Used a file splitter and ended up with 82,000 files on my desktop that I can't delete because Finder hangs.....
PLEASE HELP!
OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)
Does Finder hang no matter how many files you try to delete at once?
Click here for information.
(123419)
Can you open any applications at all? If yes, go to Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal.
I'm assuming you want to delete all the files on your desktop. Type in this command, substituting yourname for the shortname of your home folder:
sudo rm -R /Users/yourname/Desktop/*
Make sure there is a slash at the end of Desktop. This will delete the contents, not the folder itself.
Type in your login password when prompted. Don't interrupt it. These will be removed but not to the Trash so you cannot recover them.
Actually, I would like to keep 3 files on my desktop. But ALL the files I want to delete end in .csv.
Yes. It hangs.
Then let's bypass the Finder. Reboot but go into Single user mode:
Boot and hold down the Command and S keys at same time until you see white text on a black background.
Release the keys and wait until the text stops scrolling
Type the following carefully (substitute your shortname in the right place) because you will be logged in as root and can do anything in here. after each one, hit the return key and let it do its things.
mount -uw /
rm -R /Users/yourname/Desktop/*.csv
reboot
When you say "Boot" you mean hold power button and command and S key at the same time?
Press the Command and S keys just after releasing the power button or choosing Restart, and hold them until a screen with text appears.
(123425)
Niel is correct.
Delete thousands of files from desktop
