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If I want to delete just one item in my trash is this possible?

If I want to delete just one item in my trash is this possible?

iMac 27" 5K, macOS 10.12

Posted on Feb 25, 2020 4:59 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 26, 2020 9:22 AM

kelleen2019 wrote:

when I clicked on one item.......in the trash ..... it started deleting all the items that were not locked.


That's not normal.


There are at least three ways to delete an item in the Trash while leaving the others unaffected.


Select (single-click) the item you want to delete immediately. Then:


  1. Control-click (or two-finger tap, or right-click... whichever option is appropriate for your input device and the Preferences you selected for it) and select "Delete Immediately..." from the contextual menu that appears
  2. Hold an option key and select "Delete Immediately..." from the Finder's File menu
  3. use the key chord ⌥ ⌘ backspace


Then, confirm the action in the dialog box that appears next.


If you are experiencing something else, please write back.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 26, 2020 9:22 AM in response to kelleen2019

kelleen2019 wrote:

when I clicked on one item.......in the trash ..... it started deleting all the items that were not locked.


That's not normal.


There are at least three ways to delete an item in the Trash while leaving the others unaffected.


Select (single-click) the item you want to delete immediately. Then:


  1. Control-click (or two-finger tap, or right-click... whichever option is appropriate for your input device and the Preferences you selected for it) and select "Delete Immediately..." from the contextual menu that appears
  2. Hold an option key and select "Delete Immediately..." from the Finder's File menu
  3. use the key chord ⌥ ⌘ backspace


Then, confirm the action in the dialog box that appears next.


If you are experiencing something else, please write back.

Feb 25, 2020 6:49 PM in response to kelleen2019

If you want to keep items in the trash, I suggest that you create a folder on the desktop called "trash?" and put those items in it until you actually want to get rid of them. That way, you can empty the trash whenever. FWIW, the trash is not meant for storage, but simply a place to put the things that are to be deleted shortly.

If I want to delete just one item in my trash is this possible?

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