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User profile for user: montreal1
montreal1 Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Trash has become a BLACK HOLE - files automatically deleted

Hey all,

For years I have used the shortcut ctrl+delete to throw stuff in the trash. Last weekend I used the same shortcut and a warning message popped up "This item will be deleted immediately. You can’t undo this action."

I thought that was weird and just deleted them. Then later on I realized I needed some of the files. i clicked on my trash and it was completely empty. Now when I drag a file to the trash, I get the same warning and the files are permanently deleted.

What's going on?

MacBook 1.83 ghz Core Duo 1.25 GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 11, 2010 7:58 AM

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User profile for user: thomas_r.
thomas_r.
User level: Level 7
31,989 points

Posted on Nov 11, 2010 8:18 AM

Something's wrong with your trash folder. The easiest fix is usually just to run the following command in the Terminal (copy it and paste it in rather than re-typing it):

sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash


You'll be prompted for your password, which you won't see when you type it. This will delete your trash folder. To re-create it, just reboot.

Note that this won't work in a non-admin account (the sudo command won't be available). If this problem is affecting a non-admin account, you have to use a slightly different command with more room for error, and since "sudo rm -rf" is exquisitely dangerous, you should be cautious there.
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User profile for user: thomas_r.
thomas_r.
User level: Level 7
31,989 points

Nov 11, 2010 8:18 AM in response to montreal1

Something's wrong with your trash folder. The easiest fix is usually just to run the following command in the Terminal (copy it and paste it in rather than re-typing it):

sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash


You'll be prompted for your password, which you won't see when you type it. This will delete your trash folder. To re-create it, just reboot.

Note that this won't work in a non-admin account (the sudo command won't be available). If this problem is affecting a non-admin account, you have to use a slightly different command with more room for error, and since "sudo rm -rf" is exquisitely dangerous, you should be cautious there.
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Trash has become a BLACK HOLE - files automatically deleted

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