Emptying the Trash - hung up

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jamkrtx-72 Author

Level 1

8 points

Emptying the Trash - hung up

Mac hung up on Emptying the Trash. Can't close by x'ing. Can't access trash bin.

I can't restart Mac because "The Finder can't quit because some operations are still in progress".

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 11.4

Posted on Dec 2, 2021 9:04 AM

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Answer 1

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Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

85,168 points

Dec 2, 2021 5:00 PM in response to jamkrtx-72

Deleting Time Machine backups via Finder is a big mistake and the only way to fix it is to.

completely erase the Time machine backup drive and start over.
eject, disconnect it and get a new Time Machine backup drive.

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Answer 2

jamkrtx-72 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 2, 2021 4:12 PM in response to den.thed

I put 84 Time Machine backups in the trash (and some photos). The photos were all deleted but the TM backups remained. Then when I would try to delete just one TM backup from the Trash it would just hang up on the file and spin for several hours. A short time ago I closed all my apps except Finder and unplugged the mac from the wall. When I plugged it back in the hung up file no longer appeared but the backups are still in the Trash file.

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Answer 3

jamkrtx-72 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 2, 2021 7:27 PM in response to den.thed

Thank you. The current backup drive is a My Passport.

If I understand correctly, I will not be able to use it for anything and I won't have a backup of my files until I get a new external drive running with Time Machine.

Is that right?

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

85,168 points

Dec 3, 2021 9:45 AM in response to jamkrtx-72

You’re welcome.

Yes, if you wish to use the current external drive. Then you will need to erase it using Disk Utility and start over with new Time Machine backups.

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Answer 5

jamkrtx-72 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 3, 2021 12:16 PM in response to den.thed

Thank you for the help with my Time Machine/Trash problem. Please know that I appreciate people like you and others in this community who generously share their knowledge, experience and time.