Unable to Delete Anything – Delete Window Keeps Loading Endlessly (MacBook Air M4)

Hello everyone,

I’m facing a serious issue on my MacBook Air M4 where I am unable to delete any files or folders.

Whenever I try to delete something (either by pressing Command + Delete or moving files to Trash), a small delete/progress window appears and just keeps loading indefinitely. The process never completes, and the file remains undeleted.

Issue details:

• Device: MacBook Air M4
• macOS Version: [MacOS 26.2]
• Happens with: All file types (documents, images, folders, etc.)
• Location: Both Desktop and other Finder locations
• Trash does not empty either (same endless loading behavior)

What I have tried so far:

• Restarting the Mac
• Force quitting Finder
• Emptying Trash using Finder
• Checking Activity Monitor for stuck processes

None of these steps resolved the issue.

The system otherwise seems responsive, but the delete action gets stuck every time. It feels like some background process or disk-related issue may be preventing file removal.

Has anyone experienced this on the M4 model?

Could this be related to disk permissions, Spotlight indexing, or a Finder bug?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.