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The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped

I deleted some of my files from my external HD on Mac and now the files are in the Trash bin. But when I want empty the Trash bin, this massage shows up: "The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped. For each item, choose File > Get Info, make sure "Locked" is deselected, and then check the Sharing & Permissions section. When you are sure the items are unlocked and not designated as Read Only or No Access, try again." However, the files are unlocked. Also, the files are not showing in my external HD, they only appear in the Trash bin. Appreciate your help!

Best Answered by

Jenny Zeng

Answered on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Try the following solutions to get rid of the error "The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped" and empty the Trash on Mac:

If you're certain the files you want to empty from Trash on Mac are unlocked, the next step is to ensure your account has read and write access to the files. Right-click the file that you're unable to delete, select "Get Info," then check if your account is designated as Read & Write. If not, click the yellow lock and enter your password, then change the settings.

If that doesn't work, you can force empty the Trash on Mac using Terminal. Open Terminal, type rm -rf followed by a space, then drag and drop files in your Trash can to Terminal to get their paths. Lastly, press the Enter key.

rm -rf file_path

This command will force remove all the files you dragged to Terminal, including the read-only files.

Read Also:

Mac Trash Won't Empty? Why & How to Force Empty Trash