How to Empty Trash on Mac: 6 Best Ways

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Hashir Ibrahim

Last updated: October 22, 2024

Expert verified

I used to forget about emptying my Mac’s Trash until I saw how much space it took up. Once I cleared it out, my Mac ran much better. Here’s how you can easily do it too with these six methods.

How to Empty Trash on Mac Manually

Here is the detailed step-by-step guide for three different methods to empty trash on Mac manually:

1. Delete Selected Files From the Bin

Here are the step-by-step instructions to delete selected files from the bin:

1. Click the Bin icon in the Dock to open it.

2. Select all the items you want to delete from the Trash. You can do this by holding down the Command ⌘ key on your keyboard, clicking on each item, or selecting them all with a click-and-drag motion.

3. Right-click the selected files and select Delete Immediately.

4. You’ll get a prompt confirming if you want to delete the selected files. Click Delete and it will remove the selected files from your Mac.

2. Delete the Entire Bin

If you want to delete all files in the Bin in one go, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Bin from the Dock.

2. When you open the Bin, you’ll see a small Empty button in the top-right corner. Click it.

3. Click Empty Bin on the prompt and it will delete everything from your Trash.

3. Using a Keyboard Shortcut

Mac keyboard shortcuts are a great way to do different things while saving time. You can also use a Mac keyboard shortcut to empty trash. Here are the steps:

1. Select the items you want to delete from your trash.

2. Press Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ + Delete on your keyboard.

3. A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the items in your trash. Click Empty Bin.

How to Empty Trash on Mac Automatically

You can easily set your Mac to automatically empty the Trash and keep it clean. MacKeeper helps by managing Trash cleanup and other tasks. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Launch the app and open Safe Cleanup from MacKeeper’s Cleaning section.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. Select the files you want to remove or click Check All. Here, make sure you select the Trash option.

5. Click Clean Junk Files.

6. This will remove the selected junk files from your Mac, including the Trash items. You can click Rescan to repeat the process.

How to Empty Trash on Mac Using Terminal

The Terminal is a powerful tool that you can use to empty Trash on Mac. Here are the steps to empty the Trash on your Mac using Terminal:

1. Open the Terminal app via Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

2. Type the following command and  press Enter:

sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/*

3. Type your password when prompted and press Enter.
4. It will delete all items from your Bin.

How to Force Empty Trash on Mac

If you’re unable to empty the trash on your Mac using the regular method, you can force empty the trash using the following steps:

1. Right-click the Bin icon in the Dock.

2. Hold down the Option ⌥ key on your keyboard.

3. While holding the Option ⌥ key, click Empty Bin in the context menu and it will empty the Bin instantly.

Get Rid of Trash on Your Mac

Emptying the Trash on your Mac is an essential step in maintaining your system’s performance and storage capacity. Here are some more tips to clear some storage on your Mac:

• Regularly clear your Mac’s cache to free up disk space.
• Clear temp files often to avoid slowing down your Mac.
• Uninstall unused apps to free up space on your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions