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parkerpress Author

Level 1

79 points

Can't delete a file in the trash

I downloaded a "High Sierra" installer to create a Parallels VM on my MacBook Pro running the latest Monterey.

And now I can't remove the installer file "Install macOS High Sierra" from the trash. I get The operation can't be completed because the item "Install macOS High Sierra is in use".

Here's what I've tried, none of which have worked:

Right-click, "Delete immediately."
GetInfo and unlock the panel with my admin password
- Set permissions on the file to give my account read/write access
- The "Locked" checkbox is greyed out, but unchecked even with unlocking the panel with my root password
Terminal mode

$ sudo rm -rf /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app
Password:
rm: /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg: Operation not permitted
rm: /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport: Directory not empty
rm: /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents: Directory not empty
rm: /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install macOS High Sierra.app: Directory not empty
$ sudo lsof /Users/sparker/.Trash/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app
$

Move the file from trash, and try the `sudo rm -rf ...` from the Desktop
Reboot in safe mode, and try all the things above

Any idea how to get rid of this file? I'm surprised that I can't do it with `sudo`, but I know that apple bastardized the meaning of `sudo` in recent OS releases...

Parallels, macOS 12.0

Posted on Feb 20, 2022 9:02 AM

Top-ranking reply

PRP_53

Level 10

92,275 points

Posted on Feb 20, 2022 9:37 AM

Disable SIP via recovery mode csrutil and then remove the file in question and then Enable SIP again as soon as done.

Disable System Integrity Protection Temporarily

To disable SIP, do the following:

Restart your computer in Recovery mode.
Launch Terminal from the Utilities menu.
Run the command csrutil disable.
Restart your computer.

Warning

Disable SIP only temporarily to perform necessary tasks, and reenable it as soon as possible. Failure to reenable SIP when you are done testing leaves your computer vulnerable to malicious code.

Enable System Integrity Protection

To reenable SIP, do the following:

Restart your computer in Recovery mode.
Launch Terminal from the Utilities menu.
Run the command csrutil enable.
Restart your computer.

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Can't delete a file in the trash

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