Can't Empty or Secure Empty Trash

Hi all,
I have a ton of stuff in my Trash (I haven't emptied it in a while ) and Finder says that "The operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003)." What is error code -8003, and how do I fix it?

Thanks in advance.

Have you tried simply restarting the computer and trying to empty the trash once it boots back up. There may be a file in there that was in use by an application, which won't allow you to delete it.

Yes...I was going to suggest the same thing as todd51.

How often are you actually restarting or shutting down your computer versus just putting it to sleep?

If you're accumulating that much stuff in your trash can...you must be "sleeping" it a lot...which sometimes can lead to problems...mostly related to the ram.

- Nick

I almost never put it to sleep, I shut it down every night.

After restarting, I still can't empty the trash. After ejecting my Fantom GreenDrive (1TB), Secure Emptying works! I think it's because I deleted some old Time Machine backup files.

Yea I've noticed on external drives and even flash drives, if I delete data off of it, I have to actually empty the trash to get the space back on my flash drive.

Kinda weird if you ask me!

When you reconnect your GreenDrive do not be surprised to find it all back there. Try rebooting with the GreenDrive attached if the problem persists.

You are right, harryb2448, I still have those old backup files.

Not a reply, really!

Hi, I just joined the Mac Forums, and I struggle with the "old" problem of having an 8003 error message that tells me I can't empty my trash can.
I haven't seen the answer in the thread so far!? Is there a solution?
Thanks!

Well, I had it because my GreenDrive was attached and I had files from it on my Trash as well as originally from my hard drive. If your external HD has some files in your Trash, move them back out and then empty it.

I use main menu to force empty trash in situations like that and it works.
(go to finder/force empty trash in main menu's drop down menu)
Quite often during the process it pauses, and then I cancel the task, and restart the task again.... doing this can take a little time, but it's usually done by the end of a cup of coffee
If you keep the finder window open, you can see the space coming back as the trash disappears, as well seeing when it's stalled, so you know to cancel and restart task.
On occasion main menu quits when doing this, but no need for concern, just restart and continue as before.

go to Terminal and type:
cd ./.Trash
rm -r ./*

but BE CAREFUL WITH THAT you can really screw up your system with this stuff

Solved

I had the same problem. Here's how I solved it:
(1) In Finder Preferences, select "Empty Trash Securely"
(2) Empty the Trash. Note that you could do this manually as well without selecting (1) above.
IMPORTANT: This may take a long time, from minutes to hours, depending on how much stuff you have in the Trash.
(3) You should not get the error while doing (2) --- I did not.
(4) Deselect "Empty Trash Securely" in Finder Preferences.
(5) Delete a file as a test and empty the trash.

It should now work. Again, it does for me.

emptying trash

scathe said:

go to Terminal and type:
cd ./.Trash
rm -r ./*

but BE CAREFUL WITH THAT you can really screw up your system with this stuff

Click to expand...

Thanks, this worked perfectly! I recommend this approach to anyone.

Nadp

Hello,

I'm having the same issue. It started when my iTunes refused to open; I tried to re-install it and the Installer kept crashing or telling me:

"The Installer can’t open the package. There may be a problem with file ownership or permissions."

I trashed iTunes and then tried to empty my Trash, to no avail. I tried the Secure Empty Trash but it was saying I had something like 40,000 items in my trash, and last time I checked that was certainly not the case (I empty my trash on a regular basis), so I chickened out of that. I tried the Terminal solution but I get this as a response:

rm: illegal option -- .
usage: rm [-f | -i] [-dPRrvW] file ...
unlink file

How do I fix this? I can't empty my Trash, I can't get iTunes to work, and I want access to my Christmas music Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

You probably need to type sudo before the rm command. You will be prompted for your password after hitting the return key.

sudo rm -r .Trash

Type it only in your user's home directory.

still stuck in the dumpster

I'm having the same issue. I successfully transferred my time machine backup files to a new external HD, following the instructions on the mac support site. Then, still following the support site instructions, I tried to delete the transferred backup files from the original HD. This was unsuccessful. So, I just deleted them from the orig. HD. Now when I try to empty my Trash, I get the error message of topic. I've given myself read/write permission for the folders in the trash. I've tried all of the solutions suggested so far. Here's the error message I get when attempting the most recent suggestion.

Last login: Tue Dec 7 12:12:59 on ttys000
[my name]s-imac:~ [my name]$ sudo rm -r.Trash
Password:
Sorry, try again.
Password:
rm: illegal option -- .
usage: rm [-f | -i] [-dPRrvW] file ...
unlink file
[my name]s-imac:~ [my name]$

Many thanks for all the solutions offered so far, and a special thanks for the one that will work for me! Cheers!