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Can't delete Time Machine Backups from Trash

I manually deleted a bunch of Time Machine backups from a Seagate USB drive (using Finder). The backups are in my trash, but I can't delete them. I tried the Option Delete and Shift-Option Delete, but I get the same results. The trash emptying process gets stuck after a VERY long time and says it can't delete certain files. If I disconnect the USB drive the deleted files disappear, but they reappear as soon as I connect it again.


Any ideas on how to delete what the delete dialog box says are about 4MM files! I'm running 10.12.6


Thanks...User uploaded file

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2010), OS X Yosemite (10.10.1), null

Posted on Dec 14, 2017 1:56 PM

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Posted on Dec 14, 2017 5:53 PM

You shouldn't delete Time Machine backups using Finder. Try the articles below, but you will probably need to erase the external drive to get the files out of the Trash.


Trash FAQ


Trash won’t empty

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Can't delete Time Machine Backups from Trash

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