Table of Content
    Mac Data Recovery

    How to Secure Empty Trash on OS X Mac Ventura [Updated]


    Table of Content

      With the default Secure Empty Trash feature on a Mac, it was possible to remove data from Trash securely. Deleted files were overwritten with zeros making it almost impossible to recover the data. You had to right-click the Trash icon and press the Command key to enable the ‘Secure Empty Trash’ functionality. 

      Unfortunately, Apple has discontinued Secure Empty Trash with the release of OS X El Capitan. Starting from this version, users could use only the traditional way to empty Trash on Mac. We will talk about different ways to delete files below in this guide. 

      Reasons to Secure Empty Trash on Mac

      Even though Apple has removed the Secure Empty Trash, many users still need to delete files on Mac securely. When you Empty Trash on Mac, the system simply removes the index entry of the file, leaving it in a hard drive location. By scanning the entire internal hard disk drive, professional Mac data recovery software can restore those files until they are overwritten. 

      Secure Empty Trash on Mac is needed when you want to completely remove important documents or sensitive data and prevent its recovery. Secure erase of the hard disk drive is also recommended when you sell or donate your Mac.

      How to Empty Trash on macOS Ventura 

      There are some workarounds on securely removing files on OS X Mac Ventura. For example, you can use Terminal commands or third-party software to delete files. While these ways may not seem as easy as Secure Empty Trash was, they are still solid substitutions if you follow the instructions correctly.

      I. Delete Files Using Trash

      There are four different ways to remove files directly from Trash.

      Method 1:

      • Find the Trash icon on the Dock. 
      • Right-click on the icon and select Empty Trash.
      Trash > Empty Trash
      Trash > Empty Trash

      Method 2:

      • Open Trash.
      • Click on Empty in the top-right corner of the Trash folder.
      Trash > Empty
      Trash > Empty

      Method 3:

      • Open Trash.
      • Right-click somewhere in the opened folder.
      • Select Empty Trash.
      Trash > Empty Trash
      Trash > Empty Trash

      Method 4:

      • Select Finder on the menu bar.
      • Click Empty Trash.
      Finder > Empty Trash
      Finder > Empty Trash

      II. Clean Trash Automatically

      If you don’t want to empty the Trash manually all the time, you can do it automatically. Here is how:

      1. From the menu bar, select Finder > Preferences.

      Finder > Preferences
      Finder > Preferences

      2. Select the Advanced tab > check the box next to Remove items from Trash after 30 days.

      Finder Preferences > Advanced
      Finder Preferences > Advanced

      III. Use the Terminal

      The macOS command line in the Terminal app allows you to do many tasks that are not available in the GUI. Secure removal is not an exception, as you can securely erase data and Empty Trash on Mac using dedicated commands: 

      • rm –rP /path/to/file-or-folder

      Where rm is file removal command and rP is a request to overwrite the deleted files followed by the location of the file or folder you want to remove. 

      • srm –rfv –s /path/to/file-or-folder

      Where srm is a secure removal command. You can replace -s (single-pass erase) with -m to make it a seven-pass erase or -z to overwrite with zeros. 

      IV. Securely Erase Free Space

      It is possible to overwrite your free disk space on Mac with zeros or random numbers to securely hard drive and prevent data recovery. Similarly to Secure Empty Trash on Mac, this functionality was removed from GUI on OS X Mac El Capitan but is still available using the Terminal command: 

      • diskutil secureErase freespace LEVEL /Volumes/DRIVENAME

      You should replace DRIVENAME considering the drive name on your Mac and change LEVEL to a number from 0 to 4 where each number means the following:

      • 0 – single-pass erase with zeros
      • 1 – overwrites with random numbers
      • 2 – 7-pass erase with zeros
      • 3 – 35 pass erase with zeros
      • 4 – 3-pass erase with zeros

      The execution of the command might take a while as the time of the erasing depends on the number of passes.

      V. Secure Erase in Disk Utility 

      Another alternative to Secure Empty Trash is using secure erase in Disk Utility.

      You can securely wipe mounted and external drives by following these steps:

      1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

      Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
      Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility

      2. Select the needed hard drive on the left.

      3. Click Erase at the top and choose Security Options in the pop-up window.

      Disk Utility > Erase > Security Options
      Disk Utility > Erase > Security Options

      4. Click on OK once you choose the secure erase mode.

      You can’t erase your internal hard drive (startup disk) by following the instructions. Start your Mac using another bootable drive

      How to Restore Accidentally Removed Files

      Fortunately, when you delete a file, Mac does not immediately overwrite it with new data. You can specific restoring software to have your files back.

      Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a wise choice as it may restore all files type–from docs to photos. 

      Here is how to restore files with the Stellar Data Recovery application:

      1. Download & Install the Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac software.

      2. Launch the Stellar Data Recovery Professional app > select the files you want to recover > click Next.

      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Select What To Recover
      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Select What To Recover

      3. Determine where you want to recover from, click on Scan, or select Deep Scan to make a more in-depth search.

      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Recover From
      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Recover From

      4. When the scan is finished, check the necessary files > click Recover to complete the process.

      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Preview
      Stellar Data Recovery Professional > Preview

      Wrapping Up

      Secure Empty Trash on Mac was a useful feature to securely remove files in earlier OS X versions. The option is no longer available starting from OS X El Capitan, but there are still some working ways to Empty Trash on Mac. Hopefully, with the instructions in this article, it will be easier to manage secure data removal of separate files and folders and secure erase of entire disks.

      FAQ

      How to Remove Specific Files from Trash?

      If you only need to delete some files, this can also be done easily. To do this, right-click on the file you want to delete and select Delete Immediately from the menu.

      How to Restore Deleted Files Using Trash?

      When you empty the Trash folder, all files will be gone forever. If you deleted a file but then changed your mind and wanted to get it back, right-click on it in the Trash and select Put Back from the menu.

      Read more:

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      About The Author

      Ruslana Lishchuk linkdin

      Ruslana is a tech content writer whose true passion is finding out about everything Mac-related. She specializes in creating macOS guides and tips & tricks. In her spare time, you’ll find her doing yoga or discovering local coffee shops in search of the best filter coffee.

      12 comments

      1. I put several of my backups in the trash …. > 10 terabytes … and the usual methods of emptying the trash don’t work with this amount. Is there some other way of emptying this very large amount from the trash?

        1. Hi Lzrdoc,

          Well, the methods mentioned above are the possible methods to empty your trash. However, if the above methods don’t work then you can try using data eraser software such as BitRaser File Eraser to securely erase data from your trash.

          Hope it helps!

      2. Hi
        If I use Terminal to delete my trash can, I normally write :
        sudo rm -R /

        After I pull my trash to Terminal and it will ask for password which I will provide and then my trash is empty, but will this be a secure way of doing it or what do you think?
        Best Regards

        1. Hi Kenneth,

          Thanks for writing.

          One should take precautions while using the RM command since if the command is misused or used incorrectly then it will result in data loss. Always ensure backup of your Mac with Time Machine. And, for secure deletion, enter trash, right-click the file(s) you want to remove; go for option Delete Immediately.

          I hope this helps.

          Vishal

          1. Hi Vishal

            Thanks for your reply, i will try if it works and get back to you

            Best Regards
            Kenneth

      3. And I though it was only me who was missing the secure empty trash from my Mac OS X. I may try Stellar Wipe Mac someday on my SSD. How much does it cost bud?

        1. $29 Greg. We also have a unique bundle including Stellar Wipe Mac and Stellar Mac data recovery application. Check this link for more details.

      4. I updated to OS X El Capitan and now I don’t find the secure empty trash in Finder, but only the empty trash. Please tell me how I can get the secure empty trash?

        1. Secure empty trash is not the feature of El Capitan. In order to get it, you should contact the Apple support in your country.

      5. Thanks for sharing this how-to. It’s so important to know how to secure things you’ve trashed on your computer like this.

        (Someone from Qorum posted this comment)

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