How to Secure Empty Trash on Mac?

Sue Wayne

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

The Mac is one of the most appealing operating systems which stay at the priority of all tech enthusiasts. The different features and functions provided by Mac are suited for a wide range of computer users. One of the notable ones you must have noted with Mac is the little silver trash can on the Mac display. The techniques on how to empty trash on Mac are probably known to many readers.

However, there are many simple tricks to get through the process without getting a headache. Quite difficult to believe, isn't it? All that is needed to delete files on Mac is explored in the following discussion. We shall also be exploring methods for emptying the trash can as well as taking care of security while doing so. Are you excited to learn more? So are we!

Part 1. How to Delete Files on Mac?

There may be many times when you need to delete certain files on a Mac. On the other hand, sending files to the trash bin may not always mean that the file is no longer needed. For example, you might accidentally send a presentation file to the trash only to realize later that it's the same presentation that has to be delivered the next morning.

A serious situation, indeed! The facility of trash in Mac allows users to recover the deleted files directly on the Mac. This is where the point of our discussion shall take a halt. If a file is being deleted then why send it to the trash and not remove it immediately from the system? Take a look at the below-mentioned steps to delete files immediately and permanently on Mac.

Deleting with Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Select the file that has to be deleted.
• The file could be located in a folder and could even be on your desktop.
• Now, press the three keys "Option", "Command" and "Delete" together.
• Click on "Delete" for confirming the removal of the file on the pop-up message that emerges after the previous step.

Deleting with Menu Option:

• Select the file that you want to delete.
• Click on the "File" option in the menu bar.
• Press the "Option" key on the keyboard and hold it.
• When the "Option" key is pressed for long, the menu shows slight changes in the options.
• This is where you can find a reliable option for secure empty trash on Mac in the form of the "Delete Immediately" option.
• All you have to do is select the "Delete Immediately" option followed by a confirmation for deleting the file in the pop-up box that comes after.

Deleting files on our Mac system may be easy and could also be difficult without the right guidance. The information presented above would do just fine for helping you through the process of deleting files from a Mac device. We can always trust the two options mentioned above for resolving any doubts for deleting files on a Mac device.

Part 2. How to Empty Trash on Mac?

The trash is a reliable tool in your Mac system that provides ease of functionality in the recovery of deleted files. We should take note of different approaches for emptying the trash to make it an easy affair for all times! Let us explore the options on how to empty trash can on Mac and also look at the ways to secure empty trash function as well as making secure empty trash a default function.

We will be exploring a detailed approach for the complete removal of trash from Mac devices. The option for empty trash on Mac is nothing different and all we need to do is clear the trashcan contents by using simple tricks. The option of secure empty trash is applicable in cases where the deleted files do not have to be recovered. This option can be applied in the case of sensitive information. Furthermore, we would also explore the alternative for making the option of emptying the trash can as default. This option allows deleting files permanently without having to worry about going through all the steps for clearing the trash can.

How to Empty Trash on Mac?

• Locate the Trash icon available on the Dock in a Mac system.
• You would find two distinct options in the window that appears next.
• The first option is to press control and click on a particular file that we want to delete. Select the option of "Delete" in the drop-down menu immediately and then click on "Delete" in the pop-up window that appears. Quite easy and simple, isn't it?
• The second option is for emptying the trash. We have to click on the "Empty" button that can be located on the upper-right corner of the "Finder" window. We get a warning message, and there it is! Click on "Empty Trash" to get the work done.

  

How to Secure Empty Trash on Mac?

• The first step to learning in secure empty trash on Mac is to open our Mac system and to locate the Trashcan.
• Now, we will click on the Trashcan and hold it for some time.
• Press the "Command" key on the keyboard and then click on "Trash".
• Finally, we can be able to convert the "Empty Trash" to "Secure Trash" option.
• An alternative to securing an empty trash option on Mac is the Finder window. The Finder menu shows a direct option for "Secure Empty Trash" and here's the deal- There could not be anything simpler!

Make Secure Empty Trash the Default:

It is also easier to learn to empty trash on Macbook air or other devices running on Mac by making it default.

• First of all, we will locate the "Finder" window.
• In the "Finder" menu, we will select "Preferences"
• Now, we will proceed towards the "Advance" tab to get a menu.
• In the menu that we find from the above step, we have to select the "Empty Trash Securely" option.

  

• This will do the trick, and we don't have to be worried anymore about deleting files permanently. Once a file is moved to 'Trash' it is gone- Poof, by default!

Now, it may be easy for us to deal with the removal of deleted files from the trashcan along with different options. We were able to learn different methods for emptying the trash in Mac systems. Firstly, we discussed the steps for deleting the contents of the trashcan in two different methods. The next thing in our discussion was secure empty trash in which we learned about emptying files that cannot be recovered again. The final part of our discussion focused on making the deleting of files permanently as a default option.

Part 3. How to Undo Empty Trash on Mac?

Till now in this discussion, we discussed all how to secure empty trash on Mac sierra and the other available versions of macOS. But what can be done if we took care of the secure empty trash options and making them default and then accidentally delete important files?

Recoverit Data Recovery Mac is probably the best solution we can find to recover deleted files from Mac after emptying trash.

We can make the most of this software for the recovery of files that could either be photos, videos, archive files, document files, or audio files. The interesting fact about this tool is- It is compatible with iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and other devices running macOS. Want to know more about the Recoverit Data Recovery Mac tool now, are we? Then, why delay further when we can jump right to the point?

Recoverit - The Best Word File Recovery Software

• Recover Word documents from all storage devices like Mac.
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• Scan and preview the files before you recover them from MacBook hard drive.

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Recoverit proves to be a prolific option for the recovery of deleted files on Mac systems. This tool is specifically tailored to scan and find out the files which can be recovered and bring them back on our systems in a few simple steps. All we did was download, install and launch the Recoverit Mac Undelete application and follow a few instructions to get back the files that may have been deleted or lost accidentally.

To learn how to recover deleted files from Mac after emptying trash using your Mac, follow these steps:

Step1: Select the location:

After launching the software, it is essential to select the location or the drive from which the files were lost or deleted.

Step2: Scan selected location:

The next important step to keep in mind while dealing with our accidental experiments with 'how to empty trash bin on Mac' is to scan the disk that was selected in the previous step.

Step3: Preview and Recover the Email:

Once the scanning is done, we can get a clear picture of the deleted files and folders. This is the right time to take a deep breath and review the files in detail. Some files may not be recoverable, and sadly, this is the only bad news you may have to deal with! Now that the scanning process is done, we can mark the files and folders that have to be recovered.

After selecting the files, we can now click on the "Recover" option for bringing the files back on our Mac systems.

Video Tutorial on Mac File Recovery

Wrapping up

File and folders on Mac systems would be subject to continuous changes, and we may need some while others may seem unimportant at the moment. Let us pause to reflect on the fact that a seemingly unimportant file could be of value at a later time. This is where our discussion can play the real deal by helping to know about the ways for deleting files on Mac and options for Secure Empty Trash. But that's not all! We make sure that our knowledge also extends towards how to restore trash on Mac after emptying. Seems interesting, doesn't it? While everything may seem hale and hearty in the beginning, it always gets rough down the road, and we have to be prepared for anything that comes along our way.