In Windows: shift delete. In OS X?...

i know command delete sends it to trash. How do you bypass that and just have it delete?
if thats impossible, is there a shortcut to empty trash?

To empty the trash: SHIFT-CMD-DEL

And that only works if Finder is the active Window - at least on mine - and that is for a secure delete of the trash.

Not aware of any shortcut that will do that for you.

yea, finder has to be the active window

ill usually hit f11 ( show desktop) click on my desktop and then use it and then just expose back to he app i was using.

NOTE: F11 may not be your show desktop key, i have a 2 year old Macbook Pro so i dont have the new fancy keyboards with the volume controls on that end of the row x

F11

I do have one of the "fancy new macs" and the F11 key DOES in fact show the desktop! Handy. On the newest macs though (and I keep forgetting this feature myself, so maybe others are too) but a four finger swipe up on your track pad does the same thing.
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