"Unable to Empty the Trash because the disk is full" | 5 Solutions to Fix It

If you see an error message that says “The operation can't be completed because the disk is full,” your startup disk might be full, and your Mac is lacking the important free space it needs to run smoothly.

Sometimes things can get so bad that your disk is full, and you can't empty the Trash, making it even harder to free up space on your Mac. Sometimes, things can get even worse, and your Mac won't start up at all.

These error messages usually come with a solution, stating that the process couldn't be completed because there wasn't enough disk space to create, save, or edit a new file. This article will provide you with five methods to fix the problem and free up space on your Mac.

Your Mac is full, please delete some files. *tries to empty trash* Can't empty trash because disk is full — Sara Vieira (@NikkitaFTW) April 9, 2018

Now you know how to recover data from an emptied Trash on Mac. Share this article with friends who may have had the same problem of not being able to empty the Trash due to a full disk.

How to Recover Data from Mac Trash Can

You can recover any file from the Mac Trash before you empty it. The only way to recover a deleted Mac file after emptying the Trash is by using a third-party data recovery software.

Consider using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool. It's compatible with all current macOS versions and can recover damaged, corrupted, or lost files. Whether you've erased your hard drive or emptied the Trash, this smart software can help you restore deleted files on your Mac. You can preview the files before recovery and choose from several scan options.

• Recover files from an emptied Trash, SD card, flash drive, or camera.
• Support for data recovery in various scenarios, such as accidental deletion, formatting, and hard drive damage.
• Recover unsaved Word documents on Mac, along with PDFs, Excel, PPT, and more.

It is renowned for its ability to help users recover files from the macOS Trash after more than 30 days. This is one of the primary reasons why you can use this tool to retrieve deleted files from your Mac device.

You can quickly restore deleted files and folders by following these three steps:

Step 1: Select the location to scan

Run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you've lost data, and click “Find Lost Files” to start scanning.

Note: Before data recovery, it's better to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup for your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2: Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook or iMac. Once the scan is complete, you can filter for the desired data using the “Type” and “Path” buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Preview the files and then click the “Recover” button to restore the lost data to another location.

How to Solve the "Disk Full, Can't Empty Recycle Bin" Issue

Start in Safe Mode to Delete Files	This solution involves starting your Mac in Safe Mode to clear caches and temporary files, freeing up disk space. This may work, but if the files taking up space on the disk are large, it might not fully resolve the issue.
Force Empty Trash on Mac via Terminal	The Terminal on a Mac can help you empty the Trash and remove stubborn files. This method is very effective, but should be handled with care as it requires knowledge of terminal commands.
Delete Old Time Machine Backups	If the Trash is full of Time Machine backups, deleting old backups can free up disk space. This solution may work, but if there are other large files on the disk taking up space, it might not solve the problem.
Clean Browser Cache to Free Up Disk Space	Cleaning cache, browsing history, and cookies can also free up disk space. This solution may work, but if there are other large files on the disk, it might not fully resolve the issue.
Move Files to an External Drive	This might require purchasing an external drive, and it can be time-consuming if you have a large number of files to transfer.

Emptying the Trash on a Mac is a quick and easy task. However, you may run into an issue where your disk is full during the process. When this happens, macOS runs slower, and you might find yourself wondering, just like a tweet, “Why is my Mac taking so long to empty the trash?”

A full or nearly full hard drive can cause your system to run slowly. The good news is that this is a fixable problem. Here's how to fix a slow Empty Trash on a Mac.

Solution 1: Delete the File in Safe Mode

You should start by deleting large files you no longer need, to free up space. If that doesn't do the trick, you should try safe-booting your Mac.

Safe Mode is a startup option on a Mac that disables all third-party applications, allowing macOS to run only with its core functions. It's a handy diagnostic tool for dealing with system-wide issues. The process to enter Safe Mode differs based on the processor your Mac has:

Wondering why your Mac won't start up in safe mode? There are several reasons this could be happening. Read the linked article to fix the issue, or try the next method instead.

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I will do my best to translate it into Chinese.

 

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Solution 2: Empty the Trash on Mac via Terminal

It's quite common among Mac users to delete or recover files deleted from Mac Terminal. Suppose you want to use the Terminal on your Mac to force-empty the Trash. In that case, the methods mentioned below seem more effective and successful for users running higher versions like Big Sur, Monterey, or even the latest operating system, Ventura.

Just be careful which terminal you use; on a Mac, the wrong command can do more than empty your trash.

Step 1. Open Terminal on your Mac. The quickest way to do this is to open Spotlight and search for Terminal from there.

Step 2: Type sudo rm -R, followed by a space (but don't hit Return yet).

Step 3: Select everything in the Trash, and then click on the Trash icon in the Dock. Drag the folders and files into the Terminal window, and press Return.

Step 4: Type your administrator password. Your keystrokes will not be visible as you type the password.

Step 5: Press Enter again. Wait patiently for a moment. You're done!

Solution 3: Delete old Time Machine backups to free up disk space

When your system storage is full, you don't have enough free space to run apps and processes, and you can't empty your Mac's Trash. You can fix this by freeing up space on your Mac, for example, by deleting old Time Machine backups or browser caches.

Step 1: From the System Preferences menu, choose Time Machine.

Step 2: Deselect the option next to “Auto Backup.”

Wait a moment for the local Time Machine backup to be deleted, which frees up space on your Mac so you can delete unwanted files as usual.

Solution 4: Clear your browser cache to free up disk space

When you browse websites, chat on social platforms, or watch videos on streaming sites, cached files take up space on your Mac's storage. When your Mac's disk space is running low, you can delete these files by clearing the cache, history, cookies, and other unnecessary data from your browser. This article will show you how to clear the cache on Google Chrome, but the process is similar for other browsers.

Step 1: Launch the Chrome app.

Step 2: Tap the three dots, then choose “More tools” > “Clear browsing data.”

Step 3: Choose a time range, then check the boxes next to the items you want to delete.

Step 4: Choose “Clear data.”

Then, you can try deleting the files by moving them to the Trash.

Please provide the English content you want translated, and I'll do my best to translate it into Chinese.

 

How to Clear 'Recent' Items on Mac Without Losing Data

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Solution 5: Move the file to an external drive

If you get an “out of disk space” error on your Mac, you should purchase an external hard drive. When buying an external hard drive for your Mac, the most important thing to consider is how much data you plan to transfer and what ports are available on your Mac.

Then, transferring data and files to the hard drive is a safer and more straightforward way of getting rid of them than deleting files on your Mac or emptying the Trash. As long as your HDD is secure, clearing unnecessary files from it is another option.

And, while expensive and time-consuming, it might be the only option if all else fails.

In short

In this article, we will introduce five effective solutions to fix the "Can't Empty Trash on Mac, Disk is Full" issue. For data loss concerns, the most efficient solution is to use a Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool to free up disk space on your Mac. By the end of this article, you should be able to successfully resolve this problem.

"Frequently Asked Questions: 'Unable to Empty the Trash because the disk is full'"

Here are four additional questions about "Unable to Empty Recycling Bin due to Full Disk." View the answers here.

**1. Why can't I empty my Mac's Trash because the disk is full?**

• An active app or a recently closed application might be using the file for background tasks.
• The file might be damaged and requires repair.
• The file is locked or protected by system integrity.
• Some files might be restricted.

How do I empty the Mac Trash when it says it's empty?

You can force-empty the Trash on a Mac by following these steps:

How to Permanently Delete Files on a Mac
• Delete files directly from your Mac.
• Restart your Mac in Safe Mode.
• Force-empty the Trash using Terminal.
• Force-empty the Trash using the Option key.

3. How do I find my Trash in macOS Ventura?

You can find it in the Dock on a Mac, or search for it in Spotlight. If you can't find it either way, try putting it on your desktop with Spotlight or Terminal.

4) Where do files go when they are permanently deleted?

Files moved to the Recycle Bin (on a PC) or the Trash (on a Mac) remain in these folders until the user empties them. They remain on the hard drive even after they are deleted from these directories, and can be recovered with the right software.