Apple's built-in backup program for the Mac, Time Machine, makes it incredibly easy to back up all of your important data so you can restore your computer if something should happen. You can even recover deleted files if you accidentally lose them.
On Apple laptops, like the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, Time Machine includes the added feature of creating local snapshots so that, if you disconnect your MacBook from its external hard drive, you'll still have backups stored on your internal hard drive so you can recover data if you need to.
Local snapshots are invaluable for certain situations when you're out and about and need to recover data but don't have your backup hard drive. They also, eventually, start taking up noticeable space on your hard drive.
Aug 02, 2014 macOS Software. MacOS - Operating System. External drive - can't remove trash. Thread starter kali89; Start date Aug 2, 2014; K. Joined Jun 11, 2012 Messages 133 Reaction score 0 Points 0. Aug 2, 2014 #1 I have a very conventional WD external hard drive. I have removed all my files & dir b/c am handing it over to another person. Jul 14, 2017 Right click the trash can on your dock, then click “Empty Trash.” This might take a while, but you’ll have all of your free space once it’s done. Option Two: Use Curb to Empty Only One Drive’s Trash. Epson stylus photo 1400 software for mac. If you’d rather not empty the drive on your primary hard drive, the free application Curb allows you to empty the Trash on a single. May 26, 2020 Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. Reduce Clutter Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash. Mar 19, 2020 If you are unable to find the location of Recycle Bin folder while using the USB drive, then this article is all about finding the recycle bin when you have deleted the files from the drive. Continue reading to know the solution to get back the files from USB drive when deleted. Step 3 There is also a way of opening the Trash folder through Finder window- this can be done by using the command and shift keys. Step 4 Once the Trash option shows up you can opt to empty the trash. Note: If you are wondering whether the trash folder has got deleted documents, you need to check the icon which will show crumpled paper. This will indicate that the trash can has deleted.
Why do I have 100 GB of backups on my hard drive?
You need an external hard drive in order to set up and use Time Machine because that's where your backups are stored. So why do you have a large number of backups taking up space on your MacBook's internal hard drive? Because of local snapshots.
As soon as you set up Time Machine on your Mac laptop, local snapshots are created automatically. Time Machine makes one daily snapshot every 24 hours when you start up your MacBook and also stores weekly snapshots. It keeps those weekly snapshots on your internal hard drive until you start to get low on storage. So, if you've been backing up your Mac for years with Time Machine, you could potentially have 100 GB of backups stored in your internal hard drive, as long as you have space for them.
How do I get rid of all these backups?
First, let me preface this by saying that you shouldn't worry about those backups and all the space they are taking up. If everything is working properly, Time Machine will automatically delete the oldest snapshot backups as soon as your internal hard drive has less than 20% of storage space left. If you then, say, download some large program and your internal hard drive plummets to below 10% (or less than 5GB of internal storage), Time Machine will delete all local snapshots except the most recent. The program will then continue to replace the old snapshot with a new one until you free up space on your Mac's internal storage, at which point it will go back to saving weekly snapshots as long as space permits.
That being said, everything doesn't always work properly and you may find yourself out of storage space on your internal hard drive, and those snapshot backups just won't go away. If you really need to delete those snapshots (which I don't recommend unless you desperately need that space), there is a way to purge local snapshots from your internal hard drive. You can use a Terminal command that will disable Time Machine's local snapshot feature, which will delete all of the local snapshots on your internal hard drive. It will also stop Time Machine from creating new snapshots.
To disable local snapshots in Time Machine and remove them from your internal storage:
Open Time Machine Preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar on your Mac.
Uncheck Back Up Automatically.
Wait a few minutes for the local snapshots to delete.
Check Back Up Automatically again.
Source: iMore
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Before you decide to purge your local snapshots, be sure you really need to do this. Time Machine should work automatically to remove older backups as you need the storage space on your internal hard drive. If you delete old backups, you can never retrieve data from them if something were to go wrong while you aren't connected to your backup hard drive. If you have any questions about local snapshots, drop them in the comments, and I'll help you out.
Updated March 2020: Adjusted steps for macOS Catalina.
Backing up: The ultimate guide
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Closed for 2020
Apple says its offices in the US will not fully reopen until at least 2021
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is planning for its office and many of its retail workers to remain remote for the rest of the year.
Putting a file in the trashcan means it's marked for deletion. But until you actually empty the trash, it'll sit there — just like a trashcan in real life. It's easy to let those files build up until you have hundreds of megabytes — gigabytes, even, just waiting to be deleted (or discovered if anyone has access and decides to snoop). So if you want your precious drive space back, and you want to make sure what you've deleted is really deleted, empty the trash.
How to empty the trash on your Mac
Click and hold on the Trashcan icon in the Dock.
A popup will appear that says Empty Trash. Select it. (You can also empty the Trash from any open Finder window by holding down the command and shift keys and pressing delete.)
How to securely empty the trash on your Mac
Emptying the trash is usually sufficient to get rid of the files you don't want anymore. But emptying the trash doesn't really destroy the files: They remain on the hard drive, marked for being overwritten the next time your Mac needs the space. As a result, some deleted files can be recovered using disk recovery software.
Sometimes you may delete files that are particularly sensitive: Financial records, for example, intimate photos, or other data you absolutely don't want anyone to get their hands on, under any circumstances.
Apple has considered this and has provided a Secure Empty Trash option as well. Secure Empty Trash overwrites the deleted files with what Apple calls 'meaningless data.'
Secure Empty Trash takes longer, but provides, as the name implies, a more secure form of file deletion. Mac pdf bi-fold software download. Use at your own discretion.
Click and hold on the Trashcan icon in the Dock.
Hold down the command key and click on the Trash. Empty Trash will change to Secure Empty Trash. Select it.
To do it from any open Finder window, click on the Finder menu and select Secure Empty Trash.
Bonus Tip: Make Secure Empty Trash the default behavior
Use this tip if you'd like to make sure that your Mac securely deletes files every time you empty the Trash.
Open the Finder.
Click on the Finder menu.
Select Preferences.
Check Empty Trash Securely.
Mac Delete Trash On External Drive
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Closed for 2020
Apple says its offices in the US will not fully reopen until at least 2021
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is planning for its office and many of its retail workers to remain remote for the rest of the year.