trash: i received the following message: There are some locked items in the Trash. Do you want to remove all the items, including the locked ones, or just the unlocked items?
I have tried to un lock and to remove all items and have been unsuccessful - repeatedly.

Try:
* http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1402 Unable to move, unlock, modify, or copy an item in Mac OS X
Open the file information via one of these methods:
* Right click on the File or use the File menu and select "Get Info"
* Mark all files and press Command + Alt + I
In the "General" tab remove the check-mark in "Locked"
Trash and delete them.

Can not empty Trash

Hi there, I have recently had a corrupt iphoto library. I have extracted the pictures and created a new library. After doing this I deleted the old library, which is in my MAC trash (not iphoto trash).
I can not empty my trash and have searched everywhere online for a resolution, these are things I have tried ....help I need to dump this large library.
Thanks
1- Right Click - empty trash
     I get The operation can’t be completed because the item “iPhoto Library .photolibrary” is in use.
          I have searched this error message and tried using terminal to see what has this in use using the following - couldn't find anything
                    xxx-iMac:~ ryanromero$ lsof | grep iPhoto Library .photolibrary
                    grep: Library: Is a directory
                    grep: .photolibrary: No such file or directory
2 - I've tried doing Secure Empty Trash in which i get the below message
        The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items.
3- I have tried using terminal to empty the trash using the following command - It acts like it will delete it but the trash is still there.
     Ryan-Romeros-iMac:~ ryanromero$ sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/*
     Password:
4- I have also tried this which said it would delete the file but doesn't in terminal
     Ryan-Romeros-iMac:~ ryanromero$ sudo rm -rf /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto\ Library\ .photolibrary
Password:
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoAux.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoLock.data: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._iPhotoMain.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._Library6.iPhoto: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._ProjectDBVersion.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/._Projects.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/._DataModelVersion.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/._tmSync.plist: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._BigBlobs.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Faces.db-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._History.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Library.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._lockfile.pid: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/._Properties.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/BigBlobs.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Faces.db-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/History.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Library.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb/Properties.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/DataModelVersion.plist/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database/DataModelVersion.plist: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Database: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iLifeShared: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iPhotoAux.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/iPhotoMain.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Masters: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database/apdb/._ImageProxies.apdb-journal: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database/apdb: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Previews/Database: Directory not empty
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Projects.db: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary/Thumbnails: Input/output error
rm: /Volumes/Iomega_HDD/.Trashes/501/iPhoto Library .photolibrary: Directory not empty

First, never try to empty the Trash in the shell. It's dangerous and unnecessary, and as you've discovered, it doesn't always work.
It's possible that the external drive is malfunctioning, but before you draw that conclusion, quit iPhoto and try again to empty the Trash.

I can not amply my trash box it says that the file its on use and its not

I can not empty my trash, its says that the file that it is in the trash is in use and it is not.
What can I do?

Have you tried restarting and then emptying the Trash?
Clinton

Have file in Trash and can not empty trash . Showing 63 files and tried to shut down and restart and still will not empty

Have file in Trash and can not empty trash . Showing 63 files and tried to shut down and restart and still will not empty.Anyone know what can be done?

You are welcome. Glad I could help/
Allan

My 15" MacBook Pro (early 2008) will not empty the trash can.The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003).

My 15" MacBook Pro (early 2008) will not empty the trash can.The operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003).

Just the Option key. Third from the left on the bottom row.
If that does not work, try the more elaborate steps described here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20020873-263.html

ICloud trash can not empty

When I select empty trash on iCloud mail. I get the message:
Cannot empty folder.
This folder can not be emptied at this time
Clicking OK dismisses the window and no messages have been deleted. I have tried this from more than one Mac, all get the same response.
How can I empty the trash on my account?
Thanks,
Mike

My problem was fixed. Here's some details.
I contacted Apple for help and they were immediately available and very helpful. The first person I talked to admitted that the account was showing other issues on his end and he was not sure how to correct it so he bumped it up to the next level. The second person quickly saw some bigger issues and suggested that "engineering" get involved. I was told that there should be a resolution in a day or two.
Not waiting for an email I contacted the second level guy two days later. He wanted to make sure that the iCloud account was set up and enabled (I had disabled it) in Mail on the computer. He asked me to select Mail > Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items in the iCloud account. I wasn't sure why I was doing this since the Trash was empty and storage was still showing 4.5GB for Mail, but I did as I was instructed.
After I did that I checked the storage again and it showed 3.8GB! A few minutes later it had dropped to 618KB!
I asked what they did and he indicated that apparently their servers did not pick up my request to delete soooo many emails at one time. I had selected almost all of the email to delete all at the same time.
Whether there's more to it than that I'm not sure, and I don't care. I do know that before I called them there was a problem and after I called them there is no longer a problem. The key to all of this might be the Bold part above, though.
I will say they were very quick to assign someone to me (within a minute), and very accommodating, and quick to resolve the problem.
I think the original problem stemmed from trying to delete such a huge amount of email at one time. I don't think I will do that again.

Why i can not empty the folder in the trash

i have an external hard drive and i am using between the windows pc and mac ... recently i found there is a folder in trash can i can not empty ... i tried to empty it in the terminal by typing rm & space ... drag the folder into the terminal with a green plus sign ... but i still can empty the folder in the trash can ... any advise...
cheers,

http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html
This should help you.

I can not empty my trash

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