I can't delete my files on mac computer or empty trash because it keeps saying certain file is locked

I can't delete my files on desktop. Also my trash won't empty because it says I have a locked file.
Thanks Michelle

Hi, first try holding option or alt key when selecting Empty Trash.
Solving Trash Problems...
http://thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html

Similar Messages

  • I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory

    I am getting disc full messages on my Mac, unable to empty trash because not enough space, how do I proceed or do I need to increase my 4gig of memory in which case how do I go about this process.

    You are confusing RAM (Random Access Memory) with hard drive data storage space.
    Your hard drive storage is getting too full if you can't empty your Mac's main trash.
    Here are some general tips to keep your Mac's hard drive trim and slim as possible
    You should never, EVER let a conputer hard drive get completely full, EVER
    With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.
    If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.
    Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.
    Have you emptied your Mac's Trash icon in the Dock?
    ( as you mentioned, you can't empty this as your hard drive is too full.)
    If you use iPhoto, iPhoto has its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
    If you store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.
    If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
    Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.
    Look through your other Mailboxes and other Mail categories to see If there is other mail you can archive and/or delete.
    STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!
    Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
    Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
    Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.
    To find other large files, download an app called Omni Disk Sweeper.
    Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
    When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
    Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
    move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
    If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
    Good Luck!

  • How can i delete my old account .mac since i have iCloud on my account on my iPhone 4s

    How can i delete my old account .mac since i have iCloud on my account on my iPhone 4s
    On my Mail, contacts and calendar in thesystem preferences

    There should be a small + and - in the bottom left cornet of the system preference window. Make sure it's the account you want to delete that is highlighted before clicking on the - button.

  • How can i delete Arcadeyum from my mac?

    how can i delete Arcadeyum from my mac?
    Can anybody help

    how can i delete Arcadeyum from my mac?
    Can anybody help

  • How can I delete massages from my Mac pro

    How can I delete massages from my Mac pro

    Ok never mind I figure it out, but thank you for responding

  • Will upgrading to a new OS like Lion or Mountain Lion delete my previous files on my computer? Will I have to back up my files with a hard drive first?

    Will upgrading to a new OS like Lion or Mountain Lion delete my previous files on my computer? Will I have to back up my files with a hard drive first?

    Upgrades do not delete your personal files in the Home folder. But any installation can go bad, so it would be wise to backup your current system to an external hard drive.
    Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
    You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
    Upgrading to Snow Leopard
    You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
    After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
         Snow Leopard General Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
           2. 1GB of memory
           3. 5GB of available disk space
           4. DVD drive for installation
           5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
               fees may apply.
           6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
               terms apply.
    Upgrading to Lion
    If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
    You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax.  It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
         Lion System Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
               or Xeon processor
           2. 2GB of memory
           3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
           4. 7GB of available space
           5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
    Upgrading to Mountain Lion
    To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
         OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
           Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
             1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
             2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
             3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
             5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
    To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
    Are my applications compatible?
             See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
         For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

  • I am trying to clear files from my computer. I have a bunch of .m4v protected files that will not delete. They are lectures from college that I do not need anymore and would like to delete them to make room on my computer.

    I am trying to clear files from my computer. I have a bunch of .m4v protected files that will not delete. They are lectures from college that I do not need anymore and would like to delete them to make room on my computer. I have looked at the help sites and they seem to give directions to change files that people are saving in the future and not regarding past files. I am unable to change anything about the file including the name, so I can not change these past files from .m4v to something else which is deletable such as .mp4 etc. Any help would be much appreciated!!!!

    Well, most of what we can tell you is already stated in the message you are getting.  A phone can only sync with one library at a time.  You have apparently synced your phone with a different iTunes library in the past, or changes have been made to this library so the phone no longer recognizes it as the library with which it was synced.  To know which you will have to provide the information.
    If you bought them using the AppleID you use with this phone it may simply be easier to re-download them directly to the phone rather than sync them, though you will want to resolve that issue at some point.
    Downloading (using iOS or computer) past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519

  • How to save Android contacts as Excel file on Mac computer?

    I want to manage and edit my contacts on my cell phone, my friend suggested me save them as Excel format! So now i am trying this way, but i can't find the right method to do this! Do you know how to save Android contacts as Excel file on Mac computer?

    If you want to save Android Phone contacts to Excel format, you can have a try the following method:
    Step 1. Connect Your Android Phone to Computer
    After downloading and installing the Coolmuster Android Assistant software on your computer, launch it and you will get the program interface prompts you to connect your phone to the computer. Just use a USB cable to connect your phone to the computer and the program will detect the connected phone automatically. If it is the first time to run this software, you may encounter the following picture and be required to enable USB debugging on your phone at first. If your device can be detected by the program, you can directly skip to the next step.
    Step 2: Go to the Contacts windows
    All your phone data are categorized on the top menu. To transfer Android phone's contacts, you can go to click the "Contacts" icon to enter the Contacts window. Navigate to the left panel and click on the "All Contacts" option, then, all the contacts in your phone will show in list on the right window. Mark the contacts you want to backup on your computer and click the button of "Backup".
    Step 3. Start to export contacts to computer at once
    Once you click on the "Backup" button, there will be a "Path" dialog appears, asking you to choose an output location where you want to save the exported contacts. Specify an output folder and then click the "Ok" button. Then, all your phone contacts will be exported to the output location immediately, with all the email address, company's name, home address, and more contacts info perfectly kept in the output CSV or XLS file.

  • Hello i am trying to help a friend to get the update for the mac os x maverick and msg pops up saying distribution file not verified

    hello i am trying to help a friend to get the update for the mac os x maverick and msg pops up saying distribution file not verified

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.
    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches. 
    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
    The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

  • HT201302 how can i delete photos from my iphone after uploading in Iphoto even if i say not to keep on phone

    how can i delete photos from my iphone after uploading in Iphoto even if i say not to keep on phone

    Hello paolo@spring,
    Just as photos that were taken more than 30 days ago remain on your MacBook Air, so will photos that are deleted from your iPhone.
    Photos in My Photo Stream are saved on the iCloud server for 30 days.
    Because your Mac and PC have more storage than your iOS devices, you can choose to download all of your My Photo Stream photos automatically.
    In iPhoto or Aperture preferences on your Mac, select Photos (or Photo Stream) > My Photo Stream > Automatic Import. All of your photo stream photos will import into your Events, Projects, Photos, Faces, and Places folders in iPhoto or Aperture.
    iCloud: My Photo Stream FAQ
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4486
    Cheers,
    Allen

  • I can't delete the thunderbird from my computer. Everytime I do and try to reinstall the old issues come up again. I already formated the computer...what to do

    I can't delete the thunderbird from my computer. Everytime I do and try to reinstall the old issues come up again. I already formated the computer...what to do

    Formating, it must be gone now?
    When you update, delete and reinstall your profile is kept and only program-files are deleted / replaced. All your prefs , account details, mail, folders and add-ons are intact.
    All that is in a hidden directory %appdata%\roaming\thunderbird\profiles\.......

  • Since March 2012 my iphoto 11 trash folder says that I have 13,346 photos in the iphoto trash, but there are no thumb nail copies in the viewer window.  I can delete additional photos but clicking on the "empty trash" button.  Any solutions?

    Since March 2012 my iphoto 11 trash folder says that I have 13,346 photos in the iphoto trash, but there are no thumb nail copies in the viewer window.  I can delete additional photos but clicking on the "empty trash" button. 
    My system trash finally emptied when I discovered "trash it!" is not longer supported by the most recent osx.  Then I found an updated version of Onyx that did work with that trash emptying problem.
    I have a total of 5,723 photos in my library.  A macdevelopers group recently started suggesting a multi library manager for iphoto to overcome some kind of library quota limitations with iphoto as opposed to "more advanced" photo handling, storing and editing programs.  If I went to a mult library manager for iphoto would that cure the apparent incongruent data retrieval problem in iphoto 11 regarding 13,346 phantom photos that will not securely delete?
    Are there any other possible solutions out there? 

    Try the following:
    1 - delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your
         User/Home/Library/ Preferences folder.
    2 - delete iPhoto's cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your
    User/Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder (Snow Leopard and Earlier).
    or with Lion and Mt. Lion from the User/Library/Containers/com.apple.iPhoto/
    Data/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder
    3 - launch iPhoto and try again.
    NOTE 1: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding down the Option key when launching iPhoto.  You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
    NOTE 2:  In Lion and Mountain Lion the Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and hit the Enter button - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.
    OT

  • I baught Seagate Backup plus 2T hard drive to use as my Backup time machine. But its not working when i connect to time machine its not coping files, it keep saying preparing files. Can someone help me please...

    i baught Seagate Backup plus 2T hard drive to use as my Backup time machine. But its not working. when i connect to time machine its not coping files, it keep saying preparing files. Can someone help me please...

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.
    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
    Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
    The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

  • I want to move my iweb domain files to another computer, I read the directions in help but the file isn't where it says it is, can anyone direct me?

    I want to move my iweb domain files to another computer, I read the directions in help but the file isn't where it says it is, can anyone direct me?

    Where are you looking?
    Here:
    User>Library>Application Support>iWeb
    Keep in mind that your Library folder is hidden by default in Mountain Lion.
    To find it, hold down the option key and choose the Go menu in the Finder.
    You might also want to try posting your question over in the iWeb area.
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/ilife/iweb
    Matt
    Message was edited by: Matthew Morgan

  • HT1711 can i delete a movie from my computer that i've previously purchased in itunes and then download again when I want to watch it?

    Can i delete a movie from my computer that i've previously purchased in itunes and then download again when I want to watch it?  Seems like this would help me manage storage space.

    Yes, provided the movie is still in the iTunes Store.
    You can re-download content purchased from the iTunes store (availability varies depending on location) using the purchased option from the Quick Links section in the top right corner of the iTunes homepage in your iTunes application on your computer.

Maybe you are looking for