Deleting files

This page summarises tips from the Mac Ministry List on deleting files from Mac computers.

Good practice

The trash is not a backup system—it's a failsafe device for when you accidentally delete a file—and should be emptied regularly. It should also be emptied before disconnecting external storage, e.g. a USB stick or external drive, if you have deleted anything off that storage while it was connected.

Avoid using Trash as a sort of backup in case you need to retrieve a file later. Make up another approach that works for you, e.g. setting up short-term storage folders for deletion at stated future dates; then you can put things in there if you might want them, and confidently empty your trash knowing that whatever you what you have dropped into it, you really don't need.

Memory sticks

Memory sticks are notorious for having performance issues over time (see Wikipedia:Write amplification), and it's a good idea to periodically reformat them. First make a new folder on your desktop (in the Finder) and drag into it the files that you still want from the stick, then use Disk Utility to erase the stick, and copy the files back afterwards. Alternatively, you can use Disk Utility to create an image of the stick, erase the stick, and restore the image... but this may just replicate any problems that you had with the stick in the first place.

Automatically deleting .zip files

In OS X 10.5 (Leopard), Apple introduced a program where you can set your preferences for dealing with zip files, e.g. expanding them onto the desktop or another folder, and deleting the zip file afterwards. This program is called Archive Utility and is rather hidden away, in System/Library/CoreServices. When you run it, choose Archive Utility > Preferences from the menu bar.

The above options are in the top half of the preference pane. (The second part of the prefs are for creating archives, which you can do in Finder with the menu command File > Compress.)

Dealing with problems

If you have problems deleting files, check out the external links below. These start with simple tips like holding down the Option key when choosing "Empty trash", and work up to more complicated instances.

External links

• http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1526 – Apple's article about difficult-to-empty trash

• Trash won’t empty? The ultimate guide to deleting stubborn files - a guide on macyourself.com

Credits

Compiled by Neville Reid in September 2011 from advice on Mac-Min from Aaron Hunyady, Michael Jablecki, Jon Gardner, Marvin Robertson and Barry Wiseman on Mac-Min.