Can't delete folder - Says it's in use but isn't?

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Can't delete folder - Says it's in use but isn't?

I have a ToonBoom Harmony Project folder that I've been trying to delete but I can't. My Mac says it's in use and lists items that no longer exist on this Mac (according to Finder?), saying each item listed is in use. However, when I checked the folders in the Terminal to see what's using the folders/items, it states 'no such file or directory'

My Macbook Pro is up-to-date and nothing really seems out of the ordinary. I've tried:

Trying to delete through safe mode
Repairing Home Permissions through Recovery mode and Reinstalling MacOSX
Checking if the folder is locked/if permissions weren't granted
Restarting and shutting down Mac
Force quitting running apps

Please help!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 13.3

Posted on May 28, 2023 8:29 PM

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Answer 1

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Kermit_Curry Author

Level 1

5 points

May 29, 2023 12:29 PM in response to TheLittles

Update;

I tried it again. I assumed something was off when I put the name of the folder and I tried once again, and I got it to work! Thanks so much!

For anyone curious, I opened Terminal and did "rm -r [folder path]" and it cleared it :)

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Answer 2

Kermit_Curry Author

Level 1

5 points

May 29, 2023 9:50 AM in response to TheLittles

Hi there,

I tried this today and I didn't have any luck. I booted into recovery mode and used the Terminal to no avail. I used rmdir and rm -R and put the name of the folder to try and delete it and nothing worked. It still gave me the "no such file or directory" message.

Did I use the wrong command? Please let me know!

Thanks

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Answer 3

TheLittles

Level 10

195,521 points

May 28, 2023 8:46 PM in response to Kermit_Curry

Kermit_Curry Said:

"Can't delete folder - Says it's in use but isn't?: I have a ToonBoom Harmony Project folder that I've been trying to delete but I can't. My Mac says it's in use and lists items that no longer exist on this Mac (according to Finder?), saying each item listed is in use.[...]"

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Delting a File:

Use Recovery Mode:

Boo into Recovery Mode: (Silicon or Intel). Once in, then Go to the Utilities menu. From there, open Terminal. Trash the folder from Terminal. It would not be being used as an item when you are logged in.

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Answer 4

TheLittles

Level 10

195,521 points

May 29, 2023 1:29 PM in response to Kermit_Curry

Kermit_Curry Said:

"Can't delete folder - Says it's in use but isn't?: Update; I tried it again. I assumed something was off when I put the name of the folder and I tried once again, and I got it to work! Thanks so much! For anyone curious, I opened Terminal and did "rm -r [folder path]" and it cleared it :)”

———-

You are welcome.

Excellent job troubleshooting!

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Answer 5

Damian_B

Level 1

8 points

Jul 2, 2023 3:38 AM in response to Kermit_Curry

Could I ask: I have a backupdb folder stuck in trash (this is legacy from an attempt to format a backup drive, now resolved)... what's the path to delete a file in trash, from Terminal? It's the same: says it's in use. Thanks.

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Can't delete folder - Says it's in use but isn't?

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