Keep holding the keys until Apple logo appears on the screen. Then, you need to hold down command+R when starting your computer. Try out this trick as well, if nothing seems to be working for you. The deleting process will begin and might take a couple of minutes, depending on the size of files and folders you are deleting. Now you can hit Return and then enter your administrator password to continue the operation. Doing this will add the path of each file and folder to the “Remove” command we entered at Step #3. Select all the files and folders from the Trash folder, drag and drop them into Terminal window. It’s now time to open the Trash folder from the Dock. And yes, DO NOT HIT RETURN AFTER YOU ENTER THE COMMAND. Leaving a space is mandatory, so do not miss that step. Make sure you do exactly as it is written below. As these commands will delete locked files without alerting you anything. This is the ultimate step you should take, only if all of the above have failed. That’s because they ultimately flash Terminal commands to delete Trash files, which we have given below, so have a look. I would personally not recommend downloading and using them. If you have them installed, give it a try. There are many third-party utility apps to forcibly empty the Trash folder. Anyways, even if this didn’t work out for you, keep reading for more fixes. The Option key signals macOS to bypass the locked files. This should have surely helped you in clearing Trash. In case you are getting a Locked file error, then press and hold the Option key, go to Finder → Empty Trash. Force Empty Trash in Mac OS X When File is Locked or in Use

Now try to empty trash, if it still doesn’t clear the dump, keep reading. Alternatively, you can also close all the running apps to make sure that the file is no more being used by any of the apps. If you get an error about “File in Use”, then try closing the app that is using the file (in case you know the app). Let me walk along with you through the guide! Can’t Empty Trash on Mac Check if the file is in use by any app The last fix is the ultimate one, and I would recommend you to go step-by-step so that you don’t delete something important and then left with a malfunctioning app. We have listed down some of the fixes that should help you empty Trash on your Mac. Hence, you can’t delete any file on your Mac. Sometimes if any file is locked or being used by another app, then it won’t be deleted. They find their place in the Trash bin, which needs additional clicks to delete them permanently. When you delete any files or folders on your Mac, they aren’t permanently removed.

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